…and the most embarrassing five minutes of fame!
I was sent this book for review but I want to make it clear that this book isn’t aimed at adults, it’s aimed at kids – specifically girls. As such, while I did read it, my daughter Megan (who is 10) also read it.
The most embarrassing dad in the world is back in this hilarious series for girls from TV and radio-comedy writing talent, Nigel Smith.
When Dad posts an embarrassing video of Nat online as a joke, she’s furious. Things are set to get much worse, however, when the video goes viral and she finds herself centre of the nation’s attention for all the wrong reasons – even the prime minister is imitating her!
But when a local care home for abandoned pets is threatened with closure, Dad convinces Nat to use her new-found celebrity to raise money for it – with him acting as her agent, of course! Cue: a disastrous appearance hair-modelling job, a not-so-glamorous campaign for a local optician and a call to turn on the town’s rubbish autumn illuminations (the one with the miserable face off The X-Factor cancelled at the last minute). And as if Nat didn’t have enough to deal with, school isn’t exactly easy when you’re a minor celebrity…
Its important to note that this book is actually third in the series of Nathalia Buttface books. However they are completely standalone and you do not need to have read the previous books to enjoy or understand this one. If I were to review this from an adult point of view, I would say that its very girlie and quite often annoying. To be honest, Nathalia herself is annoying and her parents, friends, school life etc. are very much like the tv I used to watch as a kid. HOWEVER as a kid, this is exactly what you want to read and my ten year old daughter genuinely enjoyed this book. In fact, the first two are on her Christmas List now and the fourth is released in January which I’m sure some Christmas money will be spent on.
What I will say for the book, is that it has a pretty good storyline and plot. It is a little predictable, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Nathalia is annoying (I think she’s meant to be), her friends ground her (somewhat) and ultimately despite the rocky road she takes to get there, the book has a nice outcome and actually a pretty good moral to the story. Nathalia’s parents are very much your average parents, especially from a kids point of view and the plot features many modern references like the concept of the internet, YouTube etc. All round if you have young girls, I think they would enjoy it as a book. The language is simple and yet fun – a lighthearted read that’s perfect for your young ladies.