Granny

by Anthony Horowitz

A wickedly funny tale about the granny from Hell by the creator of Alex Rider.Twelve-year-old Joe Warden isn't happy. He has rich, uncaring parents and is virtually a prisoner in the huge family mansion, Thattlebee Hall. Worst of all, though, is his granny. Not only is she physically repulsive, she's horribly mean. She has the look in her eye of a predatory crocodile and Joe starts to suspect that she has unpleasant designs on him. But what are they and how can he foil them?

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Childrens, Humor, Mystery, Fantasy, Young Adult

93 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 1994

About the author

Anthony Horowitz, OBE is ranked alongside Enid Blyton and Mark A. Cooper as "The most original and best spy-kids authors of the century." (New York Times). Anthony has been writing since the age of eight, and professionally since the age of twenty. In addition to the highly successful Alex Rider books, he is also the writer and creator of award winning detective series Foyle’s War, and more recently event drama Collision, among his other television works he has written episodes for Poirot, Murder in Mind, Midsomer Murders and Murder Most Horrid. Anthony became patron to East Anglia Children’s Hospices in 2009.

On 19 January 2011, the estate of Arthur Conan Doyle announced that Horowitz was to be the writer of a new Sherlock Holmes novel, the first such effort to receive an official endorsement from them and to be entitled the House of Silk.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/anthon...

Reviews

[♥ Sandi ❣ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

Cute story about a 12 yr old boy and his cranky grandmother. Kind of a surprise twist at the end. Some humor - no violence or sex. Short book that can be read in just a couple hours of uninterrupted reading.

I selected this book for an author read, not knowing it was for an audience so much younger. I found this book was published for middle school kids - I would say it was more for 4th to 6th graders. Not sure that 7th or 8th grade kids would be interested in it.

[Tracy P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anthony Horowitz did an excellent job with 'Granny' - and what a Granny she is! As a matter of fact. . . Granny is 94,. . .ironically her age group is often referred as "The Silver Tsunami" - Also the perfect way to describe Granny since she truly is a one woman Tsunami, drowning any and everyone swiftly and without prejudice with her venomous tongue and manipulations. She is also quick witted and
quite humorous.
She will provoke even the most patient and compassionate of us to go running for the hills without looking back!
What a FUN story!

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

More reviews can be found here

I have spent months trying to think of the title of this book, one I loved in primary school. I remembered there were grannies, enzymes and for some reason, I remember a robot?! Well, I typed in some key words into Google and finally tracked the title down!



I really enjoyed this book: the characters were interesting, there was humour, I found the adventures compelling and there was something quite grisly about it!

[Deborah Sherman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was unbelievably hilarious and a wee bit creepy. It was one of the best performances I have listened to on Audible in a long time. I really like this book because of its many twists and turns. Such a quick, FUN story.

[Tony Hughes]

Granny

Granny is a very funny and a tiny bit dark book written by Anthony Horowitz in 1994 and was published by Anthony Horowitz on new years 2003.In this book there is a quote that stuck out to me that read the following words said by granny.

“I’LL COME BACK…”.This quote really built suspense because one day all the Wardens heard this Mr.Warden heard this quote at his office and was terrified that he fell out of his chair,then mrs Warden was at the shopping mall (as usual) and also heard the words “I’LL COME BACK” while going up the escalators and she got so terribly terrified that she thought she saw granny so she turned around and ran down the escalators that she was going up with . Young Warden was the most traumatised by the words because he was the first one to hear them .

Granny is a book about a eleven year old boy called Joe who lives in a place called Thatlebee hall and hates it there.His parents dont really care about Joe and only people that Joe likes are Mr Lampy and Mrs Jinks.Joe only hangs out with mr Lampy and Mrs Jinks for fun.

Over all ⅘

Written by Tony Hughes

[Sana Zameer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dark and hilarious with lots of family drama.

