What happens next? Will Aunt Alberta succeed her mission of claiming the inheritance? Is Stella’s parent’s accident being really an accident? Will Stella be able to figure out the truth? Lies the suspense of the story. It's more contained than other Walliams books. By this I mean, his usual zany humour just doesn't make as many appearances as it has in the past. There's a lot of exposition to get through, and it does make the book more serious as a result. There are also fewer settings and characters (it all takes place, like a stage play) in Saxby Hall and the grounds, with very few characters (which I felt it missed - other children, other adults). It's almost a two-hander - little girl versus evil aunt. When I started reading this book I didn’t expect the plot was so apprehensive, and I sensed the comparison with Roald Dahl books. The revenge plan? It was fun, but was that toilet part necessary? It felt silly, unnecessary and quite disgusting to read it. Pee and poo "humour" isn't something I want to see in books. A very amusing butler in the ancient Gibbon, muddling up everything nicely. Even though he is underused.

Apart from that I have no complaints. It's quite a brutal book in the Roald Dahl vein with multiple murders, some quite grisly. It is genuinely funny, genuinely interesting, and at the last, genuinely touching. A bright and brave female heroine in Stella, young heiress of a large country house, orphaned but determined not to let her evil aunt Alberta steal her house from her.The time period. For the first time, Walliams has set his book in the past. 1933. Though you'd barely know it from the book. I only realised from looking at the family tree dates, the book itself hardly mentions anything that sets it in a period. The old car and telephone are the only clues. Awful Auntie is awful when it comes to Aunt Alberta, she is so creepy and dark in plotting awful ambushes. “Soot” the chimney ghost is an admirable character, and his appearance in this story gives real flavour to this story. She is terribly evil, like a devil has possessed her. It was just creepy and disturbing, she was a horrendous character, not only in attitude but just generally as well. She had no value, but being a villain and a bad person. It would have been nice if there had been some growth, though I guess with the fact she was evil from the beginning, there is no helping her. More 'Dahl-like' moments - a Mr-Twit beard moment in describing Aunt Alberta, a feel of James and the Giant Peach in some of the sad Saxby family history, some Miss-Trunchbull-like pranks)

Awful Auntie is a children's book written by David Walliams and illustrated by Tony Ross. It is the seventh book by Walliams, a television comedian best known as an actor on the show Little Britain, and as a judge on Britain's Got Talent.This book was a step up from Mr Stink and I can't deny that it's very good. I read it to Celyn and she asked that I give it 5*. Personally I would deduct 1* and here's why: Soot was an interesting character, though I knew what he was, his role and everything else, from the start. It was just so obvious that it would be odd had it been something else entirely. He was a good friend to Stella, though I felt sorry for the idea that she would lose him so soon. His accent was a bit annoying and it took me some time to get through the parts that featured him talking. Aunt Alberta - at times she's funny (her retellings of Fairy Tales for her niece), but she's also like the villains of Demon Dentist and Ratburger in that she's more stereotype than real, though she's better characterised than either of them. She seems to be based on Miss Trunchbull, even in the drawings, and does get some juicy moments. But I'm not going to give any author unconditional praise if it's not due. But I was disappointed by lots of things in this latest Walliams offering. The illustrations are still fantastic and I still really like them, and they are still another big reason why I still read these books.

I have no issue with celeb writers if they do a good job. But we have a problem when an author gets too big to edit, and it's really clear that for whatever reason no half way decent editor went anywhere near this. Aunt, urgh, most horrendous character ever. Dear Lord, I do wonder why no one took action against her, why no one could see how she was, how no one had any idea. Her brother (Stella's dad) was just way to generous, he should have said no from the start, instead of letting it go on like this. The ending was just a bit too dramatic and too much for me. I had hoped for something else, but instead even the ending had to be silly and weird like the rest of the book. It was also a bit disgusting. Even though generally David Walliams books are hit and miss, I just keep reading them, hoping to find another one that is good. Did I like this one? At times, yes, but mostly no. I'm glad that children love these books. David Walliams is helping keep libraries and bookshops busy with children requesting his titles, just as J. K. Rowling has done, this generation are enjoying their books and hopefully spring-boarding to other authors and titles that will fire their imaginations.I will admit that I have been biased against David Walliams purely because he (appeared) to get a free pass into writing books by virtue of being a famous TV personality. The Owl, Wagner, was an interesting addition to the story, though he was horrendous in the beginning, mean, bleh and all that (but I mostly blame Auntie for that), I liked how he was at the end. This is the first book I’ve read written by David Williams. The characters are bizarre and yet dark humour is found all over. This is an admirable story were all the characters has their own importance.

The 'Raj' epilogue is wonderful. From the moment I realised the time period I knew we wouldn't be seeing Raj. And he's my favourite (recurring) character. Don't tell me that stuff is okay because it's a kid's book or a funny book. It's not okay to present children with sloppy crap and bad writing. And to call the plot rambling and tissue-thin is to overpraise wildly. If you removed the blether, repetition and scenes that have no impact on the plot, it would be maybe 40pp long. This may be a huge hit with the under-ten set, but I was massively disappointed. I do feel terribly sorry for the author, who clearly suffers from Trying-Too-Hard-To-Be-Like-Roald-Dahl Syndrome. (It's a real thing; I didn't just make that up. Did you catch last year's telethon? The Oompa Loompas did a smashing acapella version of Don't Worry Be Happy.)A wonderfully wordy opening scene (expect KS2 teachers to use this in Literacy lessons on descriptive language), setting the snowy scene in Saxby Hall.