Grimble

Last month, I wrote about the book, Manxmouse, and how it was a childhood favorite of J.K. Rowling's. Another such book is Grimble by Clement Freud. Rowling states, "Grimble is one of funniest books I've ever read, and Grimble himself, who is a small boy, is a fabulous character. I'd love to see a Grimble film." I've only just finished reading Grimble and Grimble at Christmas to my children, and they seemed to like it so so. I can see the appeal in Grimble, and understand what Rowling means, but the story does seem a bit flat and the secondary characters are very secondary, meaning you hardly get to know them at all. Clement Freud writes in the same manner as Roald Dahl, and one is constantly reminded of Dahl by the illustrations of Quentin Blake in Grimble. However, Grimble does not, in my opinion, possess the same magic of the stories of Dahl and Rowling. Grimble was a fun read, several funny parts, but not near enough, and in need of stronger characters. What do you think of it?