Guinea Pigs Online by Jennifer Gray and Amanda Swift
| Guinea Pigs Online by Jennifer Gray and Amanda Swift | |
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| Category: Confident Readers | |
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Reviewer: John Lloyd
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| Summary: A tale of clued-in, connected pets that should have been a lot more warm and witty than it is. | |
| Buy? Maybe | Borrow? Maybe |
| Pages: 128 | Date: April 2012 |
| Publisher: Quercus | |
| ISBN: 9780857389909 | |
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While most computers have a mouse with which to use them, not all have a guinea pig to be used by. But in this particular house, where Fuzzy and Coco live with their humans, that's the case. They're quite technologically-minded - Fuzzy sings along to the radio while putting all manner of things in the food-blender for their owners. So when he vanishes, off to see his favourite TV chef, it's up to Coco to go online - where she doesn't find any of her worst fears about the truth lessened one bit.
While I can get my head round a book featuring guinea pig dialogue, and I can see warm pctures of them using a seesaw-shaped jump to get to higher levels in the home, too much of this is too loosely fantasy. They conme and go from their hutch as they please, and too much of the time we cannot see them as real animals. At least Humphrey reads as a real hamster.
This first book in an intended series sets the characters up well - Fuzzy wants to be a blokey human, Coco looks down on everything with a regal air, and worries about her looks too much. Other guinea pigs turn up too, but there's too little here, so I might give away too much of what takes adults just over an hour to read. I can't discuss the plot too mch, because it's obvious, I can't talk about the style of the characters and their brainy super-cavy ways without repeating it rings too false to give the book any major charm, and I can't mention the pictures because they're horrid, scratchy messes.
There is some humour, and enough drama - just - for the under-nines, but this should have been an all-ages whimsy; instead it appears a series based around the jokey image of a guinea pig at a keyboard, and not enough else. Disappointing.
I must still thank the publishers for my review copy.
For much better worldly-wise animals, we recommend The Quest of the Warrior Sheep by Christopher Russell and Christine Russell.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Guinea Pigs Online by Jennifer Gray and Amanda Swift at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
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