Andy Stanton

David Tazzyman

That old rotter Mr Gum is back wearing a new jacket! An iconic and eye-catching new series branding makes Mr Gum even more collectable for fans of the series, and irresistible for readers who are new to Andy Stanton's ingenious books.

You're a Bad Man, Mr Gum!

That old rotter Mr Gum is back wearing a new jacket! An iconic and eye-catching new series branding makes Mr Gum even more collectable for fans of the series, and irresistible for readers who are new to Andy Stanton's ingenious books. Well, shabba me whiskers! Mr Gum's back! But what's he up to this time? Oh, dreadful things my friends, dreadful things indeed. Seems he's found himself a brand new treat - rancid kebabs just dripping with dirty grey sauce. And he just can't get enough of them. He's gotta have more! More! LES! I mean, MORE! But not everyone's too happy about Mr Gum's new dinnertime arrangements and soon the town of Lamonic Bibber is gearing up for war. Can Polly and her friends save the town from being torn apart? Will Mr Gum's hunger ever be satisfied? And who on earth is Thora Gruntwinkle?

What's for Dinner, Mr. Gum?

Mr Gum and the Biscuit Billionaire

Sie sind ein schlechter Mensch, Mr Gum

Mr. Gum and the Goblins

Miguel Ordonez

Going to the Volcano

Danny Mcgee Drinks the Sea Danny Mcgee Drinks the Sea

Mr Gum is back in this second hilarious book and he's as nasty as ever Mr Gum is horrid—in fact, absolutely grimsters. But this book's not just about him, it's also about a gingerbread man named Alan Taylor who has electric muscles! Plus, all our favorite characters are back: the little girl called Polly, the evil butcher called Billy William The Third, and the very wise man, Friday O'Leary. And, who could forget loveable Jake the dog, or the angry fairy who lives in Mr Gum's bathtub and whacks him on the head with a frying-pan? This book will have you crying with laughter!

Mr Gum and the Power Crystals

Stanton, Mr Gum und der fettige Ingo

Mr Gum und die Kristalle des Unheils

Harry Rowohlt

Der entsetzliche Mr Gum und die Kobolde

Mister Gum und der Mürbekeksmilliardär

Good evening. Do you like bears called Padlock? Course you do. Do you like hot-air balloons? Course you do. Do you like tall sailing ships with mad sea captains, and horrifying old villains and words like 'wab!', 'tungler' and 'kelp'? COURSE you do! Well, guess what, you lucky little nibbleheads? This book's got all of those things - and a lot more besides.

Mr Gum and the Dancing Bear

AI is changing the world at frightening speed. A bestselling author decides to find out more… ‘Something profound and utterly brilliant is going on… hilarious.’ THE TIMES Is ChatGPT the end of creative industries as we know them? An ethical quagmire from which there is no return? A threat to all our jobs, as we keep hearing on the news? Bestselling children’s author Andy Stanton has made a career out of writing differently – from the unconventional ‘hero’ of his bestselling Mr Gum series to his penchant for absurdist plots, his children’s books are anything but formulaic. When a friend introduces him to ChatGPT, the new large language chatbot, Andy is as sceptical as he is curious. Can this jumble of algorithms really mimic the spontaneity of human thought? Could it one day replace human authors like him for good? And are we soon to be ruled over by despotic robot overlords? He decides there’s only one thing for it – he must test this bot’s capabilities. Eventually, he settles on a prompt that will push the algorithm to its creative limits: ‘tell me a story about a blue whale with a tiny penis.’ Chaos ensues. What follows is a surprising and illuminating battle between Andy and ChatGPT that maybe, just maybe, might help us all understand AI a little bit better. Join Andy and his beleaguered AI lackey on a rollicking metafictional journey through the art of storytelling. Presenting his prompts and the AI-generated narrative alongside extensive commentary, Stanton provides a startling paean to the art of a good story and boundless human creativity. Hopeful and hilarious, Benny the Blue Whale provides a joyfully anarchic meditation on AI, literature and why we write. *** A WATERSTONES AND NEW SCIENTIST BEST BOOK OF 2023 ‘There’s no book like it. Scholarly, childish, fascinating and hilarious – one of our funniest writers dissects what it takes to build a story and what that tells us about being human. It’ll really make you think, if you can stop laughing.’ Chris Addison, co-creator of BREEDERS ‘Entertaining and alarmingly relevant, provocative and philosophically satisfying, it’s ultimately a profoundly human text.’ OBSERVER ‘A magnificent experiment by a perfect fool – deep and shallow and stupid and clever – the perfect use of AI (Andy Intelligence).’ Robin Ince, author of THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING INTERESTED ‘Benny the Blue Whale is many things. It’s a fascinating discourse on the nature of language and storytelling. It’s a philosophical treatise on the possibilities of artificial intelligence. It’s a receptacle for obscenely hilarious jokes... A brilliant and beautiful cyborg: part human brain, part computational muscle. It’s a post-post-modern work of genius.’ Anthony McGowan, Carnegie Medal-winning author of LARK

