Gangsta Granny – Hilarious and Surprisingly Moving

I have a ten-year-old daughter, and one thing we like to do is read the same books so we can talk about them afterward. Gangsta Granny was a birthday gift for her, and she read it so quickly that it immediately made me curious.

When a child finishes a book that fast, you know something is working.

When I finally read it myself, I was pleasantly surprised — and completely charmed.

A Story That Is Funny and Moving

At first glance, Gangsta Granny is a crazy, over-the-top, and very funny story. David Walliams clearly knows how to make children laugh, using absurd situations, exaggerated characters, and a fast-moving plot that keeps young readers hooked.

But beneath the humour, the book is also sweet, touching, and emotionally rich. What starts as a wild adventure slowly reveals a story about family, loneliness, empathy, and learning to truly see the people around us.

This balance reminded me of Roald Dahl’s books, where outrageous humour and emotional depth coexist effortlessly. Like Dahl, Walliams trusts children to handle big feelings without talking down to them.

Right for “Big Kids”

One thing I particularly appreciated is that this is not a baby book. The language, vocabulary, and sentence structure are well-suited to confident young readers — children who feel grown-up and want stories that respect that feeling.

The book is accessible without being simplistic, which places it firmly in the middle-grade category (roughly ages 8–12). In terms of readability and pace, it shares something with books like Diary of a Wimpy Kid, but with a stronger emotional core and a more traditional narrative structure.

Lessons Without Sermons

Gangsta Granny does teach a few lessons — about kindness, imagination, aging, and connection — but never in a preachy way. There are no heavy moral speeches here. Instead, the lessons emerge naturally through the story and the characters’ actions.

This makes the book ideal for discussion afterward. It opens the door to conversations without feeling like it was written to teach rather than to tell a story.

Final Thoughts

This is a compelling, funny, and genuinely moving book — one that children are eager to read and adults can truly enjoy alongside them.

I would absolutely recommend Gangsta Granny to children ages 8–12, especially those who already see themselves as “big readers.” I’ll definitely be adding more David Walliams books to my daughter’s collection.

It’s always a joy to discover a book that children devour — and that stays with you after the laughter fades.

Did you like this title? It's time to take a look at the sequel - Gangsta Granny Strikes Again!

Comments

Gen V Season 2: From Cameos to Confidence

I wasn’t a huge fan of Gen V ’s first season . For me, it lived more on cameos and ties to The Boys than on its own merits. It often felt like an extended piece of world-building rather than a show that could stand on its own. Season 2, though, feels different. For the first time, Gen V is carving out its own identity. The storylines are more engaging, the stakes feel higher, and it’s not just hanging on the shadow of Homelander or Vought headlines. The Highs and Lows of Performance That said, not everything works. The acting is uneven—some scenes land with the intended emotional weight, but others feel awkward enough that I wondered how they made it past editing. On top of that, the show piles on so much interpersonal drama and mystery that it occasionally slips into Scooby-Doo territory: a gang of young heroes pulling at conspiratorial threads, but without enough grounding to keep every subplot compelling. A Thoughtful Tribute One aspect the show handles beautifull...

Zero Day (Netflix): When Power, Fear, and Truth Collide

What happens when society’s most terrifying vulnerability—our digital infrastructure—suddenly collapses? Netflix ’s political thriller Zero Day dares to explore exactly that. Starring Robert De Niro as former U.S. President George Mullen, alongside Angela Bassett , Lizzy Caplan , Jesse Plemons , and Dan Stevens , this six-part miniseries blends conspiracy, paranoia, and deeply human drama into a story that feels both timely and unsettling. A Premise That Feels Too Possible The series kicks off with a catastrophic cyberattack that leaves the nation in chaos. It’s not just thrilling entertainment—it’s frighteningly plausible. Watching events spiral out of control, you can’t help but ask yourself: could this actually happen? Twists That Keep You Guessing From backroom deals to sudden betrayals, Zero Day is packed with sharp turns. You might think you know where it’s going, but the finale delivers a conclusion that’s both surprising and thought-provoking. Jesse Plemo...

The Handmaid’s Tale – From Brilliant to Frustrating

When The Handmaid’s Tale first aired, it felt sharp, terrifying, and painfully necessary. I wrote about the first season as a dark and brilliant adaptation, one that used restraint, symbolism, and dread to tell its story. Now that I've finished the third season, my opinion has shifted — not wholly, but noticeably. The show is still good . Sometimes very good. But it also became frustrating, uneven, and less powerful than it could have been. June Osborne: From Survivor to Exhaustion Let’s talk about June (Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men ). I understand the idea behind her arc. She was meant to evolve — to become more confident, more assertive, more dangerous. A woman shaped by trauma who stops surviving and starts fighting back. On paper, it makes sense. On screen, however, it often doesn’t work. June becomes reckless to the point of irresponsibility. She repeatedly puts others in danger without seeming to fully care about who might be caught in the crossfire. Her actions feel impuls...

All Forms of Art

Search This Blog