[Tami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Granny by Anthony Horowitz is a tale one part chilling evil and one part deep, dark, hilarity. Joe Warden is 12 years old and he can't stand his parents, his house or his family's day-to-day life. His parents are wealthy but inattentive, wrapped up in their own bizarre pursuits. Joe's only solace is his nanny, a kindly woman who provides Joe with the motherly nurturing, attention and protection to which his actual mother is oblivious.

When Joe's Granny comes for a visit Joe has one of those eye-opening realizations that the Granny he always thought favored him is actually an evil old woman who despises him for some reason. Everyone else seems to think Granny is just a cantankerous old person whose unpleasant and demanding ways must be tolerated due to her advanced age.

Joe's epiphany turns out to be correct; Granny is, indeed, evil beyond measure. The heinous acts Granny commits against Joe, those he loves and even strangers are horrifying and yet Anthony Horowitz manages to drip with such sarcasm when he relates them that you end up laughing instead of shuddering.

In the same vein as Roald Dahl's The Witches, Joe finds himself in mortal danger as the full extent of Granny's horrific plans for him began to take shape when she abducts him and forces him to travel with her to a macabre meeting of her Granny Society. The climax of the Granny conspiracy had me involuntarily clenching my stomach.

Even when it's over...it's NOT over.

For any reader--young or old--who enjoys a good scary tale as well as a wickedly smart and funny parody Granny fits the bill! I highly encourage readers who are at least 9 or 10 to give this one a try. You won't be sorry!

[Pauline Gornyy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Granny Book Review

Anthony Horowitz’s book about Granny was published in 1994
He has produced and sold 21 million copies of his books.
In this book the protagonist is Joe and the antagonist is Granny. The genre of this book is action and a little bit of comedy.
I think people would like this book because it is just different from other books I read ,but there are lots of possibilities that people will not like this book because it is a specific one.
It is a very engaging book with lots of comical moments. I laughed to myself while I read this book. It felt like a very complete and detailed book. I enjoyed reading it.
I give this book a ⅘

Written by Pauline

[Ehsan Mohammadzadeh · Rating 2 out of 5]

اولین کتابیه که از هوروویتس خوندم و اگه نگم بدم اومد، باید بگم خوشم نیومد جدا. شاید خوندن این کتاب باعث گرنتوفوبیا تو بچه ها بشه و دلیل دوست نداشتن خود من هم اینه که یکی از عزیزترین آدمهای زندگیم مادربزرگ فقیدم بود و کلا از معاشرت با آدمهای مسن لذت می‌برم.
خلاقیت تو روند وقایع داستان خیلی کمه و اتفاقات داستان برای من جذاب نبود. شخصیت مادربزرگ هم که ویلین داستان محسوب می‌شه خوب قوام نیومده بود و وقتی ویلینی که قراره بار اصلی وقایع داستان رو به دوش بکشه پاش بلنگه وای به حال باقیش.
سعی می‌کنم قضاوت نکنم و اگه بعدها وقت شد یه بار دیگه به هوروویتس اجازه بدم شانسشو امتحان کنه.

[Lele Montgomery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny and interesting, totally loved this one!

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good fun!

[GD · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've had this book for a couple of years, but never read it until yesterday between books three and four of this massive series I'm going through now. Holy shit this book was good. Almost every sentence was hysterical, totally absurd, off-the-wall black comedy. I wish I could have read this when I was about 8 or 9. I see a lot of people don't like it because they think it's a Roald Dahl rip-off, but fortunately for me I've never read any of his books so didn't have that hanging over my judgement.

[Joanna Randall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Timothy & I read this & he loved it! We would read a little each night & he would not let me out of it one single night. It was a funny book that had us both laughing out loud a lot. My favorite part was it inspired my 11 yr old son who isn't a big fan of reading to start the "Alex Rider" series which is by the same author. Once he started, he has been devouring the whole series. Thank you Anthony Horowitz for being a clever and engaging author & opening my sons eyes to the joy of reading!

