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The Bolds #4
The Bolds in Trouble
For once, Teddington's wildest family have decided to stay at home and keep their heads down. It isn't always easy hiding tails and fur under clothes, and it's important not to raise suspicion among their human neighbors. But when a very sly fox starts making a big nuisance of himself, it's up to the Bolds to stop him.
304 pages, Paperback
Published May 4, 2021
15 people are currently reading
47 people want to read
About the author
Julian Clary
52 books64 followersJulian Clary is an English comedian and novelist. Clary began appearing on television in the mid-1980s and became known for his deliberately stereotypical camp style. Since then he has also acted in films, television and stage productions, and was the winner of Celebrity Big Brother 10 in 2012.
Clary has released two large format comedy books: My Life With Fanny The Wonder Dog (1989) and How To Be A Man (1992).
Between 2005 and 2008, Clary wrote a fortnightly column for the New Statesman magazine. He has also published an autobiography, A Young Man's Passage, which covers his life and career up to the 1993 "Norman Lamont incident" at the British Comedy Awards. In 2007, Clary released his first novel, Murder Most Fab, published by Ebury Press. His second novel, Devil in Disguise, was published in 2009. His first book for children, The Bolds, was published by Andersen Press in 2015.
Adapted from Wikipedia.
Clary has released two large format comedy books: My Life With Fanny The Wonder Dog (1989) and How To Be A Man (1992).
Between 2005 and 2008, Clary wrote a fortnightly column for the New Statesman magazine. He has also published an autobiography, A Young Man's Passage, which covers his life and career up to the 1993 "Norman Lamont incident" at the British Comedy Awards. In 2007, Clary released his first novel, Murder Most Fab, published by Ebury Press. His second novel, Devil in Disguise, was published in 2009. His first book for children, The Bolds, was published by Andersen Press in 2015.
Adapted from Wikipedia.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
September 18, 2018
A brand-new The Bolds, with new jokes, new characters (not all of them very nice), and of course our dear family The Bolds.
I just adore this series to bits, though I have to say I wasn't that happy with this one as I normally am. It contained all the elements for me to love it, but it added Mossy. Mossy is a fox and the antagonist of this book, as I would call him. The Bolds are trying to help him (and Sylvie his vixen), but all they end up getting is one rotten fox who thinks he is boss. *sighs* I get that they don't want their secret to come out, but to grovel and buy all that food and do everything he wanted, eh, no. Not really the family I came to love and adore. I especially felt sorry for the kids. They didn't understand why their parents were doing all this, they even wondered why their parents did all this.
How it all ended, well, even though Mossy was a prick, I still felt this ending was harsh.
Now let's just not think about Mossy, and think of all the fun things this book contains. Like new characters who are learning how to be human (though I ever wonder how a goose and a warthog are going to blend in, even the otter will be a stretch), and try all their might on how to dress themselves (chaos, pure chaos), eat, and go about in their daily life. I had a bit of a laugh that the otter lady wanted to be a nun.
We also meet with a character from the previous book(s), and I had quite a laugh at what the family asked of her. I can only imagine how embarrassing that must have been, then again, they are all animals, maybe they just didn't mind it that much.
Sylvie, the vixen of Mossy, was the sweetest. I did feel sorry for her for being in such an abusive relationship. Poor thing. Later on we learn things, and we also find out why and how she got to be with Mossy (because everyone (including me) was wondering how the hell she got to be with such a jerk).
I did think it was funny that The Bolds didn't know who the car mechanic was, or what he was. You would think animals would notice each other, but apparently our car mechanic is even better at being human than most animals.
I love Mrs. Bold's newest hat creations. I am not sure which one is my favourite, I do fancy myself a mud bonnet, but I also loved that can of bean on plate-hat. If only we had someone like Mrs. Bold here, I would definitely be buying some of those hats myself.
