The Dentist of Darkness

David O'Connell's The Dentist of Darkness is a sweet-stuffed magical mystery for 8 year olds, and the second adventure for Archie McBudge.

What happens

Archie owns a chocolate factory. He lives in a dusty old hall in Dundoodle, a little place beside a loch, where the hills are full of tiny honey dragons and the butler is half-gnome. After everything that happened in his first adventure, all he wants this summer is a normal life.

He doesn't get one. A little man with a robin nesting in his beard hands him a golden leaf and calls him "Guardian". Then another little man turns up with a squirrel in his hood. Then a third, with a mole called Ingeborg in his pocket. It turns out the magical Wyrdie Tree in the old forest is summoning Archie, and something called the Mirk is after it.

Meanwhile a brand-new dentist has arrived. Edward Preen has a smile like a bar of soap and wants to ban sweets altogether. He's also trying to ban Unquiet Night, Dundoodle's spooky summer festival (a bit like Halloween, but don't tell Billy that). And the horrible Puddingham-Pye twins have invited Archie to their birthday party, which can't be good news.

It's bursting with jokes. Fliss calls everything "completely bonkers" and has taught her honey dragon to say it too. Billy rates every monster on his Macabre Creepy Scale (a were-squirrel scores five point two). Even the town sounds delicious, from Gingerbread Dragons to Witchberry Buns.

Underneath the fun, Archie's a very likeable hero. He's a bit reluctant and a bit overwhelmed, and he just wants a quiet summer with his mates. Who could blame him?

There are some shivery bits in the forest. A hooded figure stalks past in a buzzing mist, and Archie feels real dread. It's pitched just right for a reader who likes a little bit of spooky with their silly.

You don't need to have read the first book to enjoy this one. There are a few mentions of an earlier quest, but everyone gets introduced as they go.

What to read next

If they fall in love with Dundoodle, The Smidgens is set in the very same town. It's about a family of tiny people living secretly under the streets, and it starts with a daring raid on the chip pan at McGreasy's Burgers!