Mr Stink by David Walliams
Nov. 26th, 2009 10:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
”Mr Stink stank. He also stunk. And if it is correct English to say he stinked, then he stinked as well.”
It all starts when Chloe makes friends with Mr Stink, the local tramp. Yes, he smells a bit. But when it looks like he might be driven out of town, Chloe decides to hide him in garden shed.
Now Chloe’s got to make sure no one finds out her secret. And speaking of secrets, there just might be more to Mr Stink than meets the eye ... or the nose.
Mr Stink is a very smelly man who sits on a park bench in the town park with his equally smelly dog, Duchess. Although the townsfolk don’t mind giving him some change now and again, no-one speaks to him – no-one that is except Chloe, a lonely 12-year-old girl who wants to give Mr Stink the five pound note that her aunt gave her for Christmas. The two soon become friends and when Chloe’s awful mother (who wants to be the town’s MP), wants to drive Mr Stink out of town, Chloe decides to hide him in her garden shed. However, the more she tries to hide her secret from her over-achieving younger sister, Annabelle, and her parents, the more she discovers that both Mr Stink and even her own family are keeping secrets of their own ...
Walliams’ narrative voice is very reminiscent of Roald Dahl at times and the effect is reinforced by some cracking illustrations by Quentin Blake (my favourite being his illustration of how to transform a cat into a Goth). Chloe is a sweet character, caring and a little lonely who wants to be a Goth but lacks the courage to find out how. Mr Stink is an affable eccentric with a sad back story that seems intended to make readers think about how people become homeless but is a little too overblown to change attitudes. Chloe’s mother is a wonderful grotesque with extreme but amusing political views and an obvious preference for Annabelle, whose list of extra-curricula activities is hilarious.
While there is a lovely dig at the Prime Minister (Dave) who rules according to whatever – or whoever – is popular at the time, this is likely to go over the heads of younger readers, as is a key scene set during an episode of Question Time. There are also a lot of modern references, which will probably result in the book dating before its time, which is a shame.
It’s a thoroughly enjoyable read with a suitable ending and smart lines that will make you chuckle and some naughty references to bottoms that will keep the target audience entertained.
The Verdict:
Although this is a really fun and entertaining book, some of the jokes will probably go over the heads of the target audience and some of the references will date. Nonetheless, it’s definitely worth a look and it made me chuckle more than once.
It all starts when Chloe makes friends with Mr Stink, the local tramp. Yes, he smells a bit. But when it looks like he might be driven out of town, Chloe decides to hide him in garden shed.
Now Chloe’s got to make sure no one finds out her secret. And speaking of secrets, there just might be more to Mr Stink than meets the eye ... or the nose.
Mr Stink is a very smelly man who sits on a park bench in the town park with his equally smelly dog, Duchess. Although the townsfolk don’t mind giving him some change now and again, no-one speaks to him – no-one that is except Chloe, a lonely 12-year-old girl who wants to give Mr Stink the five pound note that her aunt gave her for Christmas. The two soon become friends and when Chloe’s awful mother (who wants to be the town’s MP), wants to drive Mr Stink out of town, Chloe decides to hide him in her garden shed. However, the more she tries to hide her secret from her over-achieving younger sister, Annabelle, and her parents, the more she discovers that both Mr Stink and even her own family are keeping secrets of their own ...
Walliams’ narrative voice is very reminiscent of Roald Dahl at times and the effect is reinforced by some cracking illustrations by Quentin Blake (my favourite being his illustration of how to transform a cat into a Goth). Chloe is a sweet character, caring and a little lonely who wants to be a Goth but lacks the courage to find out how. Mr Stink is an affable eccentric with a sad back story that seems intended to make readers think about how people become homeless but is a little too overblown to change attitudes. Chloe’s mother is a wonderful grotesque with extreme but amusing political views and an obvious preference for Annabelle, whose list of extra-curricula activities is hilarious.
While there is a lovely dig at the Prime Minister (Dave) who rules according to whatever – or whoever – is popular at the time, this is likely to go over the heads of younger readers, as is a key scene set during an episode of Question Time. There are also a lot of modern references, which will probably result in the book dating before its time, which is a shame.
It’s a thoroughly enjoyable read with a suitable ending and smart lines that will make you chuckle and some naughty references to bottoms that will keep the target audience entertained.
The Verdict:
Although this is a really fun and entertaining book, some of the jokes will probably go over the heads of the target audience and some of the references will date. Nonetheless, it’s definitely worth a look and it made me chuckle more than once.
