Spoiler-Free Review : Grandpa's Great Escape by David Walliams Grandpa lives in a Maximum Security Twighlight Zone, and his Grandson attempts to set him free. Jack’s Grandpa… wears his slippers to the supermarket serves up tinned tongue for dinner and often doesn’t remember Jack’s name But he can still take to the skies in a speeding Spitfire and save the day… An exquisite portrait of the bond between a small boy and his beloved Grandpa – this book takes readers on an incredible journey with Spitfires over London and Great Escapes through the city in a high octane adventure full of comedy and heart. I totally forgot this was even coming out till I saw it in Tesco and of course I had to buy it! I've read every single David Walliams book (apart from the picture books) and I didn't want to ruin that streak now, so I needed it. Anyway, let's get into the review! Cover I normally don't really talk about a books' cover, but this one I loved so much that I just had to mention it. I've included a few photos, which you can expect to see on my bookstagram throughout the week. First off I just want to mention the colour of the book as I really love it. It's a really pretty sky blue colour, which is one of my favourite colours. Secondly, the illustrations both inside and outside the book are really great, Tony Ross did an excellent job with the illustrations and the finished book is definitely my favourite design of all of David Walliams' books. Characters Jack - Jack is a 12 year old boy, who doesn't really have that great a relationship with either of his parents. The person he gets on best with is his Grandpa, who is an ex-army pilot. Just like his Grandpa, Jack is obsessed with different plane models and admires his Grandpa for flying a spitfire back in the war. Jacks' favourite days are the ones which he gets to spend with his grandpa, in which he tells Jack stories from when he was in the air. When the family find that Grandpa has increasingly bad dementia, Jack is most affected especially when his parents talk about putting Jacks' beloved grandfather in a home. He does his upmost best to help his Grandpa and plays along with his dementia. Overall, I really enjoyed the character of Jack. I found him to be funny, but also at some times really grown up for his age, attempting to understand his grandfather's condition etc. I really loved his relationship with his grandfather. Grandpa - Like I mentioned before, Grandpa was a pilot (and a Squadron Leader) in WWII and due to his condition he mostly lives in those days and continues to think he's still flying. Up, Up and Away is what Grandpa used to say every time before he took off into the air and this helps Jack to locate his grandfather when he goes missing in the middle of the night. Using the condition Dementia in a book can be quite a touchy subject, especially for those people, who have experienced family members with it. However, I think Walliams didn't do too bad a job. He didn't make it to funny and make it sound like a joke, but he also didn't make it sound more serious than it needs to be. He had the perfect mixture, to suit both children and adult readers. I really loved the character of Grandpa and by far he was my favourite character. Dad (Barry) - Barry is Jacks' dad and also an accountant. As the book mainly features Jack and his Grandpa, you don't get to know Barry that well. From what I gathered, Barry is what most people would refer to as weak, he isn't prepared to share what he thinks of situations and he sort of just hides in the footsteps of Barbara. However, we do get to experience some emotion during one of Grandpa's late night escapes, when Barry is found crying in his car. Despite the fact he wasn't a main character, Barry did affect the story in different ways and he was necessary for the journey of the book. Mum (Barbara) - Just like Barry, you don't necessarily learn a lot about Barbara's character, apart from that she stinks of cheese all of the time. Don't worry, she works at a cheese counter at the local supermarket! Though her and Jack don't have the best relationship, she does care about him in a way a mother normally does. This really came through when Jack went "out" in the middle of the night and hadn't came back. Overall, I think her character was definitely necessary for the plot as she carried a lot of humour centred around her throughout the book about her cheesy smells. "Nurse" Rose, Daisy and Blossom - These characters were just a typical Walliams' character and I felt that they played a reasonable part in shaping the story. They were some of my favourite characters from the book. Raj - Well Raj is just Raj isn't he. .Plot It was quite obvious that the book followed a well thought-out plot. Just liked every Walliams' book, it carried the humour and jokes throughout the story, which I think helped remind the reader that the book isn't meant to be serious. It consisted of the same Walliams' weirdness (especially with the characters), however I did find there to be quite a few surprises. Though I did guess a lot of them (that might of been down to the books' age range), I really loved the book. Rate 4/5 I really would recommend this book to anyone looking for just a fun, chatty read. Have you read this? What were your thoughts? BYE! Grandpa's Great Escape by David Walliams
GR - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25394434-grandpa-s-great-escape?from_search=true&search_version=service BD - http://www.bookdepository.com/Grandpa-s-Great-Escape/9780007494019
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorHello and welcome to Books With Beth! I'm Beth and on this blog I share a mix of all my bookish thoughts through reviews, book tours and hauls. Have fun! Categories
All
Archives
August 2019
|