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I bought this to read aloud to my kids (ages 6 and 8) at bedtime. I'm over 30 years old and well aware this is a children's book but I have never laughed so hard at a book in my life. It gets just goofy and gross enough to be funny without crossing the line. This is truly the best and most skilled kind of comedy, keeping it G rated and still funny. Some of these passages are so clever and hilarious I have to read them two and three times, and my kids and I laugh harder each time. These are special times with my kids. Thank you, Andy Stanton.

Laugh-out-loud funny read. My daughter and I read together, and I'm glad we did as there was one particular part that lead to tears and her almost quitting. But we worked through it, and agreed at the end that the funny parts vastly outweighed the sad. Cannot wait to read the rest of the series with her!

The truth is that this series keeps getting better, and that's lemon meringue.

It's a rollicker and a frolicker, you little nibbleheads. Polly and Friday and Alan Taylor and Jake the Dog are always saving the Town of Lamonic Bibber from evil Mr. Gum and Billy William the Third. Shabba me whiskers, but this is exciting stuff.

It's silly, but not dumb. It's inventive, but not obscure. It's shrewd, but not condescending. It's dry, but not with that odd Dahl aftertaste. And for my little ones, it has been engaging, amusing, and very popular. They can be avant-garde before they're kindergarde.

So, if you've been waiting for post-modern to reach pre-school, here it is.

You know how everyone thinks it's easy to write a silly Ogden Nash-type poem until they actually try to do it? Then you realize how hard it is to be authentically silly. Well, that's sort of what happens here, in a good way. The stories are silly and the characters are totally off the wall. Drawings, typography, sentence structure, narrative viewpoint - all over the place. But,it all works and it all comes together to create a truly charming and satisfyingly upbeat and refreshing whole. I don't see how a kid's book gets much better than this.

The book started with great ideas and a promising plot. Somehow it lost the line and the closing of the story felt a bit plain.

Hilarious teen book. Filled with irony, self referential humor, puns, and opportunities for discussion. I am using it in speech therapy.

my son loves this book, he loves all the books in the series. they are gross enough to hold his attention and want to try to read them himself.

Mr. Gum is gross, nasty, mean and so darn funny. The other characters are just as strong, and Mr Gum gets his in the end. These are really quick reads and will keep your reluctant reader reading and laughing.