Demon Dentist

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on the toe of one of her shiny white high-heeled shoes. Is it blood? thought Alfie. Miss Root’s hair was white-blonde, and arranged in a perfectly lacquered ‘do’, usually only spotted on the heads of Queens or Prime Ministers. The ‘do’ was shaped much like a Mr Whippy ice cream, minus the flake, of course. In a certain light she looked very old. Her features were narrow and pointy, and her skin pale as snow. However, the dentist had painstakingly painted on so much make-up that it was impossible to tell how old she really was. 50? 90? 900? Finally Miss Root reached the front of the hall. She turned around, and smiled. The low winter sun shone through the high windows and bounced off her teeth, causing the front few rows to cover their eyes. “Good morning, children…!” she said brightly. The dentist spoke in a singsong manner, as if she were recounting a nursery rhyme. There was a collective groan from the kids at being spoken to as if they were toddlers. “I said, good morning, children…” repeated the dentist, and she fixed them all with a powerful stare. So powerful that soon a hush descended upon the room. Then in unison all the assembled pupils said: “Good morning.” “Let me introduce myself. I am your new dentist. My name is Miss Root, but I ask all my little patients like you to call me ‘Mummy’.” Alfie and Gabz shared a look of disbelief. “So can I hear a great big ‘Hello, Mummy’? After three! One, two, three…” Except two children – Gabz, who looked on with sadness at the cruelty, and Texting Boy, who was still texting and had missed everything. “Oh dear, oh dear. What is your name, child…?” enquired the dentist. “Alfie, M-M-Miss…” the boy spluttered. “Call me Mummy…” There was no way he was ever going to call anyone that, least of all her. “Alfie what…?” continued Miss Root. “Alfie Griffith.” “Well, young Alfie Griffith, you simply must make an appointment to come and see me at my surgery very soon…” Alfie shuddered at the thought. He had vowed never to go anywhere near another dentist as long as he lived. “Do you like presents, child…?” This is the second time I’m reading ‘Demon Dentist’ by David Walliams & it was as mesmerizing & laugh out loud funny as it was in the past. One of my students chose this title for their book review test & so I had to go through the book again. I know for a fact that she enjoyed the book in spite of not having known Walliams & now is keen on reading all of his titles that are available in India. Strange things are happening in the dead of night. Children who put a tooth under the pillow for the tooth fairy wake to find... a dead slug; a live spider; or hundreds of earwigs creeping beneath their pillow. Evil is at work, but who is behind it? Could it be the Demon Dentist?

I saw one friend's (who's a dentist) concern that such book might frighten kids even more when it comes to a question of dentist visit. And children are already scared of dentists (I was and still am to this day!). So how come such book was even published?If that’s what her toothpaste does, thought Alfie, what on earth is in those special sweets of hers…? This was the world of the imagination. Anything was possible in Dad’s and Alfie’s adventures. Nothing could stop them. Nothing. As Alfie grew older though, he found it harder and harder to see these things. As his dad spoke, the boy would open his eyes, become distracted, and begin to wish he could play computer games all night like the other kids at his new big school. “Pup, just close your eyes and believe…” his dad would say. However, Alfie was beginning to think that now he was twelve, nearly thirteen, he was too old to believe in magic and myths and fantastical creatures. He was about to find out how terribly wrong he was. As seems to be the case with David Walliams books, or at least the two I've read, they end on quite a sad note, which I find unusual for children's books. I don't know whether he's trying to teach kids a lesson about loss and grief, or prepare them for the inevitable, but it seems out of place, especially in Demon Dentist. I felt so sorry for Alfie, and I'm sure children reading it will, in some cases, be distraught! It is a thrill being scared, as long as there are safe parameters. We have all seen parents play with their children pretending to be monsters. Children yelp half in fear and half in pleasure. And I see that there is a need to make it interesting and that's where you need some evil witch, because how otherwise will you keep the children's attention?

