A wolf wakes from his slumber. This isn’t just any wolf. This is THE Big Bad Wolf of Little Red Riding Hood and The Three Little Pigs fame. It is the first day of spring and this wolf is hungry!

He’s spent winter hunkered down out of the rain and cold, and now is a little thin and raggedy. He knows the first thing he must do is EAT. But to eat he needs to catch something, and to do that, he needs to be fit and healthy. It’s a catch 22 situation. But he tries to do a workout anyway. It’s an epic fail. So are his first attempts at filling his stomach.

He decides that the annual Wolf BBQ is less than a week away and he sets his sights on that. And his stomach. But the same reason he lives on his own away from the pack, is the same reason he fails at filling his stomach at the BBQ. He’s still not very popular among his ex wolf pack.

So it’s back to the basics. He thinks stealing sausages from the local town might do the trick. But the bridge troll has other ideas. The Three Little Pigs who skip along the paths, giggling and looking quite plump look like a tasty option. But Wolf still isn’t fit enough. What about the girl who is up and down the paths to her grandmother? But Little Red Riding Hood isn’t as innocent and cute as she seems. She’s savvy, and outwits the wolf again and again. What is a wolf to do?

The Big Bad Wolf is feeling very sorry for himself as he writes in his daily diary. He’s sad. He’s mad, and he’s still HUNGRY. Worms and louse just don’t cut it. Will he ever fill his belly?

From the actor in Bridgerton, Johnny English and dozens more movies and shows, Diary of a Big Bad Wolf is funny, clever and very entertaining.

Set out in diary format, the big bad wolf shares his life with the reader as Spring has sprung and he can finally leave his lair to find something to eat. This quest results in hilarious events which find The Big Bad Wolf still hungry and feeling quite sorry for himself. Many fairy tale characters are cleverly woven through wolf’s days as he tries everything to catch a snack.

Wolf is kidding himself however, because he might howl loudly and declare there is nothing badder out there than his mean and handsome self, but when it comes to actually killing anything – he’s all talk.

I really enjoyed the way fairy tales were woven through this funny story, but rewritten to bring new stories and personalities to the reader, all within the narrative of wolf’s ever growing hunger.

Who is the witch in the gingerbread house? Is Little Red Riding Hood’s granny really old and frail? In the rear of the book is an activity idea for children to write their own fairytale diary, which will be lots of fun.

There are illustrations throughout, lots of white space on the page, and large fun fonts, which make this novel perfect for reluctant readers or one for the quick reads shelf in libraries. 

I have enjoyed other Ben Miller middle grade novels, and this one is definitely one of my favourites.

Author – Ben Miller

Illustrations – Elisa Paganelli

Age – 7+

Find more reviews of Ben Miller novels here

(2024, Simon & Schuster, Animals, Wolf, Troll, Hungry, Food, Funny, Humour, Fairytale characters, Tricks, Plans, Kindness, Retellings, Diary format, Laugh out loud)