[Raina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Silly old-fashioned story about a brit boy with an evil granny. He has aristocratic and disinterested parents who leave him with the granny for a vacation. The voice could coexist in such worlds as Unfortunate Events and other old-fashioned (but modern) worlds. A little politically incorrect at times. A lot of tongue-in-cheek humor. Very different from Horowitz' other stuff. Recently reissued with a fresh, cool cover.

[Smartieking6 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book for children from about 9-12, the book is about a young boy called Jordan who is terribly rich he lives with his uncaring parents and absolutely loathes it there. But his worst problem is granny! His granny has an evil plan with all her other elderly evil friends that is truly terrifying in addition to this the plan involves HIM will joe be able to survive and will granny get her revenge on her grandson. I am sure loads of people will love it much as I do

[Noopur · Rating 3 out of 5]

nice........

[Sikander Ahmed · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a horrible granny!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Marieke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bizar en grappig, doet me denken aan Roald Dahl.

[Rogerio · Rating 2 out of 5]

Granny has a way of irritating me beyond measure. How much I would have wanted Joe to react! His powerless portray is so unbearable. In this sense the book does a good job. I can surely compare this text with Roald Dahl's style in "James and Giant Peach" or in "George's Marvelous Medicine" to give you an idea of what Granny does and look like.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining story for 10-12 year olds with equal measures of humour and horror which are sure to appeal to this age group. Reminiscent of Ronald Dahl's 'The Witches' (particularly the hotel conference room scene) and forerunner to David Williams' 'Gangsta Granny' it perpetuates the fascination with old ladies and what they are capable of, despite their advanced age.

[Destiny Beale · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was really good and enjoyable when I first read it but now I’ve read it a few times I find it’s not as good and funny as the first time and a bit bored of it so I would say it’s good but not something I’d read again and again and again anymore. My opinion has changed on this book the more I read it however Anthony Horowitz done an amazing job at writing this as a first time read it was amazing - so thank you Anthony for providing us with this book!

[PurplyCookie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Twelve-year-old Joe Warden isn’t happy. Sure, he’s rich, but his parents don’t care about him. His grandmother should make everything better, except that Joe’s granny is a nightmare. She’s not just physically repulsive, she’s horribly mean.

Everyone thinks she’s just a dotty old woman, but Joe knows the truth. He’s seen behind her mask and glimpsed the wicked glimmer in her eyes—she is pure evil. After bumping off Joe's various adult friends who actually cared about him, Granny has plans for her grandson. She convinces Joe's parents to take an overseas trip as she has plans to attend the Golden Granny Awards where she can compete for awards such as making everyone at the post office wait for the longest amount of time, the longest time to get on bus, most difficult shopper, the most unnecessary visits to a doctor and many more.

The evil grannys of the world also have a new invention that will make them young again, all they need is the enzymes of a young boy. Joe's granny is happy to make him the ultimate sacrifice.

A lot of reviews have compared Horowitz's writing style to that of Dahl, and while imitation as they say is the best form of flattery, I would rather say that it stops short of that. What Horowitz has written is not only pure imitation of Dahl but a total rip-off. Anyone who has read Dahl's "The Witches" and "George's Marvelous Medicine" would definitely agree.


Book Details:

