Demon Dentist by David Walliams, illustrated by Tony Ross, 448 pp, RL 4
I have long known David Walliams to be the writing and acting partner of Matt Lucas in shows like Little Britain and Come Fly With Me where the duo performed a huge range of characters, young and old, male and female, always spot on, always hilarious and always smart. Considering the skill with which he wrote and acted, it did not surprise me when I discovered he had started writing children's books. If he could bring these unforgettable characters to life on the screen, why not the page? It didn't surprise me either, to hear that he had been partnered with Tony Ross. Walliams, it seems, is sort of picking up where Roald Dahl left off and Ross's illustration style is very much like that of Quentin Blake, illustrator to Dahl's work for the last generation or so. I really want to read Walliam's debut book, The Boy in the Dress, (published in 2008 in the UK) but, despite having an American publisher, these books are really expensive! Over $15.00 for a paperback! So, the first book by David Walliams that I read is his newest, which I think is also what HarperCollins is hoping will be a smash hit for him here in the States, Demon Dentist.

Demon Dentist begins with out hero Alfie Griffith, a twelve-year-old boy who has a distinct abhorrence of dentists, although this is somewhat understandable. On Alfie's last visit to the dentist some years ago, the elderly dentist, Mr. Erstwhile, had to call in his assistant and receptionist to pull Alfie's tooth and, when it was finally done, it turned out to be the wrong tooth! Alfie's dad worked for twenty years in the local coal mine and now he is wheelchair bound and they are living in near destitution, but his dad is a fantastic story teller. As the story begins, two seemingly horrible things happen to Alfie on the same day. First, a new dentist, Miss Root, comes to town and gives a speech to the children about oral health that involves her secretly peeking in all their mouths, insisting that they call her "mummy" and ending with a platter full of sugar-free sweets being tossed into the crowd. Secondly, Winnie, a colorfully dressed, biscuit loving, West Indian social worker with a serious aversion to coffee (makes her fart quite powerfully) who says "teet" instead of "teeth" and "Griffit" instead of "Griffith," appears in Alfie's home. Supposedly for his own good, things get worse when she sees his teeth and makes him an appointment with Miss Root.

I can see Demon Dentist being a rollickingly fun read out loud, at bedtime, maybe. And I hope that readers take to it! I really want to read The Boy in the Dress, but I only want to pay $6.99 for it . . .
Source: Review Copy
Is it just me, or did Tony Ross draw Alfie's dad to look a bit like Andy Pipkin, a Matt Lucas character from Little Britain??