Gangsta Granny

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What a lovely book by David Walliams. 'Gangster Granny' has it all...funny bits...exciting bits..and sad bits. I have just finished reading it with my daughter who is in year 4 and she absolutely loved and couldn't put it down. Maybe I would have fared better, if I liked his TV writing (Little Britain), but I am not a fan of that show at all, finding it either mean spirited, exploiting the worst stereotypes or just plain stupid. Sorry. Little Britain’, which he co-created with Matt Lucas, started on Radio 4 and soon progressed to BBC1. The show has won numerous international awards including three BAFTAs, and now plays in over 100 countries. ‘Little Britain Live’ performed to a million people in the UK, Ireland and Australia. David and Matt followed ‘Little Britain’ with the hugely popular spoof airport documentary series 'Come Fly With Me'. I do not want to be unfair. This is a book for children. I am not a child, but a grumpy old man. Still, I occasionally read (and very much enjoy) YA novels, I just love funny novels and this is among the bestselling comedy books in the UK these are three valid reasons for curiosity - and there may be other adults like me tempted to try David Walliams.

One day, Ben calls his parents at Granny's house and asks them to take him home. Mum and Dad ignore Ben and disapprove of the proposal. Granny somehow overhears the conversation due to the indistinct sound made by Ben while he was talking. The next morning, his Granny seems somewhat upset and disappointed thinking that her grandson doesn't love her. Ben’s parents listen to the same Strictly Stars Dancing CD over and over again. Could you create your own playlist of music that Ben might enjoy, or compose a song that the whole family might like? Gangsta Granny suffers from the same problems: It uses the lowest common denominators to gain as wide an audience as possible that it overshoots at those who actually prefer to think for themselves and ask questions. Case in point: Ben's parents are such unlikely caricatures of adults in their obsession with (and reduction to) ballroom dancing, it is painful. And though his grandmother's secret past as a thief might be a funny idea in itself (just not very original), her other persona of 'granny' is such a stereotype it should not have made it past the first editor. Cabbagy Water In fact, if there was a fire in their house, and Mum could only save either a sparkly gold tap-shoe once worn by Flavio Flavioli (the shiny, tanned dancer and heartbreaker from Italy who appeared on every series of the hit TV show) or her only child, Ben thought she would probably go for the shoe. Tonight, his mum and dad were going to an arena to see Strictly Stars Dancing live on stage. \"I don't know why you don't give up on this pipe dream of becoming a plumber, Ben, and think about dancing professionally,\" said Mum, her lip-liner scrawling across her cheek as the car bounced over a particularly bumpy speed bump. Mum had a habit of applying make-up in the car, which meant she often arrived somewhere looking like a clown. \"Maybe, just maybe, you could end up on Strictly!\" added Mum excitedly. 13 Gangsta Granny \"They go out of date tomorrow,\" said Raj, as he lumbered over to the freezer cabinet, slid open the glass top and pulled out a cardboard box of Cornettos. A freezing cold mist immediatelyDue to his obnoxious parents’ desire to have the night to themselves once per week (so they can watch their celebrity dance shows on the telly) Ben is shipped off to his grandmother’s bungalow every Friday evening. Ben hates spending time with his granny; she’s boring and smells of cabbage. Things change, though, when Ben discovers his boring granny used to be an international jewel thief. Mr Stink’ (2009) and ‘Gangsta Granny’ (2011) – both entertaining and amusing novels from the now very commercially successful pen of David Walliams. Jo Sargent,Executive Producer, says: “We’re excited to be bring the next instalment of David’s Gangsta Granny to the screen with such a stellar cast on board, and to find out what Ben and friends, old and new have been up to since we last saw them.” Gangsterimummin kuolemasta on kulunut vuoden verran, kun Lontoota alkaa repiä uusi ryöstöaalto. Ensin katoaa Tutankhamonin naamio British Museumista, eivätkä muutkaan kansallisaarteet ole turvassa nokkelalta varkaalta. Naapurustossa asuva herra Parker on edelleen vakuuttunut Benin syyllisyydestä, ja sen seurauksena sankarimme huomaa olevansa keskellä vauhdikasta seikkailua. Lisäväriä tapahtumiin tuovat salaperäinen musta kissa, Thamesissa kelluva jäävuori, seniorimopo, kebabia syövä hummeriasuinen rouva, paritanssista turhan paljon innostuneet vanhemmat ja tietysti myös kaikkien Walliams-romaanien vakiohahmo, vanhentuneita makeisia kulmakaupassaan myyvä Raj.

Choose a person that you know (or a made-up character) and think of different secrets that they might have. Can you write a story about this? Ben wants to be a plumber when he is older. What jobs might you like to do when you are an adult? What skills does each job require? Mystery and Wonder Ben wasn't at all sure that Raj was right about Granny. That night it was the same old story. Granny served up cabbage soup, followed by cabbage pie and for dessert it was cabbage mousse. She even found some cabbage-flavoured after-dinner chocolates'=· somewhere. After dinner, Granny and Ben sat down together on the musty sofa as they alway s did. \"Scrabble time!\" exclaimed Granny. ,:-cabbage-flavoured chocolates are not as nice as they sound, and they don't sound that nice. 39 Write about one of the adventures that granny might have had when she was the most wanted jewel thief in the world.Added to all this, David’s books have achieved unprecedented critical acclaim: Awful Auntie, Ratburger and Demon Dentist won the National Book Awards Children’s Book of the Year and in France David was awarded the popular Tamtam for Mr Stink and the prestigious Le Prix Du Livre De La Jeunesse for Ratburger, so it comes as no surprise that countless broadsheet reviewers have compared David to his all-time hero, Roald Dahl. Ben and Granny play Scrabble together. Ask a friend to give you a random selection of letters and see how many words you can make using them. David Walliams is fast becoming a global phenomenon in the world of children’s literature – his ability to wow fans is unprecedented with global sales over 14.1 million.