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Average Customer Rating:

A good laugh	Customer Rating:
This is a great book. When I read it outloud, I laugh so hard my stomach starts hurting.

Dangerously misleading view of dyslexia

Customer Rating:

As a parent of a dyslexic, I am concerned that this book presents a misleading view of dyslexia. In particular, dyslexics don't normally make errors of speech as the vicar does - their problems are typically more with reading. The idea that a dyslexic would ever introduce himself to someone by using an orthographically-backwards rendition of his last name is ludicrous. Also, the error of completely reversing the pronunciation of a long word is particularly ridiculous. Swapping a couple of letters, sure, but turning "trespasses" into "sessapsert"? Come on! More insidious is the idea that dyslexia can be easily cured. The doctor suggests the vicar walk backwards! I'm not trying to be the "PC police" here, but if this book is read by your child, it should be accompanied by an honest discussion of the subject of dyslexia from a less fictional standpoint.

Funny	Customer Rating:
Although this is not our favorite Roald Dahl book, it was a real treat. The vicar was a harmless, innocent character who gave us a big laugh. We did not find the "bathroom" humor offensive - it was clearly in good fun -more of what we have come to expect from Dahl.

Fun and silly!

Customer Rating:

This is a short but sweet story of a dyslexic vicar called Robert Lee that joins his first parish. He is nervous about his first day, as the previous vicar died and never got to show him the ropes; so nervous is Lee that he develops a new spin-off disease of dyslexia where he says words backwards. Word games being fun on their own, Dahl adds his usual flare for borderline adult humor. (One scenario has him addressing the parish to tell them that while the roads may be long and with few stops, that people in town should not just "krap" on the side of the road as they please; there's also one on the proper amount of wine to take during the communion, to which he answers along the lines of "pis" slowly and gently and you'll have no problems of running out. Finding the naughty jokes was incredible fun, and the lighthearted approach to solving the vicar's problem by walking backwards so the words come out frontwards is charming. Fun!

a good read	Customer Rating:
This is a great unique book from Roald Dahl. I would use this with older kids.