Dory Fantasmagory

Abby Hanlon's Dory Fantasmagory is a funny family story for 6 year olds about the youngest in the house, whose imagination is bigger than the house itself.

What happens

Dory is six. Her big brother and sister, Luke and Violet, never want her around. They call her a baby (and the whole family calls her Rascal, which tells you a lot).

Dory doesn't think she's a baby. She's just very busy. Her best friend Mary is a monster nobody else can see. There's also a Toilet Monster, a Ketchup Monster and a monster for nearly every room in the house.

So when Violet and Luke invent a scary robber to frighten her, Dory doesn't cry. Mrs Gobble Gracker is five hundred and seven years old, has very sharp teeth and steals baby girls. Dory just has questions. LOTS of questions. Does she wear a cape? Is it real fur? Does she brush her teeth?

Then Mrs Gobble Gracker starts turning up. There's a sleeping dart, a fairy godmother called Mr Nuggy who lives in the woods (you ring him on a banana) and a whole day spent as a puppy called Chickenbone. Including a trip to the doctor's.

Dory tells the story herself, and it's literally like being inside a six year old's head. Her pretend world and real life keep crashing into each other. The grown-ups only ever see the real-life half. You'll probably laugh out loud at poor Mum at that doctor's appointment!

It's also a very true book about being the littlest. Dory wants SO badly to be let into Luke and Violet's games. There are tantrums on the kitchen floor. There's a quiet moment in the hammock where she wonders if they're right about her. It's funny and a little bit sad at the same time.

Mrs Gobble Gracker is properly creepy in places (she says she once ate her cat by accident). Most children will think she's hilarious. A very anxious reader might like you close by for her bits.

And the last chapter is a lovely one for anyone who has ever been, or had, a little sister.

What to read next

If your reader enjoys a girl with big ideas and a sister who's had enough of her, Ivy & Bean is a great next step. Bean is seven, and she's decided her bossy older sister Nancy needs a bit of help to stop being so bossy.