Review Detail

In this book, Jasper the Rabbit comes back to share creepy stories as cautionary tales. In Troubling Tonsils, Jasper tells you the tale of Charlie Marmot and the odd situation he got himself into. Charlie’s tonsils are infected, and they must come out, Charlie is thrilled about this since he wants to keep them in a jar for show and tell. As he provides this suggestion to his dentist, things start getting a little creepy. He hears strange sounds the night before his surgery and wakes up not in his bed. When it's time for the tonsils to be removed, the doctor is shocked to find that they are already gone. How could this be?

What I Liked: The book opens by introducing you to Jasper as he informs you about the tale that you are about to hear, and also introduces you to tonsils in a medical manner. This book is a great introduction to chapter books and horror for young readers, as the chapters are short and easy to follow with plenty of illustrations to help move the story along.

The illustrations throughout the book do a great job of immersing you into the story and understanding just what Charlie is experiencing. The illustrations are fun and located at opportune moments in the story so that they don’t interrupt the flow of the chapter. The twist at the end of the book is an intriguing one that makes you think whether body parts have their own feelings and minds when they are no longer attached to oneself.

What Left me Wanting More: The pacing of this book begins a bit slow, so it takes a while to be invested in the story. Chapter one is dry and builds up the character for you before the story takes a turn and has action-packed scenes. This is one that pays off if you hang in there, because the more you read, the more you want to know.

Final Verdict: Troubling Tonsils is an interesting book for children ages 6 and up, which makes you reconsider what we use for show and tell. Fans of The Twilight Zone will love the references made at the start of the story and how this tone is used throughout the book. Troubling Tonsils is one that children won’t put down once they start, just so that they can find out what Charlie has gotten himself into.