Of course, like all the other books, this book is full to the brim with jokes/riddles. I didn't really get some of the cheese ones (especially the Welsh joke), but the rest were hilarious and I also had fun reading them to my fiance (and seeing his expressions).
And let's not forget the fabulous illustrations by David Roberts. Those tiny foxes are too precious!
I can't wait for the next book, what will it be about? When will it come out? Now? Please?
I would recommend this book to everyone.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
I just adore this series to bits, though I have to say I wasn't that happy with this one as I normally am. It contained all the elements for me to love it, but it added Mossy. Mossy is a fox and the antagonist of this book, as I would call him. The Bolds are trying to help him (and Sylvie his vixen), but all they end up getting is one rotten fox who thinks he is boss. *sighs* I get that they don't want their secret to come out, but to grovel and buy all that food and do everything he wanted, eh, no. Not really the family I came to love and adore. I especially felt sorry for the kids. They didn't understand why their parents were doing all this, they even wondered why their parents did all this.
How it all ended, well, even though Mossy was a prick, I still felt this ending was harsh.
Now let's just not think about Mossy, and think of all the fun things this book contains. Like new characters who are learning how to be human (though I ever wonder how a goose and a warthog are going to blend in, even the otter will be a stretch), and try all their might on how to dress themselves (chaos, pure chaos), eat, and go about in their daily life. I had a bit of a laugh that the otter lady wanted to be a nun.
We also meet with a character from the previous book(s), and I had quite a laugh at what the family asked of her. I can only imagine how embarrassing that must have been, then again, they are all animals, maybe they just didn't mind it that much.
Sylvie, the vixen of Mossy, was the sweetest. I did feel sorry for her for being in such an abusive relationship. Poor thing. Later on we learn things, and we also find out why and how she got to be with Mossy (because everyone (including me) was wondering how the hell she got to be with such a jerk).
I did think it was funny that The Bolds didn't know who the car mechanic was, or what he was. You would think animals would notice each other, but apparently our car mechanic is even better at being human than most animals.
I love Mrs. Bold's newest hat creations. I am not sure which one is my favourite, I do fancy myself a mud bonnet, but I also loved that can of bean on plate-hat. If only we had someone like Mrs. Bold here, I would definitely be buying some of those hats myself.
Of course, like all the other books, this book is full to the brim with jokes/riddles. I didn't really get some of the cheese ones (especially the Welsh joke), but the rest were hilarious and I also had fun reading them to my fiance (and seeing his expressions).
And let's not forget the fabulous illustrations by David Roberts. Those tiny foxes are too precious!
I can't wait for the next book, what will it be about? When will it come out? Now? Please?
I would recommend this book to everyone.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
September 23, 2022
Reflections and lessons learned:
“Knock knock
Who’s there
Rita
Rita who
Rita-lot of books recently?!”
Comforting, familiar family and narration and just lovely… and an important tale of not going low on bullies, as the universe will even hopefully deliver to the animals too!
“Knock knock
Who’s there
Rita
Rita who
Rita-lot of books recently?!”
Comforting, familiar family and narration and just lovely… and an important tale of not going low on bullies, as the universe will even hopefully deliver to the animals too!
January 16, 2019
I know there are far too many celebrities jumping on the bandwagon writing books for children, and some of them are really not very good. However, Julian Clary has got it spot on with his series about the Bolds, a family of hyenas living as humans. It's witty, and the stories are engaging and well told. We have enjoyed all of them so far. They are delightful. And not forgetting the brilliant illustrations, too, by David Roberts. Looking forward to the next one!
