The Ice Monster

Mr Walliams has created another humorous adventure with The Ice Monster. The story follows the sad life of 10 year old Elsie, who is an orphan during the Victorian period. Elsie escapes the horrid orphanage that she has suffered abuse in thinking she has more chance of surviving on the cold streets of London. She goes into the Natural History Museum to keep warm and this is where her amazing adventure starts... a young woolly mammoth, encased in ice, has been discovered and is placed in the museum, Elsie thinks it looks sad and lonely, not unlike herself and with the help of others she brings it back to life... What is there not to like about this story? It's full of fantasy, adventure, humour and to top it all off, contains some historical places/incidents, not always accurate, but Mr Walliams happily explains his inaccuracies at the end of the book! Sorry, just one little niggle I did have towards the ending, after all the mad cap hilarious chases, (this is a spoiler!) Woolly finally gets to her home in the Arctic and finds her MOTHER THERE?? After 50,00 years she only survived because she was encased in ice! This is not explained, it's passed over, the reader just has to accept it. For younger readers this will be ok, but for the older ones may be a little frustrating! (although it doesn't really matter, or take away from the fun, just me being an adult!!) I liked the silly humour (lots of bottoms and bottom burps) which will appeal to its intended reading age, especially boys, who will love this high energy escapade. Despite 481 pages, its a rather quick read to speed through, with the usual Walliams change in text size for emphasis, lots of wonderful Tony Ross illustrations. All very suitable for the 9+ reader, great for reading to younger children and ideal for older reluctant readers. The addition of the few historical figures and settings eg: orphanages, the Chelsea Pensioners, the mention of Queen's Munshi would make the book also ideal for book clubs / classroom read that could help add, in a humorous way, to an understanding of the period. Get a copy and enjoy! 481 pages / Ages 9+ / Reviewed by Linda Brown, school librarian.

Suggested Reading Age 7+