I picked up a whole stack of Walliams’ books in a jumble sale last year. I have long been intrigued by what his children’s books would be like, because I had so far only seen the tv adaptation of Gangsta Granny, which I really liked. The Ice Monster was a fun read, but I was also surprised how much factual information Walliams tried to impart – from Victorian London to the Queen Victoria to science and technology that Victorians were obsessed with. Fun facts wrapped up in a lot of fart jokes. What’s not to like in a kids’ book?

What I loved best of all was that the story heavily features the Natural History Museum in South Kensington/London, and I hope that it inspired some youngsters to a visit.

The story itself – featuring an orphan with an interest in paleontology who unwittingly becomes an accomplice to a quasi Dr. Frankenstein – was moving and funny, but at time felt a bit long in the tooth. If my patience was tested, I can imagine that some of its intended readers would have felt the same.

Overall, I look forward to reading the other books in my Walliams’ stack. He seems to write with creativity (which I expected), but also with kindness and an awareness if making stories inclusive without stressing about it. ( )