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June 25, 2020Fanitan Ponnekkaita ihan todella. Tällä kertaa erityisesti ilahduttivat rouvan hattutehtailut ja Ponnekkaiden sisäoppilaitoksessa ihmisten tavoille opiskeleva saukko Pauliina, jolla on nunnan kutsumus. Nykyään liian usein kaikki uskontoon viittaava on siivottu lastenkirjoista pois, mikä tuntuu vähän elämälle vieraalta. Ois ehkä miljoona kertaa parempaa suvaitsevaisuuskasvatusta jos eri uskonnot vilahtelisi tällä tavalla lempeästi ihan arkisena asiana siellä täällä, ilman että niistä tehdään sen suurempaa numeroa. Vaatii toki kirjailijalta hienotunteisuutta, taitoa ja lempeää avarakatseisuutta.
P.S. Outi Järvinen, hienoo käännöstyötä.
P.S. Outi Järvinen, hienoo käännöstyötä.
October 27, 2019
The Bolds are a family of animals who pretend to be humans in order to live in the world. They take in other animals who want to do the same and teach them how to interact and behave with humans. Their life is quiet and normal until their neighbors became afraid of the wild animals that are going through their garbage. The neighbors decided to call pest control to capture the animals and have them killed. The Bolds are horrified with this plan and want to intervene to save the wild animals. With the help of many domesticated creatures, they save the wild fox that was trapped. While The Bolds think that all of their problems are now solved, another challenge arises. The fox that they saved is ungrateful and starts to blackmail them, saying that if The Bolds do not cater to his every whim, he will tell the world they are animals, not humans. With the help of their other animals-in-disguise friends, The Bolds overcome this final problem and lead a normal life once again.
The Bolds in Trouble includes a diverse set of characters. One of the animals-in-disguise is a nun, the mother designs hats, many of which are head wraps, and there is a man with tattoos. Throughout the story, certain words are in different fonts which allows for the reading emphasize them. For example, “And they are the Bolds. Famous for helping animals everywhere”. The word “famous” is in a different font. Additionally, there are strong messages in this book which are important for young children. Teaching young readers that animals are more afraid of humans than humans are of animals allows readers to understand that it is their job to protect the wild creatures of the world. Also, The Bolds experience another problem immediately after their first is solved. Children learn that even when things continue to go wrong, eventually they will go right with the help of loved ones. Even though the book was slow at the start, it gained momentum and ended with a great message.
The Bolds in Trouble includes a diverse set of characters. One of the animals-in-disguise is a nun, the mother designs hats, many of which are head wraps, and there is a man with tattoos. Throughout the story, certain words are in different fonts which allows for the reading emphasize them. For example, “And they are the Bolds. Famous for helping animals everywhere”. The word “famous” is in a different font. Additionally, there are strong messages in this book which are important for young children. Teaching young readers that animals are more afraid of humans than humans are of animals allows readers to understand that it is their job to protect the wild creatures of the world. Also, The Bolds experience another problem immediately after their first is solved. Children learn that even when things continue to go wrong, eventually they will go right with the help of loved ones. Even though the book was slow at the start, it gained momentum and ended with a great message.
April 1, 2019
This book was received as an ARC from Lerner Publishing Group - Carolrhoda Books ® in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.
I have read many books of the Bolds' series and it has mixed reviews with our patrons. Most of them are scared of the characters, one of them said that the whole idea of having animals live a human lifestyle is outrageous and made no sense at all. However, adding the extra plot of a unknown fox that has been eating the plants and disturbing the neighbors and Mrs. Bold said that she LOVES foxes added an interesting plot twist that I don't think young readers will expect and after I finished the book, I was shockingly surprised on how well executed this book was.
We will consider adding this title to our JFiction collection at the library. That is why we give this book 4 stars.
I have read many books of the Bolds' series and it has mixed reviews with our patrons. Most of them are scared of the characters, one of them said that the whole idea of having animals live a human lifestyle is outrageous and made no sense at all. However, adding the extra plot of a unknown fox that has been eating the plants and disturbing the neighbors and Mrs. Bold said that she LOVES foxes added an interesting plot twist that I don't think young readers will expect and after I finished the book, I was shockingly surprised on how well executed this book was.
We will consider adding this title to our JFiction collection at the library. That is why we give this book 4 stars.
