The Paninis of Pompeii

by Andy Stanton

Welcome to the last days of Pompeii as you've NEVER imagined them before! Join fart-trader Caecilius, his wife, Vesuvius, and their ten-year-old son, Filius, in a bizarre world of accidental gladiators, pizza-emitting volcanoes and the legendary Ma-wol-n-f.

You'll meet the household servant, Slavius; thrill at the misadventures of Barkus Wooferinicum and generally have an uproariously hilarious time of it all.

Full of ludicrous characters, surreal escapades and outrageous word play – if you thought Mr Gum was weird, then get a load of the Ancient Pompeiians!

176 pages, Paperback

Published June 27, 2019

About the author

Andy Stanton lives in North London. He studied English at Oxford but they kicked him out. He has been a film script reader, a cartoonist, an NHS lackey and lots of other things. He has many interests, but best of all he likes cartoons, books and music (even jazz).

One day he’d like to live in New York or Berlin or one of those places because he’s got fantasies of bohemia. His favourite expression is ‘Good evening’ and his favourite word is ‘captain’. Andy has now written more than one book, but less than twenty.

-from publisher's website at http://www.mrgum.co.uk/author/

Reviews

[Osian]

Not as good as mr gum

[Tim Roast]

“The Paninis of Pompeii” is a collection of short “stories about [Caecilius Maximus Panini], [his] family and [his] friends and that idiot, Atrium”. The stories (chapters) fit together well to form a fully-formed book, which is definitely more coherent than the author’s previous book “Natboff! One Million Years of Stupidity” because of the same characters appear across chapters and there are some funny callbacks.

The Paninis are from ancient Pompeii, “where the pizzas flow like lava”. Caecilius is the head of the family and one of the richest men alive thanks to his job as a fart merchant. After an intro chapter other chapters cover:
* Caecilius having some dog trouble,
* Caecilius’s son Filius and a slave exchanging places for a day,
* a tale of a werewolf type creature, a ma-wol-n-f, “a terrible blending of two creatures”,
* a day at the Roman baths where things get stolen and Caecilius has to investigate
* a chapter where Filius contemplates picking up an intriguing object
* a tale about Caecilius taking part in a “duel to the death”.

The style is surreal comedy as you’d expect if you’ve read the Mr Gum books, and the book is very funny. My children and I have been enjoying it.

[Liz H]

The Paninis of Pompeii is a gloriously ridiculous and endlessly entertaining adventure that transforms ancient history into a playground of comedy and imagination.

Andy Stanton fills the story with unforgettable characters, outrageous situations, and brilliantly absurd humor, creating a reading experience that is both laugh-out-loud funny and surprisingly engaging. From pizza-spewing volcanoes to eccentric citizens navigating chaos in ancient Pompeii, every page bursts with creativity and energy. The novel’s playful use of language and fearless commitment to nonsense make it especially appealing to young readers who enjoy stories that break all the rules.

Overall, it’s a valuable read for fans of humorous fiction, middle grade adventures, reluctant-reader favorites, comic novels, historical comedy, classroom-friendly books, imaginative storytelling, wordplay, and readers who enjoy quirky characters, outrageous situations, and nonstop laughs.

[Margaret McCulloch-Keeble]

Bonkers. Totally bonkers. Kneecaps made of candy floss, mad as a box of frogs kind of bonkers. I would say ridiculous or ludicrous but they're probably characters in the story. Talking of frogs apparently they were invented by the Romans along with pizzas, squares,volcanoes and mirror men. Don't ask me. The names and use of Roman numerals are very clever and very funny. My favourite name was Roscoe Paracetomol.

[Alina]

Read this book with my 7 year old before visiting Pompeii. The only way I could describe it, it's absolutely bonkers!! It made us laugh and think how the Romans used to live in the old days. After reading it my daughter was really keen to explore Pompeii and see all the crazy things described in the book, including Vesuvius spitting pizzas out .. Absolutely hilarious and ridiculous!

[Marianne Mitchell]

Not as good as Mr Gum but had my year 4s in stitches. His trademark Reeves and Mortimer style ridiculous nonsense which I enjoy but too many puerile fart jokes in this - you’re better than that Andy Stanton. Don’t sink to Walliams’ level.

[Emily Cannings]

Review coming soon!

[Chesbirger659]

It was really funny and really great 😊 😀😁

[Caitlin]

It was the best book I've ever read.

[Fat Climber]

Good not great

[Chris]

This is the closest book to 4 Star I could ever give! Wasn’t expecting anything from this book but it actually turned out pretty cool had some really good and funny moments!