Demon Dentist

A bestselling author for children in the U.K., comedian Walliams (Mr. Stink) promises "a horror story. With quite a lot of made-up words" in the preface to this novel, and what follows is indeed a ghastly affair. Alfie Griffith, 12, has it rough: dead mother, dying father, and an early-life experience with the dentist so grisly that he never returned, leaving him with a mouthful of rotting teeth. When a new dentist arrives, Alfie's social worker insists he visit, even though Miss Root is clearly evil. Her arrival coincides with a disturbing crime spree: teeth left under pillows are replaced not with shillings but with horrifying calling cards: a human eyeball, a dead cockroach, a bat wing (still flapping). The grotesqueries evoke Dahl, but the comparison ends there. The jokes are stale (especially the ones at the expense of the overweight social worker), the adults all buffoons, and the plot a couple hundred pages longer than necessary. Ross's humorous illustrations recall Quentin Blake's, but aren't enough to buoy the sagging adventure or an ending so sugar-coated it would keep Miss Root in business for years. Ages 8-12. (Mar.)

Gr 4-6--Somewhere out there, the ghost of Roald Dahl is musing, "Teeth? Of course, teeth!" Walliams's tale is a little darker, scarier, more PG-rated, but still Dahl-esque in the extreme. Twelve-year-old Alfie's had a rough time--no mother, a loving but very ill dad, and the memory of a particularly traumatic dental experience that has resulted in a mouth full of rotting teeth. When the new dentist in town shows up at a school assembly, Alfie's convinced that she is evil, and it turns out he's absolutely right. Absurd comedy meets creepy horror, with a little family drama thrown in, all of it racing by at a breakneck pace, with a few pauses for underwear gags, toilet humor, and other kid-friendly shtick. Supporting characters sometimes edge perilously close to cliche, but there are a few standouts, including Dad and Gabz (who is NOT Alfie's girlfriend, as he points out many, many times). The whole package is extremely British, but American readers should feel comfortable enough, thanks to Ross's familiar illustrations and most middle graders' knowledge of all things Muggle. VERDICT Frenetic humor for middle grade fans of the funny and fearsome.--Mara Alpert, Los Angeles Public Library