December 16, 2024
Хи-хи-хи-Хиените се завръщат! "Семейство Болд в беда" от Джулиан Клери, издадена от издателство "Рибка", е четвъртата книга от поредицата за чаровното семейство, доказващо, че зъбатите африкански хищници са далеч по-цивилизовани от повечето ви съседи! Тази книга е истинско удоволствие за малките читатели и техните родители, които обичат забавни и остроумни истории. Илюстрациите отново са дело са дело на талантливия Дейвид Робъртс, който на свой ред ни разсмива с невероятните си рисунки. Прочетете ревюто на „Книжни Криле“: https://knijnikrile.wordpress.com/202...
March 30, 2019
I love these stories! So funny! I think 2-4 graders will enjoy these tales of animals living like humans.I mean, really, thee are animals who want to be humans- they dress like peeps, hold jobs, use forks and knife and spoons- whole 9 yards! In this installment of the series, the Bolds and their friends try to save 2 neighborhood fox. One fox has no interest in being saved which causes quite a issue with the family. How can they change it's mind??? And Papa Bold tells the awfullest jokes, the kind kids will be roaring over! Love the illustrations, too!
I received a Kindle ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.
I received a Kindle ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.
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August 30, 2021We love the bolds series in our house and this one had some of the trademark over the top funny and silly scenarios. This is probably my least favourite of the series however as it introduces some dark themes and an abusive relationship which did not fit with the lighthearted tone of the book. It could be an opportunity I suppose to talk to your kids about this issue but it was not dealt with in a particularly nuanced way in the book and the ending for one of the characters was abrupt and unexpected.
I still recommend this series for kids but beware this one has some darker themes.
I still recommend this series for kids but beware this one has some darker themes.
July 17, 2025
This whole book has been a nice change to read as it's not part of my norm. I loved the fact that it's littered with Christmas crack jokes which are really cheesy jokes. This is due to fact that it's Mr Bolds job so he'll try to defuse the tense with them. The fact that there life is being run by a mean a fox which they had just tried to warn and help out afte wards about the pest control being called. Overall love the book with the illustrations and having all the jokes in one place at the end of the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 12, 2020
Another great adventure with the Bolds. They get a bigger challenge than they've had before, and things resolve with a darker solution than one would expect in a JF book, but that didn't phase me or the 4th grade reading buddy.
September 27, 2023
This is a funny book and I’ve read some other Bolds book. In this story there’s a sly fox who has a charming, nice daughter and a brother. One of the fox tries to become a human like The Bolds and needs their help. There’s the usual set of jokes from Mr Bold.
September 25, 2018
It was a very good book
April 9, 2019
These books are so funny. Animals living as humans. I'm not sure who enjoyed this more, myself or my daughter!
January 14, 2020
The Bolds in Trouble by Julian Clary is a cute and fun book for kids. The story telling is very engaging. The illustrations are fun to follow
September 25, 2020
Good
I T W A S R E A L L Y G O O D (It Was A Great Book)
I T W A S R E A L L Y G O O D (It Was A Great Book)
August 2, 2021
I love the whole series of bolds books and would highly recommend every single one of them.
February 1, 2023
it was full of suspense
September 4, 2020
Once again I’m smiling and laughing after just finishing this fourth installment in the Bolds series! These books just keep getting better and better and this time there is trouble in the neighbourhood as the human residents of Fairfield Road are upset about some recent sightings of foxes and want to do something to get rid of them. The Bolds, being animals themselves (though disguised as humans), don’t want anything to happen to the foxes and try to find a way to rescue them. But things don’t quite go according to plan.
