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quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
Join the reading revolution! Comics + Books United into BOOMICS
Babysitting the naughtiest kid sister in the world is hilarious fun - until BEA GOES MISSING!
Join Dennis, Gnasher and friends on a wild search for the littlest Menace! Will they find her before the grown-ups get home?
Dennis the Menace’s mum and dad and grandma have been invited to the wedding of his dad’s cousin Lindy in Nuttytown in two weeks time. The problem is that the wedding is adults-only, so in order to go they need to find a baby-sitter for Dennis and his baby sister Bea.
Dennis isn’t keen on the idea of a babysitter because they just get in the way of his fun so he’s determined to sabotage anyone brave (or stupid) enough to volunteer for the job. But nothing he does can compare to what happens on the day of the wedding when Dennis’s pranking results in Bea going missing!
Dennis, helped by Gnasher and his friend Harsha Chandra have to find her before the babysitter realises what happens and before his mum and dad come home. But Bea’s adventures are going to take her across Beanotown and Dennis is going to need reinforcements if he’s to get her back in time!
The 6th in Craig Graham and Mike Stirling’s “Boomic” Beano spin-off series for readers aged 8+ is a madcap chase caper filled with more poo jokes than you can put in a nappy. Nigel Parkinson’s illustrations continue to impress (with a picture linked to a poo joke making me genuinely laugh out loud) and I enjoyed meeting more of Dennis’s friends in a story that works for both young readers, reluctant readers and (much) older readers too.
I’ve now read 4 books in this spin-off Beano series and I honestly think that they keep getting better and better. There’s a real nostalgia hit for me given that I first read the Beano cough-cough years ago, so seeing how the characters are updated and engage in new adventures is both fascinating and a lot of fun.
The story here is pretty straightforward - Bea goes missing and Dennis has to find her - but the execution is pacy and at times genuinely laugh out loud funny. I enjoyed meeting new friend of Dennis, Harsha Chandra whose love of pranks and jokes matches Dennis’s own and her mobile phone obsessed big sister Heena also re-meeting wheelchair user Rubi Von Screwtop (last seen in SUPER SLIME SPECTACULAR).
There are a lot of pranks in this book, my favourites being the ones pulled on Dennis’s next door neighbour, the Colonel (who is clearly absolutely bonkers but whose parades with his gnomes made me chuckle). One thing I particularly liked was the guide to pranking at the end of the book, which gives some rules on how to do it and also emphasises how it has to be funny and not mean and how you should apologise if someone does not find it funny.
I also thought that Bea was an absolute delight and was completely invested in her adventures around Beanotown. I should mention here that Nigel Parkinson’s illustrations are absolutely superb throughout and really add to the crazy atmosphere but my absolute favourite in this book was a simple drawing of Bea’s face as she, erm, fills her nappy, which anyone who has ever looked after a baby will recognise all too well.
The best thing about the book though is the way the authors balance Dennis getting away with what he’s done (and here I should say that I did appreciate the moment of self-reflection on his part on whether he was a good brother or not) and getting caught. I thought that Graham and Stirling completely stuck the landing on this so it’s satisfying to both younger readers and older readers like myself.
Speaking of older readers, there are a number of little moments in this book that work on an adult level, e.g. the way the postman can’t resist opening the mail for Dennis’s mum and dad, or that Butch Butcher is an Elvis impersonator. As such, this is one of those series that will work well if you want to read along with your young reader because there is genuinely something for both of you.
All in all, I think this is my favourite book yet in this series and I very much look forward to seeing what crazy adventures Dennis and his chums get up to next.
The Verdict:
The 6th in Craig Graham and Mike Stirling’s “Boomic” Beano spin-off series for readers aged 8+ is a madcap chase caper filled with more poo jokes than you can put in a nappy. Nigel Parkinson’s illustrations continue to impress (with a picture linked to a poo joke making me genuinely laugh out loud) and I enjoyed meeting more of Dennis’s friends in a story that works for both young readers, reluctant readers and (much) older readers too.
BEANO DENNIS & GNASHER - LITTLE MENACE’S GREAT ESCAPE was released in the United Kingdom on 13th April 2023. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.
