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Title: The Parent Agency
Author: David Baddiel
Narrator: David Baddiel
Format: Unabridged
Length: 3 hrs and 56 mins
Language: English
Release date: 05-03-16
Publisher: HarperAudio
Genres: Kids, Ages 8-10
Publisher's Summary:
A boy travels to an alternate world where kids get to choose their own parents in this zany, internationally best-selling adventure, which combines the be-careful-what-you-wish-for humor of The Chocolate Touch with the classic appeal of Roald Dahl.
Barry Bennett is sick of his parents. They're boring, they're too strict, and it's their fault his name is Barry. So he makes a wish for better ones - and is whisked away to the Parent Agency, where kids get to pick out their perfect parents.
For Barry, this seems like a dream come true. But as he's about to discover, choosing a new mom and dad isn't as simple as it sounds....
The Parent Agency is the first children's book by British author and comedian David Baddiel.
Members Reviews:
Cool, Warmer, Warm, Hot, Cooler, Cooler, Cold
Interesting setup. Barry is unhappy with his parents, (they like his sisters best, they're dull, they don't cater to his desires). But, when he enters an alternate world in which kids get to try out new parents, and parents compete to earn a kid's favor, he learns some grass-isn't-always-greener lessons. That's pretty neat, and what early middle grade reader isn't going to be at least intrigued by the premise?
The execution, though, was a little schizo. First off, Barry is a first class whinger, and if I were his parent I'd have a few complaints about him. In the first few chapters this gets to be a bit wearing. Just when you've had enough Barry, though, we go through the looking glass and the parent try-outs begin. Barry's first contact with the Parent Agency, which tries to place parents, is very funny and upbeat. Having all of the characters in this alternative world be versions of the characters we met in the previous real world is a clever and entertaining touch and the author does a lot with it. But then we follow Barry as he tries out a few new parents. Here the humor gets pretty heavy handed, as we mock various lifestyles, (sporty, health conscious, wealthy, hippie, and so on), and I'm not sure how much off this rather sardonic humor will go over the reader's head.
We wrap up with a mixed message sort of ending, and I'm not quite sure how much wiser Barry ends up being for the experience. That's what I mean by the book warming up and then cooling down again.
So, it has its moments, and I appreciate what was being done here, but I just never got very enthusiastic about the reading experience.
(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
A fun book which will help to keep children engaged and enjoying books.
Disclosure: I was sent a copy of 'The Parent Agency'* for review purposes, but the opinions in this post are honest and unbiased.
Barry Bennett hates being called Barry, it's not a cool name for a nearly 10 year old. He also hates his parents always being tired and boring. When he wishes for better parents, he is transported to the United Kid-dom. This is a world where children can choose the parents they want from 'The Parent Agency'. He gets to try out various sets of parents, before deciding the ones he wants to spend the rest of his life with.
OK, so the concept of a child being dissatisfied with their life and being transported to a different life is not exactly original.