I’ve become a fan of The Bolds series and I can’t help but love every new adventure the family of hyenas disguised as humans gets up to. Although this book can be read as a standalone, it’s definitely more fun if you read the other books in the series first (or at least the first one) so that you know who all the characters are and what the Bolds do. The adventure this time features foxes, but unlike previous stories, this time there are conflicts with some of the animals involved. The story is so funny and very silly throughout although there is a bit of a sad moment towards the ending. It’s made better though by what happens at the very end which was so sweet it just brought such a smile to my face! I love the new set of students in the Bolds’ house, especially Miss Paulina, and although they didn’t feature as much as the students did in the second book (‘The Bolds to the Rescue’), it was still very funny to read about their attempts at becoming human.
The illustrations really make this book so much more fun to read than it already is. There’s something about the fun way that The Bolds and everyone else looks that I just can’t help but smile, and often laugh, at all the funny antics that are shown. Each illustration is in black, white and grey and they appear throughout the story, among the text and sometimes with a full image on one page. Almost every double page has some form of illustration with some pages having some fun borders to liven them up, this along with the easy to read text and separated paragraphs just makes the book feel so easy to read, so it’s great for children who can be a little reluctant to read, like I was when I was younger.
The ending of the story is so good, I love what happens both with The Bolds and who they meet at the end. It really made me smile and was a really heart-warming ending to this book. At the back of the book there is a list of every joke Mr Bold made throughout the story. So many of these jokes are so silly but they never fail to make me laugh, and there are so many new ones I’ve never heard before. Overall this book is such a brilliant addition to the series and I can recommend it to both children and those who are older who have a silly and fun sense of humour. I can’t wait for more adventures from The Bolds.
-Thanks to Andersen Press for a free copy for review.
I’ve become a fan of The Bolds series and I can’t help but love every new adventure the family of hyenas disguised as humans gets up to. Although this book can be read as a standalone, it’s definitely more fun if you read the other books in the series first (or at least the first one) so that you know who all the characters are and what the Bolds do. The adventure this time features foxes, but unlike previous stories, this time there are conflicts with some of the animals involved. The story is so funny and very silly throughout although there is a bit of a sad moment towards the ending. It’s made better though by what happens at the very end which was so sweet it just brought such a smile to my face! I love the new set of students in the Bolds’ house, especially Miss Paulina, and although they didn’t feature as much as the students did in the second book (‘The Bolds to the Rescue’), it was still very funny to read about their attempts at becoming human.
The illustrations really make this book so much more fun to read than it already is. There’s something about the fun way that The Bolds and everyone else looks that I just can’t help but smile, and often laugh, at all the funny antics that are shown. Each illustration is in black, white and grey and they appear throughout the story, among the text and sometimes with a full image on one page. Almost every double page has some form of illustration with some pages having some fun borders to liven them up, this along with the easy to read text and separated paragraphs just makes the book feel so easy to read, so it’s great for children who can be a little reluctant to read, like I was when I was younger.
The ending of the story is so good, I love what happens both with The Bolds and who they meet at the end. It really made me smile and was a really heart-warming ending to this book. At the back of the book there is a list of every joke Mr Bold made throughout the story. So many of these jokes are so silly but they never fail to make me laugh, and there are so many new ones I’ve never heard before. Overall this book is such a brilliant addition to the series and I can recommend it to both children and those who are older who have a silly and fun sense of humour. I can’t wait for more adventures from The Bolds.
-Thanks to Andersen Press for a free copy for review.
September 16, 2022
Hauska lastenkirja, sekä ekaluokkalainen että äiti viihtyivät!
April 30, 2019
The Bolds in Trouble is a fun read for younger children. I read this with my second grade daughter and she loved it! She would beg for "just one more chapter" every night. The jokes told by Mr. Bold and spread throughout the book were a wonderful bonus in addition to a fun and interesting plot.
April 30, 2019
The Bolds in Trouble is a fun read for younger children. I read this with my second grade daughter and she loved it! She would beg for "just one more chapter" every night. The jokes told by Mr. Bold and spread throughout the book were a wonderful bonus in addition to a fun and interesting plot.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews