David Walliams second novel, this is neither an improvement nor a downgrade from his previous work. Focusing on Chloe and her new friendship with the town tramp, "Mr Stink", this is mainly about family and loss. This meanders a bit in places, and Chloe, while personally relatable to me as a child has lost her charm as an adult reading, the same could be said for Mr Stink as I don't find him as endearing as I did. The mother character is also forgiven very quickly but it's a short novel so I don't fault it for that. Raj is again incredibly stereotypical but he provides the basis for one of the biggest emotional moments in the book. Also it's clear the "party" is meant to be Britian's government at the time so it does date it a touch. This novel also has a lot more "toilet humor" which again doesn't help it for an older reader. The ending is so good however and really prevents this from being 2.5 stars.