Mr Gum and the Power Crystals

Mr Gum #4

by Andy Stanton

Good evening, children, on this dark and windy night. Now, come gather round the fireplace, for 'tis time for strange tales to be spun. Like the tale of Polly and that old tumbledown windmill down by the riverside.

But just what is the windmill's terrible secret? Why is Mr Gum lurk-lurk-lurkin' about? And how much does Old Granny know?

Gather closer, children, for all shall be revealed...

Genres: Childrens, Humor, Fiction, Audiobook, Fantasy

205 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Andy Stanton lives in North London. He studied English at Oxford but they kicked him out. He has been a film script reader, a cartoonist, an NHS lackey and lots of other things. He has many interests, but best of all he likes cartoons, books and music (even jazz).

One day he’d like to live in New York or Berlin or one of those places because he’s got fantasies of bohemia. His favourite expression is ‘Good evening’ and his favourite word is ‘captain’. Andy has now written more than one book, but less than twenty.

-from publisher's website at http://www.mrgum.co.uk/author/

Reviews

[Mark Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this along with my seven-year-old. It was our first dip into Mr Gumm and it won’t be our last.

We both had genuine, out-loud belly laughs several times throughout the book. It has a wonderfully wacky, surreal level of humour that we both loved; almost like a child’s version of a Robert Rankin or a Flann O’Brien.

I’m not sure we fully followed the storyline (and there were characters from previous books in the series that we did not know) but that did not stop our childish enjoyment of the book. Loved it!

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has been a while since I have laughed aloud at a book. But I have done it many times with this book. It starts our with our heroine Polly discovering some very pretty stones with her dog. She takes them home and soon discovers that they have some very strange powers including taking her on a strange sleep walk to a local windmill that she didn't even know existed.

As well as the crystals having a terrifying control over her, local villains Mr Gum and England's most revolting butcher are very interested in acquiring the crystals and using them for evil. The characters that help Polly discover the history of the crystals and turn their power from evil are a brilliantly funny mix of Old granny, Mrs. Lovely and Alan Taylor the crazy gingerbread headmaster. The series of events making up this book are fantastic, including emerging from Old Granny's fridge and Mrs. Lovely and Friday O' Leary catching a donkey called Barcelona Jim all the way back from their honeymoon in Spain to England.

I would recommend this book to read aloud to a class for Year 2's and could be read independently by year 3 and 4. The quirky illustrations and fast pace of this book will keep children motivated to read on, not to mention the laughs children will get from reading it. I am surprised at some of the jokes and encounters as I would have thought them too complex for the age range that this book is directed to to grasp, but clearly children are more witty than I give them credit for.

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pa kaj, če sem odrasla!!! Resnica je limonov poljubčk :)

[Jinghay (these.blank.pages) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really funny read, perfect for young children!
I enjoyed reading it alongside my sister :)

Rating: 3.5/5

[Kirsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Die kleine Polly findet zwei wunderschöne Steine. Kaum hat sie die beiden aber in ihrem Besitz, scheinen sie einen eigenen Willen zu entwickeln. Schlimmer noch: sie zwingen Polly ihren Willen auf. So sehr sie sich auch dagegen wehrt, sie muss ihnen doch gehorchen. Da kann nur einer dahinter stecken: der gemeine Mr. Gum. Er braucht die Kristalle, um einen jahrhundertealten Fluch zu erfüllen.

Sobald die Kristalle in Pollys Besitz sind, will sie unbedingt zur alten Mühle. Sie will nach Hause gehen, aber jeder Weg den sie einschägt, führt sie doch wieder zur Mühle. Sogar im Schlaf geht sie dorthin und bringt sogar noch ein T-Shirt mit :D

Mr. Gum und die Kristalle des Unheils ist eine Sammlung von solchen T-Shirt-Momenten. Ob es Verfolgungsjagden sind, die in einem Kühlschrank enden, oder eine Uromini, die nicht genug oder vielleicht auch zu viel Sherry getrunken hat, um sich wieder in die zauberhafte junge Dame zu verwandeln, die sie einmal war... die Empfehlung mag für Kinder von 7-11 Jahre sein, aber auch Kinder von 40+ haben sich köstlich amüsiert.

[Tim Roast · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Mr Gum and the Power Crystals” is the fourth Mr Gum book and is once again set in Lamonic Bibber with familiar characters from the previous books, although the story is completely standalone so you don’t need any knowledge of those.

It’s the height of summer, Polly, with the help of Jake “the Number One Best Woofdog on the Woofdog Charts”, find a couple of long ago buried stones that shine and whisper to her:
“Take us to the windmill… It is our destiny” they whisper to her. Against her will she is taken there and Mr Gum, a bad man, is there so you know that there is trouble afoot. Polly must keep the power crystals away from Mr Gum and away from the windmill, but will she succeed?

This is a typical Mr Gum book full of bonkers humour. I enjoyed it very much.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Sruthi Unnikrishnan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr Gum and the power crystals is a children's book written by Andy Stanton and Illustrated by
David Tazzyman.


The story is about a girl named Polly who finds a bag with crystals on a fine day. The crystals are strangely shaped, one pink and one white. Polly thought that there was something strange about the stones. She came home and placed the stones in her Jewellery box. Things messed up when Polly found that the stones can speak.



This book is well brilliant and engaging. Best book I've ever read no matter What's your age you laugh the hell out after reading this book. Illustrations are too good and hillarious.
Have a great read....

[Lanchi · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Sự thật là bánh trứng chanh !”thứ sáu O’Leary hay nói.Cuốn sách này quả thật “buồn tười”và rất vô lý.Từ các viên pha lê biết nói đến bánh quy chết rồi sống lại,.... Toàn những thứ vô lý ko . Các nhân vật thì ko có ai mới hết.😐Chỉ có hiện tượng thôi à ... Ko hiểu răng các chương cứ lập lại từ ch.*này đến ch.*khác miết nhưng đề và đoạn văn vẫn như nhau .-_- Tóm hết là nó hài hước hơn và vô lý hơn các đoạn khác thôi .-_- Tôi ko nói nữa,ko phải vì hết ý mà vì lười thôi hí hí 😁

*ch:chương viết tắt theo kiểu của Nou.🦄

[Hana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Định trả sách mượn thư viện cho con gái, nhưng lại vô tình lật vài trang.. mình thấy ấn tượng với từ ngữ giàu hình ảnh, cách dịch trẻ trung, rất chi hợp với trẻ em.. Vậy là mình bắt đầu đọc nghiêm túc để học hỏi thêm về văn phong dịch những truyện của trẻ em.
Văn phong trẻ trung, cốt truyện đề cao được sự quyết tâm và kiên trì theo đuổi cái thiện của bạn nhỏ. Cho dù phút cuối suýt có chút lung lạc trước biến cố, nhưng con ng luôn lương thiện thì sẽ quay lại con đường lương thiện vốn có của mình.

[Farah Shah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have only read the first one before so it was a bit confusing as I didn't know some things. I thought it was really good. I liked the repetition of the chapters and there was a lot of funny parts. Less Mr Gum then I thought but still...
The funniest part I thought was country names.

[Myar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember how much this book used to make me laugh, such good memories.

[Francesca Pashby · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my long term favourites.

[Bhavik · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is how you write a good children's book. Funny, inventive, and strangely philosophical.

[jeffrey s. edwards · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some funny parts, but the odd writing style is just a bit too much for me.

[Jure · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good Book

[Vanesa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Supr

[Ashley B · Rating 5 out of 5]

reread

[Yeji · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️
The book had the same spooky tone as the 3rd one, and I really enjoyed it! The plot would make this book a best seller if it was an actual fantasy book, but I still enjoyed it!

[Emily Card · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a bit disappointed because I love mr gum and I was expecting this to be the best one but I don’t think I laughed once at it, still love the series though

[Amelia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do not like the part where a person dies

[Danni · Rating 2 out of 5]

This has to be the most random story I have ever read. A very quick read too

I'm sure the younger readers would appreciate it more

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was boring.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Five stars from my son and one star from me averages out to three stars...

My six year old wandered into the children's chapter book section of our library and picked this out. It seemed age-appropriate so we brought it home and read it together. He said that he loved it, but most of the humour went way over his head, and I am not sure what exactly he enjoyed about it - he just said, "everything!"

Also, not having read any of the previous books in the series, we had no idea what the connection was between the characters. It all seemed kind of random.

I did not like this book at all. I found it to be poorly written and annoying to read aloud. However, I can appreciate how a seven or eight year old would find it entertaining and funny.

I have not told my son this is one of a series, as I can't bear the thought of reading any more of these, and he has plenty of other authors that he likes, but if wants to read more on his own when he is older, I will happily buy the series for him then.

[Ellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. It has so manny funny parts and cahracters.

Its about a girl called Polly. She finds 2 magic crystals. In her dreams they want her to go to the windmill. So she goes to Old Granny but they keep on making her go to the windmill. Then Mr.Gum is Trying to take them to do some thing evil. She manges to get to old grannys. She tells Polly the story of the crystals. Affter that it goes all down hill.

It is a very funny book. And I loved it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Lavinia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr Gum is back, now trying to put Lamonic Bibber on fire with Power Crystals! Apparently, according to Old Granny's point of view, there is a long, long story about it including a man called Nicholas de Twinklecakes, of course, the Power Crystals, and many, much more. Can one little girl save Lamonic Bibber with the help of her little pals?

Like all the books of Mr Gum, this book was very funny, and I have no idea how Andy Stanton thought up all these jokes! (Maybe he was in a joke competition and won. Who knows)?

[Suvi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Herra Gummi jatkaa töllöntöitään. Tällä kertaa mukana on haamu, tuulimylly, kivet, jotka liitettynä ohjaustauluun tekevät pahaa ja Pollyn sisäinen kamppailu hyvän ja pahan välillä.

Tykkään Gummeista, ei ehkä yllä ensimmäisen osan tasolle, mutta on kuitenkin kiva.

[Siobhan · Rating 5 out of 5]

awesomness

[Indah Threez Lestari · Rating 4 out of 5]

195 - 2012

Oh, marzipan! Komedinya khas UK banget.

[Nipper · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazilyuper

[Erin Mcinerney · Rating 5 out of 5]

FUNNY!!!