Tom Gates: Extra Special Treats (not)

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This is the sixth book in the Roald Dahl Funny Prize winning series, and it’s as much fun as ever. Tom doodles on everything (so no change there then), his sister Delia is grumpy all the time (so no change there then either), and if there’s an opportunity to gobble up a caramel wafer it is not wasted. I always feel rather hypocritical when I read Tom Gates and enjoy it. There are lots of reasons why Tom Gates, which I like, is similar to Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney, which I don't like. The plots are very thin, the text is sparse, and the illustrations dominate the books, meaning that you get a couple of hours reading out of either book at most, before you're done with them. Tom Gates is desperate for a Star Pupil badge. Marcus Meldrew has got one. He doesn’t stop going on about it either. Can Tom manage to get a badge while there’s snow (yeah!), homework (groan), and awful Marcus (double groan) to deal with? Where Tom Gates differs from Wimpy Kid however, is that Tom is actually a rather nice character, unlike Greg Heffley in Wimpy Kid. Tom has his enemies, of course, but he doesn't try to mercilessly get one over on people who are supposed to be his friends, like Gregg, and he isn't mean like Gregg. The humour in Tom Gates is quite gentle and silly, and inclusive, where Gregg is rather a manipulative, horrible character who enjoys the misery of other people.