Babysitting the naughtiest kid sister in the world is hilarious fun - until BEA GOES MISSING!
Join Dennis, Gnasher and friends on a wild search for the littlest Menace! Will they find her before the grown-ups get home?
Dennis the Menace’s mum and dad and grandma have been invited to the wedding of his dad’s cousin Lindy in Nuttytown in two weeks time. The problem is that the wedding is adults-only, so in order to go they need to find a baby-sitter for Dennis and his baby sister Bea.
Dennis isn’t keen on the idea of a babysitter because they just get in the way of his fun so he’s determined to sabotage anyone brave (or stupid) enough to volunteer for the job. But nothing he does can compare to what happens on the day of the wedding when Dennis’s pranking results in Bea going missing!
Dennis, helped by Gnasher and his friend Harsha Chandra have to find her before the babysitter realises what happens and before his mum and dad come home. But Bea’s adventures are going to take her across Beanotown and Dennis is going to need reinforcements if he’s to get her back in time!
The 6th in Craig Graham and Mike Stirling’s “Boomic” Beano spin-off series for readers aged 8+ is a madcap chase caper filled with more poo jokes than you can put in a nappy. Nigel Parkinson’s illustrations continue to impress (with a picture linked to a poo joke making me genuinely laugh out loud) and I enjoyed meeting more of Dennis’s friends in a story that works for both young readers, reluctant readers and (much) older readers too.
I’ve now read 4 books in this spin-off Beano series and I honestly think that they keep getting better and better. There’s a real nostalgia hit for me given that I first read the Beano cough-cough years ago, so seeing how the characters are updated and engage in new adventures is both fascinating and a lot of fun.
The story here is pretty straightforward - Bea goes missing and Dennis has to find her - but the execution is pacy and at times genuinely laugh out loud funny. I enjoyed meeting new friend of Dennis, Harsha Chandra whose love of pranks and jokes matches Dennis’s own and her mobile phone obsessed big sister Heena also re-meeting wheelchair user Rubi Von Screwtop (last seen in SUPER SLIME SPECTACULAR).
There are a lot of pranks in this book, my favourites being the ones pulled on Dennis’s next door neighbour, the Colonel (who is clearly absolutely bonkers but whose parades with his gnomes made me chuckle). One thing I particularly liked was the guide to pranking at the end of the book, which gives some rules on how to do it and also emphasises how it has to be funny and not mean and how you should apologise if someone does not find it funny.
I also thought that Bea was an absolute delight and was completely invested in her adventures around Beanotown. I should mention here that Nigel Parkinson’s illustrations are absolutely superb throughout and really add to the crazy atmosphere but my absolute favourite in this book was a simple drawing of Bea’s face as she, erm, fills her nappy, which anyone who has ever looked after a baby will recognise all too well.
The best thing about the book though is the way the authors balance Dennis getting away with what he’s done (and here I should say that I did appreciate the moment of self-reflection on his part on whether he was a good brother or not) and getting caught. I thought that Graham and Stirling completely stuck the landing on this so it’s satisfying to both younger readers and older readers like myself.
Speaking of older readers, there are a number of little moments in this book that work on an adult level, e.g. the way the postman can’t resist opening the mail for Dennis’s mum and dad, or that Butch Butcher is an Elvis impersonator. As such, this is one of those series that will work well if you want to read along with your young reader because there is genuinely something for both of you.
All in all, I think this is my favourite book yet in this series and I very much look forward to seeing what crazy adventures Dennis and his chums get up to next.
The Verdict:
The 6th in Craig Graham and Mike Stirling’s “Boomic” Beano spin-off series for readers aged 8+ is a madcap chase caper filled with more poo jokes than you can put in a nappy. Nigel Parkinson’s illustrations continue to impress (with a picture linked to a poo joke making me genuinely laugh out loud) and I enjoyed meeting more of Dennis’s friends in a story that works for both young readers, reluctant readers and (much) older readers too.
BEANO DENNIS & GNASHER - LITTLE MENACE’S GREAT ESCAPE was released in the United Kingdom on 13th April 2023. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.
