What's for Dinner, Mr Gum?

What's for Dinner, Mr Gum? continues Andy Stanton's series about the unpleasant Mr Gum and his adventures in the town of Lamonic Bibber. Mr Gum and his friend Billy William the Third devise a plan involving food to cause trouble for the townspeople. A nine-year-old girl named Polly attempts to save the town, alongside her allies Jonathan Ripples and Friday O'Leary. The story involves a cooking competition, peculiar meals, and the pursuit of justice through culinary means. This book maintains the series' signature mix of absurd humor and moral lessons. The tale explores themes of friendship, community spirit, and standing up against wrongdoing through a combination of outlandish events and unlikely heroes.

Readers describe this book as silly and nonsensical with wordplay that appeals to children ages 7-12. Many note it works well as a read-aloud book that makes both kids and parents laugh. Likes: - Absurd humor and made-up words keep children engaged - Illustrations complement the zany writing style - Appeals to reluctant readers through its irreverent tone Dislikes: - Some parents find the humor too crude or chaotic - A few readers note the story feels disjointed - British expressions can confuse non-UK readers Ratings: Goodreads: 4.29/5 (194 ratings) Amazon UK: 4.7/5 (212 reviews) Review quotes: "Perfect for fans of Roald Dahl who like their stories weird and wacky" - Amazon reviewer "The random tangents and non sequiturs lost my kids' attention" - Goodreads reviewer "My 9-year-old was literally crying with laughter" - Amazon UK reviewer

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🌟 Andy Stanton wrote the entire Mr. Gum series while working as a carrot washer at a Mexican restaurant in London 🌟 The book features a character called Friday O'Leary, who is named after Stanton's real-life neighbor's cat 🌟 What's for Dinner, Mr Gum? won the Red House Children's Book Award in 2009, voted for entirely by young readers 🌟 The illustrator, David Tazzyman, creates all the book's drawings using a simple black pen and deliberately makes them look messy to match the chaotic nature of the story 🌟 The book contains its own made-up language called "Lamonic Bibber," which includes words like "jazzing" (meaning excellent) and "dollops" (meaning anything at all)