Common Sense Media Review
By Mary Eisenhart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Comically creepy tale of celebrity family hit by a curse.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In an alternate world much like our own, except that it's completely obsessed with creating and breaking records, the large, multitalented Whipple family has long been at the competitive peak, nailing top honors in categories from Highest Number of Healthy Babies in a Single Birth to Most Creme Brulee Eaten in One Minute. Suddenly, though, things start to go badly wrong for no apparent reason, as one catastrophe after another threatens to put an end to THE FANTASTIC FAMILY WHIPPLE and their endless stream of achievements. A family curse may be involved, but Mr. Whipple isn't talking. It's left to 11-year-old Arthur Whipple, the only non-record-holder in the family, to figure out who's behind all these disasters.
Is It Any Good?
First-time author Matthew Ward's constant parade of sight gags, stage business, and preposterous feats is highly entertaining. And while there are loose ends galore at the end of the book, it leaves the promise of many adventures to follow.
Amid the perilous shenanigans lurks some food for thought about, say, competitiveness run amok (e.g. when a character survives life-threatening injuries, many people are more sorry about his lost record than happy about his survival). Sensitive kids may find Mr. Whipple's treatment of his non-record-breaking son oblivious at best and cruel at worst, and wonder how it fits with the comedy.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the urge to break records. Are you a fan of the Guinness Book of World Records? What do you think is the appeal of trying to set a new record in some off-the-wall category? Do you feel inspired to set a record of your own?
Why do you think books about kids who feel like losers because everyone else in their family has some spectacular talent are so popular? How does Arthur compare with other kids in that position who you may have read about?
How are the Whipple and Goldwin parents alike? How are they different? Would you like to spend time with any of them? Why or why not?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Humor
- Topics : Adventures , Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Friendship
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Razorbill
- Publication date : August 29, 2013
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 8 - 12
- Number of pages : 400
- Available on : Nook, Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate