Synopses & Reviews
Imagine a wonderfully rude, children's version of
It's a Wonderful Life. At the beginning of the tale we have a good man, a caring man, heading for his job as a cookie-taster...but also heading for a terrible fate (he's about to step in something smelly). Is this an accident? (No!) Who's responsible? (The Gigglers, that's who! Elfen creatures whose pranks punish wayward adults.) What did he do to deserve this? (He yelled at his children unfairly, but actually this was a bit of a misunderstanding...) Can the impending mess be avoided? (Possibly!)
Working backward, Roddy Doyle spins the hilarious tale of Mr. Mack, his wife Billy Jean, his three children Robbie, Jimmy, and Kayla, their dog Rover (in many ways the STAR of the show) and, of course, the irrepressible, sometimes hasty, but well-meaning Gigglers.
A thoroughly silly, occasionally subversive, periodically tender, completely satisfying read.
Review
"Roddy Doyle is an absolute genius!" J. K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter books
Review
"[A] robustly silly romp served up with a generous helping of Irish cheek....Displaying a gleefully sadistic sense of timing, Doyle draws out the suspense to outrageous lengths....A bracingly rude dose of fun." Publishers Weekly
Review
"[A] funny, very silly, and very gross story for middle graders..." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"The story is, just by its premise, slightly naughty, but nicely so, never offensively....It really is clever, insightful, sensical, nonsensical, knowing, amusing, witty, wacky. It makes you laugh out loud; it makes you laugh to yourself." Abbott Combes, The New York Times Book Review
Review
"[A] delightfully funny and gross book that should appeal to the many fans of Dav Pilkey's 'Captain Underpants' series....[T]he imaginative narrative and clever plotting make this more than just another silly read." School Library Journal
Review
"That he has the ear and eye for what will tickle children's fancy in a deep, funny, and fulfilling way shows the breadth of Doyle's vision....This rollicking romp also lets kids know that some adults are zanily, irreverently, and irrevocably on their side." Children's Literature
Synopsis
In this delightfully rude, laugh-out-loud adventure by the author of A Star Called Henry, a talking dog, the Mack children, and the small elf-like Gigglers must try to stop the prank that the Gigglers have mistakenly set in motion to punish Mr. Mack for being mean to his kids.