The Book That No One Wanted to Read
Age 9+
Humorous Stories
"Laugh out loud funny and full of heart" Noel Fielding
"Very funny, with brilliant illustrations. It should be called The Book That Everyone Wanted To Read." Nadia Shireen
"One book that I really think children should read is The Book That No One Wanted to Read." David Baddiel
What is it that makes YOU want to read a book? Richard Ayoade’s children’s debut gives you all the answers in a way that’s silly, funny, and thoroughly beguiling.
Have you ever thought about how it feels to be a book? To be left under a whiffy pant pile or shelved, forever collecting dust? To have your pages bent backwards or your spine BROKEN? What if you don’t have a sparkly unicorn or dragon adorning your cover – who will pick you out of the bookshop then? This is the story of the sadly neglected Book That No One Wanted To Read – can its destiny change when it finally meets the right reader? Spoiler alert: yes.
Creators
Richard Ayoade is a highly-tolerated British comedian, BAFTA-winning actor (The IT Crowd), writer, director and TV presenter (the 2021 BAFTAS, Have I Got News For You?, Travel Man). He regularly appears on comedy panel shows such as 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and The Big Fat Quiz of the Year. He wrote and directed the film Submarine from the novel by Joe Dunthorne, and directed and co-wrote (with Avi Korine) The Double. He has written three books on film; this is his debut children’s book. He is married to Lydia, who is also his wife. They have two children, who also have names. They would rather not tell you where they live, but are happy to send you a drop pin via text.
Tor Freeman graduated from Kingston University with a BA in Illustration in 1999 and has worked as an illustrator, author and comics-maker ever since. She is the illustrator and creator of many children's books and comic strips, including The Toucan Brothers, the Olive series and Welcome to Oddleigh. Tor is the holder of a Sendak Fellowship, and won the Observer/Cape/Comica graphic short story prize in 2017.
Reviews
Told with humour, jokes (quite a few bookish ones) and quirky illustrations, this book is fun for all ages
Funday Telegraph
This is clever, told by the book itself and sure to have young readers laughing out loud, but would also make an excellent classroom book, with loads of ways to use it a mentor text, or to inspire book discussion, or reading, or lots of things.
Sally Murphy
Ayoade’s flippantly humorous voice comes through clearly as he covers all things book related, including how libraries organise them and what it means when a reader finds their perfect book. He then shrewdly encourages young writers to take a pen and write the story for this book themselves. The text is written partly in playscript style so could be a shared read for adults and children or an opportunity to dramatize parts of the book. The comic style illustrations support the story and extend the humour, providing much for the reader to explore and enjoy long after reading.
ReadPlus
Here we have comedian and actor Richard Ayoade’s debut children’s book, told with the familiar dry wit he is famous for as character Maurice in TV series, The IT Crowd. […] Perfect for kids seeking humour or simply a fun, engaging quick read for Grade 3+ readers.
Reading Time
