OCTOBER 2014 - AudioFile
Author-narrator David Walliams energetically depicts Alfie, who, after a horrific experience with an earlier dentist, is understandably reluctant to visit the town's new dentist, Dr. Root, and her cat, Fang. Walliams's delivery is lively. Adjectives take on lives of their own, and there's also a funny "boing" when he makes up a word. Jocelyn Jee Esien stands out as Alfie's melodious-voiced Afro-Caribbean social worker. She and Raj, the Indian corner shop owner, terrifically and authentically portrayed by Nitin Ganatra, assist Alfie when Dr. Root turns out to be a tooth witch who's pulling kids' teeth whether they're decayed or not. The bittersweet conclusion is ideal—and believable—for Walliams’s young listeners. S.G.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly - Audio
04/25/2016
Alfie has enough to deal with given his father’s ailing health, but now his social worker is insisting that he see the new dentist in town because his teeth are in such a state of disrepair that his smile is fear-inducing. Yet the new dentist is clearly up to no good, and Alfie is determined to prove it, even if he has to have his teeth examined. Author Walliams, also an actor and comedian with considerable experience performing in the U.K., effectively narrates his own book with a soft but throaty voice. His English accent remains appealing and engaging throughout the production. He captures Alfie’s mood while also presenting realistic vocal characters for Alfie and other male characters. Voice actors Jocelyn Lee Esien and Nittin Gantra provide additional lively and colorful characters in this production. The three distinct voices provide a solid mixture of aural enticements, and their parts are well-woven into the narration so that it flows smoothly from each character. Accompanying each chapter’s end is music that also adds to the tone and mood of the story. Ages 8–12. A Harper hardcover. (Mar.)
Publishers Weekly
12/07/2015
A bestselling author for children in the U.K., comedian Walliams (Mr. Stink) promises “a horror story. With quite a lot of made-up words” in the preface to this novel, and what follows is indeed a ghastly affair. Alfie Griffith, 12, has it rough: dead mother, dying father, and an early-life experience with the dentist so grisly that he never returned, leaving him with a mouthful of rotting teeth. When a new dentist arrives, Alfie’s social worker insists he visit, even though Miss Root is clearly evil. Her arrival coincides with a disturbing crime spree: teeth left under pillows are replaced not with shillings but with horrifying calling cards: a human eyeball, a dead cockroach, a bat wing (still flapping). The grotesqueries evoke Dahl, but the comparison ends there. The jokes are stale (especially the ones at the expense of the overweight social worker), the adults all buffoons, and the plot a couple hundred pages longer than necessary. Ross’s humorous illustrations recall Quentin Blake’s, but aren’t enough to buoy the sagging adventure or an ending so sugar-coated it would keep Miss Root in business for years. Ages 8–12. (Mar.)
From the Publisher
PRAISE IN THE USA FOR DEMON DENTIST:
“A Brit-flavored romp that combines moments of intense terror and bracing courage with biting satire.” — Kirkus Reviews
“A Dahl-esque mix of humor and horror that will appeal to fans of both.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“A goofy, gory, outlandish tale of deep evil and terrible tooth-rot—and sweetness of heart. Kids who enjoy humorous gross-out horror will definitely want to book an appointment of their own with the Demon Dentist.” — Wall Street Journal
“Dahl-esque in the extreme…Frenetic humor for middle grade fans of the funny and fearsome.” — School Library Journal
UK PRAISE FOR DAVID WALLIAMS:
“No one has any business being as talented as David Walliams. He is the heir to Roald Dahl—and that’s saying a lot.” — The Spectator
“Comedian David Walliams has taken the publishing world by storm.” — The Metro
“A triumphant mix of wit and warmth.” — Telegraph
“A great comic tale—Walliams is a natural wit.” — Evening Standard
“Walliams’s books will become classics.” — The Guardian
The Guardian
Walliams’s books will become classics.
Telegraph
A triumphant mix of wit and warmth.
The Spectator
UK PRAISE FOR DAVID WALLIAMS: “No one has any business being as talented as David Walliams. He is the heir to Roald Dahl—and that’s saying a lot.
Wall Street Journal
A goofy, gory, outlandish tale of deep evil and terrible tooth-rot—and sweetness of heart. Kids who enjoy humorous gross-out horror will definitely want to book an appointment of their own with the Demon Dentist.”
