Jonathon Fletcher's Blog: Captain's Blog - Posts Tagged "monday-blogs"

Mr Stink is aimed at children, so why am I reviewing it? My wife is a teacher and wanted to check it out before reading it to her class, simple at that. We read the book to each other over a few nights as you might do for your child. Bearing in mind that it's for kids, I loved it.

David Walliams is clearly in line to be the next Roald Dahl, the illustrations are even drawn by the fabulous Quentin Blake. The book is well written, imaginative and poignant. The story of a young girl called Chloe who befriends a dirty, smelly tramp is heartwarming and the end of the book (just to warn you in advance) had us both in tears.

The only reason this didn't get the full five stars from me was a few repetitive passages which seemed unnecessary and distracting. Maybe they would work for children, I'm not sure? I'm probably too old and jaded to enjoy that sort of thing so I'll let you decide on that one. They simply took the shine off what was otherwise a perfectly executed and magical story.

Mr Stink is a loveable eccentric who has a sausage addiction and a grounding in etiquette and impeccably good manners. Chloe is a girl from a mildly dysfunctional family. She is obviously lonely and finds a friend and confidant in Mr Stink and his dog. The book deals subtly with several difficult issues including bullying and homelessness and takes a clever side swipe at the political system. Mr Walliams is clearly no fan of David Cameron or his government and should be applauded for introducing children to the idea that politicians are not to be trusted implicitly!

A fun book with some thought provoking moments. It was as enjoyable to read as it was to listen to but be prepared for some hard questions from your children. After finishing I really wanted to find Mr Stink and give him a really big hug. Good job Mr Walliams. A sequel please!