Richard Ayoade (text) and Tor Freeman (illustrator), The Book That No One Wanted to Read, Walker Books, October 2022, 128 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781529500301
Have you ever thought about how it feels to be a book? To be left under a whiffy pant pile or shelved, forever collecting dust? To have your pages bent backwards or your spine BROKEN? What if you don’t have a sparkly unicorn or dragon adorning your cover – who will pick you out of the bookshop then? This is the story of the sadly neglected Book That No One Wanted To Read – can its destiny change when it finally meets the right reader? Apparently – yes!
Here we have comedian and actor Richard Ayoade’s debut children’s book, told with the familiar dry wit he is famous for as character Maurice in TV series, The IT Crowd. The Book That No One Wanted To Read is part chapter book, part graphic novel loaded with silliness in its mini stories, strange tangents and comic strips style. The story opens with a young girl entering the library who is distracted by a book that talks to her telepathically. The book is written from the book’s point of view which is peculiar, attention grabbing and clever in many ways. It sneaks in information about different book genres, libraries, and other bookish facts which all librarians will love.
The epilogue also encourages the reader to pick up a pen and write their own book.
Perfect for kids seeking humour or simply a fun, engaging quick read for Grade 3+ readers.
Reviewed by Stef Gemmill