Andy Griffiths has truly mastered the art of exaggeration. If I didn’t know better, I would think he had a time machine and went back to his childhood to conjure up the stories in his book. Then, he came back to present time so Terry Denton could illustrate them.
What kid wouldn’t like an antigravity chamber, a bumper car rink or a maze of doom all built in a treehouse. And, what parent wouldn’t like a fully padded bedroom and inflatable underwear to protect their child. Totally awesome.
When the sharks in their shark tank (because sharks are cool) get sick from eating Terry’s underwear, it sets off a chain of events that eventually end up in a new book Andy and Terry must submit to their big nose editor.
At first, the events seem somewhat random. One wacky incident after another. Some are funny, some are dangerous and others are kind of barbaric. But in the end, the plot brings the reader back around to the beginning so it all makes sense – well, as much sense as it can make in a 26-story treehouse.
What I really enjoyed about this book were the main characters, Andy Terry and Jill. They are not misbehaving kids who stumble into trouble, they are fun, inventive and oddly calm in the face of danger. I loved these kids and found myself routing for them.
Because of the illustrations, I recommend getting this book in hard copy. I can see kids wanting to spend time examining the illustrations and flipping back and forth and that’s more difficult on an E-reader.
The 26-Story Tree House is one of those books kids will want to read over and over again and will laugh out loud every time.
Leave A Comment