The 13-Storey Treehouse

 The 13-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths, ill. Terry Denton (Pan MacMillan)

PB RRP $9.99

ISBN: 978 0 330 40436 5

Reviewed by Wendy McLean

Andy Griffith has teamed up again with his trusty and talented sidekick, illustrator Terry Denton, to deliver the hilarious ‘The 13-Storey Treehouse’, the first book in what promises to be an entertaining series of mayhem and mishap.

Two new characters – Andy and Terry – live in a 13-storey treehouse, where they create books together when they are not distracted by the treehouse’s many wacky delights.  And who wouldn’t be distracted in a treehouse that has a lemonade fountain, an automatic marshmallow machine, a library full of comics, a secret underground laboratory, a bowling alley and a tank full of sharks?

The book starts with Andy walking into the kitchen to find Terry painting the neighbour’s cat bright yellow in an attempt to turn it into a canary. Terry drops the cat over the balcony and Andy’s horror turns to surprise as the cat promptly sprouts wings and flies away.

Following the adventure of the “catnary” Andy and Terry receive a video-phone message from their very angry editor: they have until 5 o’clock the next day to deliver their new book – OR ELSE! The two consult their notebooks – Andy has four pages of text (one word per page!) and Terry has two drawings of his finger. The two have a lot of work to do!

The two settle down at the kitchen table to start work, but a series of distractions and nutty adventures follow. Terry has a disastrous attempt to grow pet sea monkeys and falls in love with a mermaid who is not all she appears to be! The two battle an invasion of monkeys, a giant gorilla, and of course, each other. After this series of chaotic and destructive events Terry and Andy must race against the clock to deliver their manuscript on time.

Kids will embrace and love this light-hearted, hilarious and fast paced book about a day in the life of Andy and Terry in their 13-storey treehouse. The book is full of imagination and Terry’s quirky drawings are an integral part of the story. This book is pure fun and is a must-read by kids who are daunted by books or by kids who just like a laugh.  

Look out for the next installment, ‘The 26-Storey Treehouse’, in 2012!