Children’s books set in Rome (Assolutamente autentico in Roma)
- Book: grk and the phoney macaroni
- Location: Italy
- Author: Josh Lacey
Author Joshua Doder (or is it Josh Lacey, see below) takes his little hero Tim and sidekick dog, Grk around the world. A hapless but determined couple, they solve some of the most entrenched crimes from Rome (where this book is mainly set) to Paris, Brazil and several equally exotic destinations.
In this book Tim is ambling around in London with his family – having visited The Natural History Museum in South Kensington – when Grk, the family dog, is, well, dognapped by the heavy-set twins Antonio and Alberto, working for the Duke of Macaroni. The Duke unfortunately killed his wife’s beloved dog, Peppi, (I did have misgivings about the way the dog died) by kicking him to death. He needs a replacement pronto and Grk perfectly fits the bill. And thus an adventure starts that takes the heroic double act to Rome, where Tim not only has to rescue the dog but also dodge all manner of threats, in true Tin Tin fashion.
The flavor of Italy is delightfully portrayed for the younger reader, through delicious pizza at TuttoFood, gladiators at the Coliseum, mad moped dashes across town, catacombs to explore and a smattering of Italian political shenanigans, reminiscent of the power struggles in the days of the Ancient Rome. Plus, small Italian phrases are dropped in at random, and quite naturally, to make the book feel “assolutamente autentico”.
Overall, it was an enjoyable read as the mission to reunite Grk with his owners played out. I did not however like the notion of the dog being kicked, dying from the attack, in a chilren’s book – there could easily have been other ways of dispatching Peppi. And I was, I must admit, initially confused about setting – on the front cover the Coliseum in Rome is clearly depicted, but on the back the author has gone to town on alliteration promising a trip to the “home of pizza, pasta and the leaning tower of Pisa”, which didn’t really tie in with the cover. And one final – and a rather fundamental confusion: is the author Joshua Doder as portrayed on the cover of the actual book, or is it Josh Lacey as portrayed all over Amazon and the internet – they are clearly one and the same…. (an author needs a brand and this is not the way to build a brand!).
However, if you want children to get out into the world and discover its vast array of cultures and attractions, this series could be a good starting point.
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