Oh how I love the worlds that Clementine Beauvais creates! The Delightful Mr F and I are both massive Sesame Seade fans, and the Royal Babysitters series, aimed at slightly younger readers, is just as fabulous. You may remember from previous reviews that Holly, Anna and Prince Pepino (of Britland) have been trying to save up to go on a Holy Moly holiday, and have had various adventures in the process. Finally they have enough money, and are hoping for the best holiday ever imagined. Of course, not everything is quite as it seems, and as the gang head off into the sunset, strange things start to happen.
As with all of the books Clementine Beauvais has written there are some wonderful set pieces, it’s a riot of adventure and fantastic characters** along with a plot which is funny, clever and resolves some loose ends from previous books. These are great books for kids to read either themselves or with grown ups*.
This appears to be the last book in the series, and when I asked Clementine on Facebook*** when her next book was coming out, she told me she was working on the French side of her writing and translating one of her YA novels. Lucky old France is what I say. It looks as though I may have to improve my French over and above asking the way to the nearest post office. Either that or ask The Delightful Mr F if he will read it to me, seeing as how he speaks French. Incidentally, when we went to see the Bayeux Tapestry the lady on the ticket desk thought he actually was French, and so assumed I was too. What followed was me looking blankly at her until she realised my French vocab only stretches as far as directional requests to postal establishments and she returned to talking to the Delightful Mr F en Français.
I digress, the book is wonderful, and if you haven’t read either this series, or the Sesame Seade series, I would urge you to hot foot it to the bookshop, buy the lot, and then laugh until your sides split.
*I defy anyone to read these aloud and not end up crying with laughter.
** Including a space pirate, with a space parrot! Who doesn’t love a space parrot?!
*** You didn’t know I was down with the authors did you?
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