Your child has read every David Walliams book in the house. Gangsta Granny, Billionaire Boy, Mr Stink, the lot. Probably twice. Now they’re hovering around and not sure where to turn next.
If you’re after books like David Walliams, you’re in the right spot.
Having come across many a Walliams fan in my time, I’ve perfected this list. And I also have personally uploaded every single book on Little Reads.
The five you’ll find here are the ones I’d confidently hand to a massive Walliams fan without thinking twice. They all live on the funny books shelf, ready to go.
What makes a David Walliams book a David Walliams book
It helps to know what you’re actually matching, because “funny books” is a pretty catch-all term.
Walliams books are packed with giggles but also have a lovely message buried in there too. There’s usually a recognisably horrible grown-up or two, a kid who’s having a rough time of it, and a barmy idea that runs away with itself.
They’re a bit gross. They’re very British. And under all the laughs there’s normally a lump-in-the-throat bit you didn’t see coming.
So I’ve gone for books that are properly funny with a bit of heart thrown in too.
Five books like David Walliams to try next
The Super-Miraculous Journey of Freddie Yates
The Super-Miraculous Journey of Freddie Yates
Freddie Yates loves facts. So when he and his two best mates set off on a secret summer journey, he’s certain he’s thought of everything.
He has not thought of the onion-eating contest, the exploding pear-and-potato turnovers, or ending up on national telly in a supergirl costume.
It’s very funny with a real reason for the journey that might catch you in your feelings. That mix of big laughs and bottom lip wobbling is the most Walliams thing on this list. Jenny Pearson is one to look out for, for sure.
The Day the Screens Went Blank
The Day the Screens Went Blank
Ten-year-old Stella wakes up to a world where every screen has gone dead. No phones, no telly, no satnav, and the whole town in a flap.
With Grandma stranded at the other end of the country, the family squash into the car for a rescue mission that goes wrong in every way a road trip can.
Danny Wallace‘s writing is fast and wacky but the family end up needing each other more than the screens, which is the sort of message a Walliams reader will recognise.
Desirable
Desirable
George gets a bottle of out-of-date aftershave for his birthday (which is about as rubbish as presents come).
Then he puts it on. Suddenly every girl at school, and a worrying number of the teachers, think he’s the most wonderful boy alive, and George hasn’t got a clue what to do about it.
It’s short, fast and has all the makings of the kind of ridiculous what-if Walliams uses. Frank Cottrell Boyce wrote it for readers who like a book they can finish in a sitting.
The Parent Agency
The Parent Agency
Barry hates being called Barry. He also blames his mum and dad for being boring and permanently tired (bit harsh).
So when he wishes for better ones and wakes up in a world where children get to pick their parents, it feels like a dream come true. Then he starts meeting the candidates.
David Baddiel takes a wish every kid has had and runs straight at it. Funny, a bit cheeky, with a soft spot in the middle.
Kevin the Vampire: A Most Mysterious Monster
Kevin the Vampire: A Most Mysterious Monster
Kevin Aurelius is a fairly ordinary almost-eleven-year-old. Apart from the fangs. And being immortal. And the whole vampire thing.
On the way to Monstros City the family’s dodgy batnav strands them in a dull human town with empty pockets, so they throw a carnival to earn their way out. Trouble is, the town has woken something very old and very hungry.
It’s the silliest, most monster-stuffed book here, all jokes and complete chaos. Good for a Walliams fan who likes the gross, cartoonish end best. By Matt Brown.
A few more to keep them going
If your reader likes their funny in diary form, the Lottie Brooks books by Katie Kirby are a good shout. More friendship disaster than grubby humour, but very funny with it.
And if they somehow haven’t read all of Walliams’ own books yet, we feature him over in our what to read after Roald Dahl piece, so start there. For more from the same funny shelf, our books like Tom Gates and books like Horrid Henry lists pull from it too.
Where Little Reads comes in
If there’s not something here for your Walliams-obsessed reader, Little Reads has a tonne more for them to get stuck into.
No ads, no pop-ups, just books.
Just so you know, Little Reads doesn’t teach reading. There’s no phonics, no levels, no badges for sounding out words. It’s built for kids who already love a book and just want the next one.
So if you’ve got a Walliams fan who finishes one and is straight back for another, that’s exactly who it’s for.
If your child is still getting to grips with the basics, something built for that will do more for them right now.
You can start free with a Little Reads account (100+ books), and the full 3,000+ library is £7.99 a month with a 7-day free trial if you want the lot.