Scan barcode
A review by katykelly
Madame Badobedah by Sophie Dahl
3.0
Short, imaginative story about digging beyond first impressions.
3.5 stars
I listened to this with a 6 and 12 year old on three school runs. Read by the author, it had a fairly nostalgic feel, though could have been set in any time period really.
A girl who lives in the hotel her parents own and run lets her imagination run away with her a little, with a new resident. Rude and unusual, she calls her Madame Badobedah and surely she must be a villain with her jewellery and coins?! Mabel has some truths to learn however, when she of course, spies on her and ends up chatting to the old lady. And finds out that everyone has a hidden story and life behind their demeanour.
Too long for a picture book and too old for toddlers, my 12 year old looked a bit miffed at this, the 6 year old liked the imagination parts where the characters make up adventures together. While the lessons learned here are good ones, I felt it could have been quite a good longer novel rather than the short book it is.
Dahl reads her own work, and from the interview at the end, seems to have created Mabel to be like herself as a girl. She reads well, sounding a lot like Isla Fisher reading Marge in Charge.
I'm not really certain what age group will best appreciate this, probably around ages 5-8.
3.5 stars
I listened to this with a 6 and 12 year old on three school runs. Read by the author, it had a fairly nostalgic feel, though could have been set in any time period really.
A girl who lives in the hotel her parents own and run lets her imagination run away with her a little, with a new resident. Rude and unusual, she calls her Madame Badobedah and surely she must be a villain with her jewellery and coins?! Mabel has some truths to learn however, when she of course, spies on her and ends up chatting to the old lady. And finds out that everyone has a hidden story and life behind their demeanour.
Too long for a picture book and too old for toddlers, my 12 year old looked a bit miffed at this, the 6 year old liked the imagination parts where the characters make up adventures together. While the lessons learned here are good ones, I felt it could have been quite a good longer novel rather than the short book it is.
Dahl reads her own work, and from the interview at the end, seems to have created Mabel to be like herself as a girl. She reads well, sounding a lot like Isla Fisher reading Marge in Charge.
I'm not really certain what age group will best appreciate this, probably around ages 5-8.