Book Review - The Ghastly McNastys

Title: The Ghastly McNastys: the Lost Treasure of Little Snoring
Author: Lyn Garnder
Genre: humor
Similar books: Claude in the City by Alex T. Smith
                     Mr. and Mrs. Bunny - Detectives Extraordinaire by Polly Horvath
Rating:

too much fun

Summary: The McNasty twins are the most despicable selfish pirates sailing the seas. When word gets out that there is a valuable treasure buried somewhere in the village of Little Snoring, the McNastys are determined to get their hands on it by any means necessary. It's up to Tat and Hetty, local kids who are also seeking the treasure, to protect their village and send the pirates packing.

My opinion: Talk about ridiculous fun. Like all the best absurd books it recognizes its absurdity and embraces that role. It is playful and exciting without a real sense of peril, making this an excellent read aloud for even young kids. Older readers will appreciate the author asides, things like a parrot that gets tossed off of one page only to land some forty pages later. And it has really fun place names - like the Big, Scary, Very Dark, Dense Forest Where No One In Their Right Mind Would Want To Go.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.