Ratburger

David Walliams
The fifth screamingly funny novel from David Walliams, number one bestseller and fastest growing children’s author in the country. Hot on the heels of bestselling Gangsta Granny comes another hilarious, action-packed and touching novel – the story of a little girl called Zoe. Things are not looking good for Zoe. Her stepmother Sheila is so lazy she gets Zoe to pick her nose for her. The school bully Tina Trotts makes her life a misery – mainly by flobbing on her head. And now the evil Burt from Burt’s Burgers is after her pet rat! And guess what he wants to do with it? The clue is in the title…From the author that is being called ‘a new Roald Dahl’, Ratburger is not to be missed!
Meet Zoe she’s got a lot of things to be unhappy about.
David Walliams’ books always make me laugh so when I was given this, I nearly read it all on the day I got given it! It even came to school with me the following day because I was at a really tense bit and well, I couldn’t leave it at home not read! Zoe is a little girl with all the things you wouldn’t want like: ginger hair, a brace and she is unusually small. Her father used to work in an ice cream factory a long time ago but when it closed he claimed benefit money and spent it all down the pub. He met Sheila whose eats prawn cocktail crisps all day and lazes about and does nothing, then she becomes her stepmother who Zoe refuses to call Mum.
One day she goes into her bedroom and finds her beloved hamster Gingernut dead! She was so upset because he was going to be a world famous break dancer but now she felt as if all her dreams were ruined. When she was on the way to school she popped into Raj’s corner shop and told him about the dead hamster, and he said to not give up on her dreams.
At school she had to brave in front of her bully Tina Trotts, all her teachers and at lunchtime it was either a bread sandwich or one of Burt’s burgers. Burt was a disgusting man who sold funny looking burgers. She would rather eat a bread sandwich than one of them. When she eventually got home in the corner of her bedroom she saw a rat! She decided to keep him. She took him to school in her blazer pocket and she fed him with her bread sandwich and then she realised he didn’t have a name so she looked around for inspiration for a good name. Then she saw it; the name of Armitage Shanks. She called him Armitage. In her history lesson the teacher noticed something on her head. The rat had climbed on her head! So… long story short… Zoe nearly dies, they both live and Bert and Sheila get their just desserts.
Verdict: A hugely entertaining story with a great ending. A classic David Walliams book isn’t complete without some laughs, it had plenty. I had a good giggle at it! ☺
Reviewed by Daisy (11)