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(suggested) reading age: 9-14
(suggested) interest age: 7+
Book summary (information from BookTrust)
When Elsie, an orphan on the streets of Victorian London, hears about the mysterious Ice Monster – a woolly mammoth found at the North Pole – she's determined to discover more, but when a chance encounter brings Elsie face to face with the creature, it sparks the adventure of a lifetime – from London to the Arctic itself. The Ice Monster is an epic, loosely historical adventure (as explained in the back of the book, the dates don’t quite match up to historical facts but it’s more or less Victorian!). It is a bit of a departure from his previous work, all set in the present day. As with all of David Walliams’ books, it’s funny, easy to read and shoots along at a rocket pace. Great for adults to read out loud, brilliant for doing funny voices - and actually great for children to read out loud to adults, too.
QUICK REVIEW BY NEL GUEST, YSGOL Y CREUDDYN
Why I started reading...
I have reviewed this book as it was recommended to me by my Welsh Teacher, Mrs Sioned Bevan. The book mentions an orphaned young girl named Elsi who lives on the streets of London. She hears people talking about a Great Mammoth and wants to search for more information. In the end Elsi finds it and something happens…
The best bit...
My favourite part of the book is when it was raining and Elsi climbed a water pipe to the roof of the museum and the whole crowd clapped and congratulated, that's when I enjoyed the biggest book because it was a fun experience. It seems to me that my favourite character was Dot the museum cleaning lady as she had found Elsi in the cupboard and did not call the guards and instead she made sure Elsi was OK and looked after her. The book stayed interesting because I wanted to know what was going on in the end because it was such an adventurous story.
The verdict
In my opinion I liked the book a great deal and was pleased that it was in the Welsh language so it was easier to understand.
I think if you are looking for a convenient, adventurous, exciting and funny book this is the one for you!!
