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Awful Auntie
416 pages
A delightfully macabre and zany romp where a plucky underdog outwits a monstrously wicked relative.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like stepping into a delightfully spooky, slapstick stage play where the villains are cartoonishly wicked and the heroes are endlessly resourceful. The atmosphere is a perfect blend of cozy-gothic and zany humor, wrapping a genuinely heartfelt story of grief and resilience in layers of irreverent mischief. The pacing is brisk and propulsive, designed to keep pages turning with a mix of suspenseful escapes and laugh-out-loud absurdities. Its prose is theatrical and exaggerated, practically begging to be read aloud with funny voices. It is an absolute treat for readers who love rooting for a clever underdog and who delight in the slightly macabre, Roald Dahl-esque tradition of monstrous adults getting exactly what they deserve.
- Mood
- zany
- spooky-lite
- suspenseful
- cozy-gothic
- Tone
- irreverent
- theatrical
- macabre
- humorous
- heartfelt
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- outsmarting tyrannical adults · unlikely friendships · resilience in grief · the power of mischief
- The writing
- Playful, exaggerated, and highly accessible, relying on theatrical dialogue and slapstick descriptions.
- The arc
- Moves from isolated grief and vulnerability to a triumphant, mischievous empowerment.
- Who it's for
- Middle-grade readers who delight in Roald Dahl-esque villains, slapstick comedy, and clever underdogs.
Content notes
- death of parents
- cartoonish violence
- child endangerment
- bullying
About the book
From number one bestselling author David Walliams comes another heartfelt but hilarious hoot of an adventure Stella Saxby is the sole heir to Saxby Hall. But awful Aunt Alberta and her giant owl will stop at nothing to get it from her. Luckily Stella has a secret - and slightly spooky - weapon up her sleeve...
Description from Open Library.
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