One Author's Descent into the Madness of AI

Benny the Blue Whale

Polly and Friday are on another crazy adventure on the streets of Lamonic Bibber. But what could that fiend be up to this time? Could there be 8 ladies all called Pamela? Will Friday O'Leary have to wrestle a man-eating Octopus? Who knows? Either way, it'll be barking bonkers.

Mr Gum and the Secret Hideout

Matthew Buzzington has a special secret power - he can turn into a fly. The only problem is, it doesn't seem to work Now, the school bully is making his life a misery - can he summon up his powers to take revenge?

The Story of Matthew Buzzington

The first in a brand new series from the fevered imagination of the award winning, bestselling author of MR GUM. Welcome to the last days of Pompeii as you've NEVER imagined them before! Join farttrader Caecilius, his wife, Vesuvius, and their ten-year-old son, Filius, in a bizarre world of accidental gladiators, pizza-emitting volcanoes and the legendary Ma-wol-n-f. You'll meet the household servant, Slavius; thrill at the misadventures of Barkus Wooferinicum and generally have an uproariously hilarious time of it all. Full of ludicrous characters, surreal escapades and outrageous word play - if you thought Mr Gum was weird, then get a load of the Ancient Pompeiians! A hilarious new series that will have 7+ readers howling with laughter. Perfect for fans of Roald Dahl, David Walliams, Horrible Histories and, of course, Mr Gum. Praise for Mr Gum: 'Completely hilarious . . . Kind of the League of Gentlemen for kids' Zoe Ball 'They're the funniest books . . . I can't recommend them enough' Stephen Mangan Read all Andy Stanton's well brilliant books: NATBOFF! One Million Years of Stupidity, You're a Bad Man, Mr Gum! Mr Gum and the Biscuit Billionaire, Mr Gum and the Goblins, Mr Gum and the Power Crystals, Mr Gum and the Dancing Bear, What's for Dinner, Mr Gum? Mr Gum and the Cherry Tree, Mr Gum and the Secret Hideout.

The Paninis of Pompeii

Good evening and welcome to a tale of forests! Of legendary beasts! Of misbehaving children! Of caterpillars called Graham! And of a great big BEEFER of a cherry tree! But what dark secrets are hidden in that tree, where the leaves grow thick and green? Polly intends to find out, and she intends to find out by finding out. What will she find out? Read this book and you'll find out!

Mr Gum and the Cherry Tree

An utterly hilarious Seussian picture book—with a surprise ending—about a mischievous little boy who gobbles up everything in the whole entire world, except for one very important thing. . . . When Danny McGee, much to his big sister Frannie's surprise, drinks up the sea with a giant straw, it turns out he's just getting started. Soon nothing is safe from getting swallowed whole by Danny McGee—not the mountains, not the trees, not even the weather girl on TV! He eats up America and all the people in the whole world (including the author, who is writing this book from inside Danny McGee!). Danny swallows the alphabet and all the numbers, until there is absolutely nothing left . . . except, of course, his big sister, Frannie McGee. Absurdist humor throughout, along with a delicious twist at the end, will have kids laughing uncontrollably at this one-of-a-kind picture book. Praise for the work of illustrator Neal Layton: "Layton's playful mixed-media illustrations evoke Ludwig Bemelmans and John Burningham. They're fresh and funny, providing plenty to pore over." —Kirkus Reviews "[This] whimsical tale is given ample comic dimension by Neal's zany and inventive mixed-media illustrations." —Publishers Weekly

Andy Stanton

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