Mr Stink
Mr. Stink is a book published in October 2009 and written by David Walliams and illustrated by Quentin Blake.[1] The book has been adapted as a stage musical[2][3] and has been made into a television film of the same name by the BBC shown during Christmas 2012 on BBC1.[1][4]
 | |
| Author | David Walliams |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Quentin Blake |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
Publication date | 29 October 2009 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 272 pp |
| ISBN | 978-0007279050 |
| OCLC | 535490682 |
| LC Class | PZ7.W1593357 Mr 2010 |
Plot summary
Chloe a 12-year-old girl in an undisclosed British town, wants to help a local smelly tramp who soon becomes her friend, Mr. Stink, but she does not know how. She wrote a story that her mother tore up because she wants Chloe to work at school and not drawing in her book. Chloe thinks that her mother does not love her as she loves her little sister. Chloe hides her friend in the shed (as her Mum, wanting to become an MP, wrote as her manifesto that the homeless people needed to get off the streets) and discovers that her father was a member of a rock band, called the Serpents of Doom. Her parents soon find out about Mr Stink in the shed and Chloe's mother was invited to a TV show to bring Mr Stink, so he could talk about being homeless live. Mr. Stink was the star of the show, often with people laughing at him. The people loved him so much that he was invited to come to the Prime Minister's office. The Prime Minister wanted Mr Stink to become his very own 'person who pretends to care for the homeless', making the homeless sound actually quite bad. So Chloe stuck up for her friend, and they went back home, where Mr. Stink had to say goodbye and wander the streets forever.
Characters
- Chloe an unhappy 12-year-old girl, who has brown hair. She loves her father dearly, but does not like her sister and mother. She is very lonely. She has no friends and dislikes Christmas. She doesn't like Mince pies, tinsel and that it never snows. The one thing Chloe loves is stories. Her only friend is Mr. Stink.
- Mr. Stink–A stinky gentleman. He is known for being smelly. The only thing that smells worse is his beard. His only companion is his dog, Duchess—who enjoys sausages—and later Chloe. It is revealed later in the book that he is homeless because his house burnt down and his wife died. It also revealed he was very rich. His real name is Lord Darlington.
- Annabelle Crumb–Chloe's 10-year-old sister who is a spiteful snob. Chloe's mother dotes on her. She is very athletic and musical. She wears her hair in bunches to bed. She takes part in many extra-curricular activities just to please her mother. Annabelle is also her mothers favorite.
- Mr. Crumb–Chloe and Annabelle's father and Janet's husband. He fears his wife and is the only member of the Crumb family who is fond of Chloe at the start of the story
- The Duchess–Mr. Stink's smelly, white Yorkshire Terrier, who is usually considered black by passers-by, because she is normally covered in a layer of soot and dirt.
- Janet (Mrs.) Crumb–Chloe and Annabelle's archconservative mother and wife to Mr. Crumb. A wannabe-MP obsessed with her youngest daughter and being posh. She wants to drive the homeless off the streets and to win a by-election. She also appears on a political debate show with Mr. Stink, much to her shock. Her proposed policies include deporting litterbugs, removing benefit for the unemployed and permitting video games only within the times of 4 PM and 4:01 PM.
- Rosamund-A spiteful and popular girl, whose main target is always Chloe.
- Elizabeth-The plain white, boring cat belonging to the Crumb family. She is named after Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.
- Raj-A humble, kind newsagent shopkeeper .
Publication
Mr. Stink was originally published by HarperCollins in October 2009 in hardcover format. A list of notable formats is as follows:
| Release Date | Publisher | format | pages | ISBN |
| 29 October 2009 | HarperCollins | hardcover | 272pp | 978-0007279050 |
| 27 May 2010 | HarperCollins Children's Books | paperback | 224pp | 978-0007279067 |
| 27 May 2010 | HarperCollins | audio book | CD | 978-0007333394 |
| 14 October 2010 | RazorBill | paperback | 265pp | 978-1595143327 |
Key points with other David Walliams novels
- Ratburger shares a key point with Mr. Stink: like Chloe Crumb, Zoe's only allies are Raj and her father
Television adaptation
A 60-minute film of Mr. Stink aired on 23 December 2012 on BBC One after it was originally scheduled to air on Boxing Day.[5] The film was the most watched in its 6:30-7:30pm timeslot with 6.34 million viewers tuning in. It was also broadcast in 3D and was the BBC's first ever narrative program to be filmed in 3D.[6]
References
- John Plunkett (21 February 2012). "David Walliams' Mr Stink to be made into BBC1 comedy drama". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 July 2012.
- Lyn Gardner (2 June 2011). "Mr Stink – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 July 2012.
- Martin Chilton (12 September 2011). "David Walliams: busiest man in showbusiness". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 3 July 2012.
- Candice Lo (21 February 2012). "David Walliams' Mr Stink Comes to BBC One". BBC. Retrieved 3 July 2012.
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/xmas12/bbc-one.html#section-13
- Mr Stink 3D