Evening Standard
A great comic tale—Walliams is a natural wit.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
A Dahl-esque mix of humor and horror that will appeal to fans of both.
The Metro
Comedian David Walliams has taken the publishing world by storm.
Wall Street Journal
A goofy, gory, outlandish tale of deep evil and terrible tooth-rot—and sweetness of heart. Kids who enjoy humorous gross-out horror will definitely want to book an appointment of their own with the Demon Dentist.
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
A Dahl-esque mix of humor and horror that will appeal to fans of both.
The Guardian (UK)
Walliams’s books will become classics.
Evening Standard (London)
A great comic tale—Walliams is a natural wit.
Telegraph (UK)
A triumphant mix of wit and warmth.
The Sun (UK)
David Walliams has become a formidable force in the world of children’s literarure.
The Spectator (UK)
PRAISE FOR DAVID WALLIAMS:
“No one has any business being as talented as David Walliams. He is the heir to Roald Dahl—and that’s saying a lot.
School Library Journal
02/01/2016
Gr 4–6—Somewhere out there, the ghost of Roald Dahl is musing, "Teeth? Of course, teeth!" Walliams's tale is a little darker, scarier, more PG-rated, but still Dahl-esque in the extreme. Twelve-year-old Alfie's had a rough time—no mother, a loving but very ill dad, and the memory of a particularly traumatic dental experience that has resulted in a mouth full of rotting teeth. When the new dentist in town shows up at a school assembly, Alfie's convinced that she is evil, and it turns out he's absolutely right. Absurd comedy meets creepy horror, with a little family drama thrown in, all of it racing by at a breakneck pace, with a few pauses for underwear gags, toilet humor, and other kid-friendly shtick. Supporting characters sometimes edge perilously close to cliché, but there are a few standouts, including Dad and Gabz (who is NOT Alfie's girlfriend, as he points out many, many times). The whole package is extremely British, but American readers should feel comfortable enough, thanks to Ross's familiar illustrations and most middle graders' knowledge of all things Muggle. VERDICT Frenetic humor for middle grade fans of the funny and fearsome.—Mara Alpert, Los Angeles Public Library
OCTOBER 2014 - AudioFile
Author-narrator David Walliams energetically depicts Alfie, who, after a horrific experience with an earlier dentist, is understandably reluctant to visit the town's new dentist, Dr. Root, and her cat, Fang. Walliams's delivery is lively. Adjectives take on lives of their own, and there's also a funny "boing" when he makes up a word. Jocelyn Jee Esien stands out as Alfie's melodious-voiced Afro-Caribbean social worker. She and Raj, the Indian corner shop owner, terrifically and authentically portrayed by Nitin Ganatra, assist Alfie when Dr. Root turns out to be a tooth witch who's pulling kids' teeth whether they're decayed or not. The bittersweet conclusion is ideal—and believable—for Walliams’s young listeners. S.G.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2015-11-17
Walliams drills into a primal fear with this tale of a new dentist with a decidedly evil agenda. In a blatant grab at Roald Dahl fans, the author pulls out a cast of cheeky children, thoroughly rotten villains, and clueless but well-meaning grown-ups for a Brit-flavored romp that combines moments of intense terror and bracing courage with biting satire—oh, and gruesome bits. Ross offers a plethora of loosely sketched ink-and-wash vignettes generally indistinguishable from Quentin Blake's. All over town, children have been putting lost teeth beneath their pillows and, instead of money, getting cat poo, oozing scabs, and like rewards. Worse yet, following shocked comments about the state of 12-year-old Alfie's "teet," canny Winnie, a flamboyant new West Indian social worker, tricks the lad into visiting the newly arrived (with her cat, Fang) dentist, Miss Root. Alfie regains consciousness with nary a tooth in his mouth—it seems that Miss Root is the Tooth Witch herself. She's not to be stopped, either, without help from new, dreadlocked friend (not girlfriend) Gabz, a vat of acid with revolting ingredients (carefully listed), and lots of dynamite. Walliams spritzes the narrative with made-up but not particularly inventive words and large-type screaming. Winnie, dark-skinned Gabz (short for Gabriella), and newsagent Raj are the only notable nonwhite characters; Winnie's accent is an unfortunate running joke. A quick pull on a reliable, if not exactly minty-fresh, formula. (pictorial cast list) (Horror. 9-11)
