MMGM: Breaking the Fourth Wall: Richard Ayoade’s Hilarious Ode to Unloved Books

 

After reading The Fairy Tale Fan Club, I wanted to check out other books by Richard Ayoade. When I discovered he wrote a book with a very intriguing title, The Book That No One Wanted to Read, of course I had to check it out.

If you like whimsical books that break the fourth wall, are a little zany, and of course, don’t take themselves too seriously (as all books should), you will love this book!

Synopsis:

From actor-author-broadcaster-comedian-filmmaker Richard Ayoade comes a book narrated by . . . a book. Quirky, smart, and genre-busting, this is the saga of a book that nobody wants to read—until the day it meets YOU.

The life of a book isn’t easy, especially when people judge you by your cover (not every book can be adorned with sparkly unicorns!). And this narrator should know—it’s the book itself, and it has a lot of opinions. It gets irritated when readers bend its pages back, and it finds authors quite annoying. But it does have a story to tell. Through witty direct address and charming illustrations, readers meet a book that has never been read, with a cover the boring color of a school lunch table and pages so dry they give bookworms indigestion. But what happens when this book meets you, a curious reader.  (excerpted from Amazon)

Highlights of The Book That No One Wanted to Read:

 
1.    A book as the narrator/main character. I’ve seen a trend of more middle grade books being “written” by inanimate objects. And I even wrote a short story told from the point of view of a book. I think readers who enjoy the asides of omniscient narrators like Lemony Snicket or the narrator in Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place will enjoy Ayoade’s book narrator.

2.    You are a character in this book too! Second person is not often done in middle grade, but it really works here. I really enjoyed the dialogue between the book and you (the child)—and I think kids will too.

3.    Illustrations and diagrams. From "Invisibility Problems," to "How to Control a Camel," to comics entitled “Getting a Book to Admit It’s a Book”—there are delightful illustrations by Tor Freeman throughout. These, of course, add to the fun and whimsy of the book that no one wants to read—yet. 

p. 55 The Book That No One Wanted To Read

4.    An ending that is funny and touching. I wasn’t sure where the story was going through most of this book, but it ended on the right note—giving kids something to do and giving the book as a character an arc. Is that even possible for a book to grow? Maybe it is.

5.    Lots of learning about story in a humorous way: Ayoade touches on stock characters, plot structure, libraries, and other book elements in a fun way. Kids—and adults—always learn best with some laughter thrown in.

6.    And of course, tons of laugh out loud humor!

Max, the Reading Dog*

Max’s Take (on a five bone scale):🦴🦴

Lots of animals in this story: donkeys, worms, louses, alligators, chickens, but no dogs. Dogs like to read too! Instead of a book worm, why not a Reading Dog? Ugh!

 

 

 

Your Turn:

What is the funniest book you've read lately? Do you like unusual narrators or books that break the fourth wall?