I've been a fan of Walliams' children's books since The Boy in the Dress. I loved Billionaire Boy. I've read all the others. And I'm thrilled that kids read them, love them, read some more. As I have to sit on a judging panel for Britain's Got Talent with Simon Cowell, I am grateful to have teeth that look presentable. And I brush my teeth after every meal – I'm aware that when I meet someone in the street they'd say, 'I met David Walliams but he had a bit of spinach in his teeth'." I was a child a long time ago and my parents would leave 10p under my pillow, which I would immediately spend on sweets, so more teeth would fall out. I still pretended to believe in the Tooth Fairy so I would still get money."

Mr Grey

Oh…” moaned the woman in pleasure. “Your teeth are absolutely abhorrent…” The whole of the lower school laughed at him. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it immensely. If I had a child, I would reconsider if I really wanted to give such a book for a kid. But I definetely recommend it to grown-ups who enjoy children's books. And that’s one minute!” the dentist announced. “Thank you, children, you can open your eyes…” Alfie and Gabz looked at each other again. They were the only two kids who had witnessed Miss Root’s peculiar behaviour…

Don't miss this terrific tale from the West End producers of David Walliams' Gangsta Granny and Billionaire Boy, which were both nominated for an Olivier Award! It's the funniest and most exciting show yet! What an amazing show! It's such a thrill to see my story brought to life in such a brilliant way. I love it! ” David Walliams But the main book emphasis goes around a very poor boy and his very unfortunate life. I see how this part is set to teach kids sympathy and tenderness, not to bully the ones that don't or can't fit in, be compassionate and understanding. But Ratburger and Demon Dentist... I'm disappointed. Maybe I'd be giving it 5 stars too if I was 10. But I just can't. Like his writing hero Roald Dahl, David plumbs quirky situations and relationships to create a darker side to the characters and stories in books like Demon Dentist, Gangsta Granny and Grandpa's Great Escape, ensuring his sales now top 50 million.

Alfie

The dentist had gripped so hard he had crushed the tooth. It exploded into thousands of tiny fragments inside Alfie’s mouth. With the ordeal finally over, Mr Erstwhile and all his helpers were lying in a tangled heap on the surgery floor. “Well done, everyone!” he announced, as his assistant Miss Prig helped him to his feet. “Oh, that tooth was a stubborn little blighter!” Just then Alfie realised something. He still had toothache. The dentist had taken out the wrong tooth! Before ill health forced him out of work, Dad was a coal miner. A great big bear of a man, he had loved working down the pit and providing for his beloved son. However, all those years he spent down the mine took a terrible toll on his lungs. Dad was a proud man, and didn’t let on about his illness for many years. He worked harder and harder to dig more and more coal, even taking on extra shifts to help make ends meet. Meanwhile his breathing became shallower and shallower, until one afternoon he collapsed at the coalface. When Dad finally came round at the hospital the doctors told him he could never go down a mine again. Just one more lungful of coal dust could finish him off for good. As the years passed Dad’s breathing worsened. Getting another job became impossible, and even everyday tasks, something as simple as tying a shoelace, grew to be a struggle. Soon Dad could only get around in a wheelchair. With no mum or brothers or sisters, Alfie had to care for his father alone. Besides having to go to school and do his homework, the boy would do all the shopping, all the cleaning, cook all the meals, and do all the washing up. Alfie never complained though. He loved his dad with all his heart. Dad’s body may have been broken, but his spirit wasn’t. He had a great gift Twelve-year-old Alfie hates going to the dentist. His teeth are yellow and brown and he loves sweets. He had an awful experience at the one-and-only dentist in town, Mr. Erstwhile, and has refused to go since then. Erstwhile croaks and a new dentist, Miss Root, shows up at Alfie's school to promote good dental hygiene. Or so it appears. But something is off... she's an odd tooth, saying that she will not give gory details on Erstwhile's death, but then gives the gory details: Erstwhile was found in his surgery room lying in a pool of blood with a dental probe through his heart. The dentist is a common phobia amongst children, and the more sensitive might find some of the more nightmarish scenes difficult to take, most notably when Alfie gets all his teeth removed without anaesthetic, his arms and legs held in place with metal cuffs. Yet whilst this book is unlikely to dispel any dentist fears, there's enough humour in the mix to prevent it becoming too terrifying for the majority of young readers. What is the purpose of the acidic toothpaste - if the dentist wants teeth and the toothpaste destroys them, what good is that?!