Gargoylz Mess at the Mill by Burchett and Vogler

June 2011 Red Fox

128 pages, Paperback

Review copy

Children's, 5 years +

Mischievous boys, dawdling, bakery, cake decoration, fun gargoylz, ridiculous villainess, lots of humour

Summary from Random House Children's Books

Max and Ben are sent off to stay with a wrinkly old uncle for the weekend - while their mums think it's a real treat for them, the boys are dreading it, so they're super relieved when their naughty gargoyle friends tag along for the ride.

But things turn out to be much more fun than they thought. Uncle Bill lives right by an old mill where there's lots of fun - and spooky tricks to be played . . .

Nayuleska's reasons for loving Max and Ben...they get up to lots of mischief but they never hurt anyone who doesn't deserve it.

Is there another haracter who deserves a special mention? Naturally there are the gargoylz! They are sweet, caring, very funny and inventive. My favourite is Theo

How evil/nasty is the enemy? Anyone wanting to shut down a highly specialised business to replace it with generic shops needs their head examined.

Are there lots of surprises and plot twists? The gargoylz hilarious stunts left me happily surprised.

What are the illustrations like? Numerous. Looks like pen and ink, definitely increases the humour.

Is the book interactive and/or are the illustrations engaging? I like the free gqrgoylz toy which is sticky so it can stickto surfaces (I haven't tried this, but the boy who I give the books to has enjoyed them). 

My favourite part was...the way Max and Ben tried to procrastinate at the start of the book. .

This Gargoylz adventure gets 10/10 from me.

You can find out more about the gargoylz, including playing a game on their own website.

Suggested reads

Read more Gargoylz books which include my favourite Gargoylz Summer Fun.