Title Granny
Author Anthony Horowitz
Reviewed By Purplycookie

[Myaa · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first read this book, I was convulsed with the way Anthony Horowitz had described Joe's granny. It made me wonder if maybe my grandmother had been planning something bad for me with her own army of grannies from the neighbourhood. The most interesting thing about the book was the way Anthony Horowitz described each and every character in the book. For example, there was a part of the book in which Joe's granny called and said that she was coming over to the Tatlebee Hall and Joe's father drops his cigar and starts going berserk. At times when I was reading the book, I wondered how a 94 year old could be so evil, and I was most surprised when Mr. Lampy and Mrs. Jinks start dying one after another after Granny started to stay in the Tatlebee Hall, and even though it doesn't say in the book that Granny was the one who murdered them, and it all seemed like an accident, it was obvious that Granny was behind all of this. Being 13 years old, I find this an extremely sinister book. It gives you the shivers while you are reading it.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s a lot to enjoy in ‘Granny’. It reminded me of one of my all-time favourite books (one that really got me into reading as a child) George’s Marvellous Medicine. And there are definitely touches of The Witches to ‘Granny’ as well. In many ways, the book offers a sense of realism to the magical happenings of the evil grandma and witches of both Dahl books ‘Granny’ reminds me of. At times the realism borders a bit on possibly being a little too grown up (the two murders/attempted murders and Joe’s seeming mental breakdown!). There were some details and descriptions that felt quite outdated and potentially offensive too, in terms of describing indigenous people and some character’s views.

When I drill down into the key question of did I enjoy reading this book, I can firmly say I did. It feels like it touches on dysfunctional family dynamics, inter-generational abuse and the tragic experiences of lonely elderly people - without ever losing focus on the mystery and adventure of the story. Worth a read :)

[Adele Broadbent · Rating 3 out of 5]

Joe knows his granny isn't a normal granny. His granny doesn't knit and bake and be kind and happy. His granny does everything she can to be mean, embarrassing him at Christmas by buying him babyish presents, setting up his Nanny (who sticks up for Joe against Granny) for theft, and blowing up the gardener.
But that's not all. When Joe is forced to stay with Granny after his parents go on holiday without him, he overhears her with a group of elderly friends as they smoke cigars and play poker. They hate the young with their smooth skin and energy. They have are plotting something terrible, and he knows that it has something to do with him...

Great for fans of David Walliams, Andy Griffiths or Roald Dahl

[Gordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book means a lot to me because the author himself, Anthony Horowitz signed it for me when He visited my high school In 1998. It is that very same copy that I have just read now and although I thought I must have read it at the time I now think that I didn’t because none of it seemed familiar at all. I loved it though, it found it to be very reminiscent of Roald Dahl’s The Witches and if you have read both books I am sure you will see it too. I haven’t read any of his recent works but I loved his writing back then, it was dark but not depressingly so and it was also very comical and those two blended together perfectly. Granny was one of the best of that era in his career. Outstanding!

[Arrash Mazdai · Rating 4 out of 5]

New Words Learnt - 0

This book would so not have been published in today's age, which is a shame because it was hilarious. The humour is what I like to call 'impossible humour' as in the joke would tell something so absurdly impossible that it makes you laugh. Examples include:

"By midday they [the parents] had consumed an entire bottle of whiskey between them, including the glass."

And

"In ten years in the Navy he had never once gone below deck - all the more remarkable when you consider that he served on a submarine."

It's also a precursor to David Walliams in terms of the style of writing, humour, and storytelling. That's probably the best way to describe it.

[Connie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book to rate it for our elementary school, K-5th grade. I didn't like how it disrespected the elderly. It had 5+ swear words in it. The main character had very poor role models. His parents smoke, drank and didn't want anything to do with him. There were 2+ deaths. The details of which were kind of gross, especially for someone under 12 yrs. old. It had a fairly interesting plot that kept me engaged half the time. The ending surprised me.

[RhiannaH · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brilliant book to read - full of adventure and mystery. This book is an ideal starter book for children who are interested in mysteries and who maybe haven't found quite the right style of book to read yet. With humour and very mild horror, this book would be good to read to the class - incorporation into lessons is not necessary, therefore the book can be enjoyed by all as a treat, rather than a lesson focus.

[Louise Wilford · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is about a boy called Joe, whose Granny is evil and no one else knows. She takes him to a hotel, which is filled with more evil Granny's, and they try to suck this life out so that they could all become younger.

It seems very similar to Roald Dahl's 'The Witches', with a similar story line and similar sense of humour. It is a little out of date in places, and it can be a little dark sometimes.

My kids and I still enjoyed it though and we wanted to know how the story would end.