David Walliams: The Ice Monster (HarperCollins Publishers 2018)
Davis Walliams: The Beast of Buckingham Palace (HarperCollins Publishers 2019)
David Walliams is one of the most famous authors of contemporary children’s books nowadays, and I’ve already read Gangsta Granny in Hungarian. It was a very nice story, though a little sad. It is characteristic to the author that although his theme is general, the story itself is “very English”. London appears almost as a live character. In these two books, we can look at the past and future of the city.
The Ice Monster is set in 1899 and we can follow the hair-raising adventures of Elisa, the homeless orphan. Although the story is fictional, many of the things described about the mammoths as well as Victorian London have a basis that we can read about at the end of the book.
In the other book (The Beast of Buckingham Palace), we leap forward 100 years in time compared to today. All I can say (as the synopsis of the book describes) is that by then we have completely destroyed the Earth… Among the ruins, completely barricaded from the people, the royal family lives in Buckingham Palace in relative comfort until something disturbs the (not so) peaceful life. From beginning to end, readers can hold an exciting book in their hands, in which (finally) a real deceitful character is also included. It has not been published in Hungarian yet, but I am confident that it will soon be available in translation.
Both books are illustrated by Tony Ross and the pictures complement the story very well. For those who are in the mood for a little time travel, I recommend both books, regardless of the age.
