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hbowescatton's review against another edition
3.0
8yo read the first in the series at school so I picked this up for bedtime. It's very funny, Python-esque. I particularly enjoy Stanton's linguistic playfulness and creativity, especially his silly similes 'He shot out of bed like a guilty onion' 'he is as rich as mushroom', etc.
But (and it's a big but), there's some really lazy and mean fat jokes in the book. Jonathan Ripples is 'the fattest man in town', fair enough, but his only characteristic is his greed, and he eats constantly. He's constantly the butt of jokes. It's boring and lazy and damaging. And quite frankly it depresses the heck out of me to think about kids reading this kind of book uncritically in schools.
But (and it's a big but), there's some really lazy and mean fat jokes in the book. Jonathan Ripples is 'the fattest man in town', fair enough, but his only characteristic is his greed, and he eats constantly. He's constantly the butt of jokes. It's boring and lazy and damaging. And quite frankly it depresses the heck out of me to think about kids reading this kind of book uncritically in schools.
frern's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
I had good memories of this book as a child so I read it again and it was a good read.
I caught myself laughing out loud a lot and the illustrations are amusing as well.
Personally I do think the parts with Mr. Gum and William are more enjoyable and funnier than the parts with Polly and Friday, so I wish there would be more of it in the book especially because the series is called "Mr. Gum and..." so I felt like it was too heavily centered around Polly and Friday and obviously the billionaire.
Generally I really enjoy the humour in the book and it's something you can always reread if you need something fun and easy.
I caught myself laughing out loud a lot and the illustrations are amusing as well.
Personally I do think the parts with Mr. Gum and William are more enjoyable and funnier than the parts with Polly and Friday, so I wish there would be more of it in the book especially because the series is called "Mr. Gum and..." so I felt like it was too heavily centered around Polly and Friday and obviously the billionaire.
Generally I really enjoy the humour in the book and it's something you can always reread if you need something fun and easy.
ashleyreadsanything's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5