BOOK REVIEW: The Demon Dentist by David Walliams

By storgy in book reviews on May 10, 2018May 10, 2018

Short Review

David Walliams’ Demon Dentist is a spooky story, of strange goings on in a small town. Everything goes wrong when a new dentist turns up and seems too good to be true. But Alfie, who doesn’t like going to the dentist, and his friend Gabz twig what’s going on. This is an excellent adventure, with the right amount of creepiness and a really exciting ending. The main characters are great. There is plenty of silliness, both with the characters and David Walliams’ fun with silly words. A must read for Walliams fans, or for those weirdos who haven’t read any of his books. Funny, exciting, and just a little spooky.

Five out of five Storgy typewriters

For readers 8 to about 80 years old

If this book needed mates to bail it out of trouble they’d be… The Witches and Matilda by Roald Dahl,

The Longer Review

All the children who lose their teeth, instead of getting a nice bit of wonga under their pillow from the Tooth Fairy, are finding gross things instead, like an old man’s toenail, or a fresh eyeball, or a crispy scab, or someone from TOWIE. Okay I made the last one up. That would be truly horrifying, but, you get the idea.

Our hero, Alfie, doesn’t like going to get his teeth checked so there pretty gross, but when the town’s new dentist turns up to school, after the old dentist mysteriously dies, you just know Alfie is going to end up there.

Alfie isn’t rich. He’s poor because his dad is ill and in a wheelchair from working down the town’s old coal mine. This brings Winnie, a larger than life social worker, with a love of speeding around and doing wheelies on her moped, into Alfie and his dad’s life. And Winnie makes it her mission to get Alfie to the dentist in one of the books stand out, action packed, hilarious chapters. As well meaning as this trip to the dentist is, it ends up throwing Alfie, his friend Gabz (who totally don’t fancy each other, honest), his dad and Winnie, in to danger and a fantastic, heart wrenching ending.

Other great things about this book are the obligatory bit part from Raj, the friendly news agent playing the hero’s unwitting guide, and so many funny made-upish words from David Walliams I was either chuckling or laughing out loud all the way through.

Like a lot of Mr Walliams’ work Demon Dentist is a book as much about how love is more important than anything. He delivers this inside a gripping story with characters you care about and his usual hilarious flare. This is one of his finest stories, particularly the ending, which is exciting, heart-aching and leaves you with a mix of emotions. A must read for Walliams’ fans.

The Demon Dentist is published by HarperCollins Children’s Books and is available to purchase here.

David Walliams

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Since beginning his publishing career in 2008, David Walliams has taken the children’s literary world by storm. His sixth book DEMON DENTIST was published in September 2013 and went straight to number one in the bestseller charts.

Previous bestsellers RATBURGER and GANGSTA GRANNY were also immediate number one hits, and the paperback of GANGSTA GRANNY dominated the UK charts in 2013, remaining at number one for a colossal 22 weeks.

David is currently the fastest growing children’s author in the UK. Following the Christmas 2012 success and BAFTA nomination of the BBC adaptation of his second book, MR STINK, starring Hugh Bonneville, GANGSTA GRANNY was aired in 2013 over Christmas. Walliams’ books have achieved unprecedented critical acclaim and it comes as no surprise that countless broadsheet reviewers have compared him to his all-time hero, Roald Dahl.

Reviewed by Daniel Soule

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