The Tickling Tale of Smoo - Louiza Kallona - ★★★.¾

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AUTHOR: Louiza Kallona

GENRE: Middle-Grade Fantasy
RATING: 3.75 stars.


In a Nutshell: Exactly as the blurb promises. Humorous, exaggerated, whimsical. A fun story for middle-graders.


Story Synopsis:
The world has not seen laughter since a few months now, and no one knows why. Well, almost no one. Lucy McClafferty’s eccentric grandma takes Lucy, her brother Ben, and Uncle Patrick on a secret journey to meet Gabel Lylhu, one of the ticklers of the world, staying somewhere in Smoo Cave. Unless Gabel does his tickling job with his magical laughing gull feather, the world might just be plunged into permanent gloom. Will the McClaffertys be successful in their mission?


The story has everything that kids will enjoy – quirky characters, fun adventures in caves and through magic portals, over-the-top comic elements, fun word play and even some invented words à la Roald Dahl. The author even incorporates some interesting facts and anagrams seamlessly in this plot.

While I do love MG fiction (a lot more than YA novels), I think this one is mainly suited to its target age group of tweens and younger teens. I did enjoy the word play and the concept, but the writing style was a bit too absurdist for my liking. Then again, I am many decades off the target group. Kids are sure to cackle at the farfetched adventures and lovable characters.

The author’s imagination is admirable. Right from the characters to the situations to the locations to the astounding linguistic elements, her creativity wowed me.

I must mention the one unexpected element that I enjoyed – the Indian character called “our John”! 😂 While the facts related to the vindaloo weren’t wholly accurate, it was still a surprisingly zany addition to the already wacky plot. This Indian was thrilled to see the ‘desi’ appearance in a Scottish story.

[ETA: The author got in touch with me to discuss the technicalities of vindaloo, and I am glad to report that she has rectified the inaccuracies in the depiction of the Goan dish. So the feedback about the vindaloo variance stands revoked. Thanks for being such a sporting spirit, Louiza!]

This debut indie work stresses on the magic and healing power of laughter, and it even strives to implement its own message by creating loads of opportunities for kids to burst into giggles. The book also shows the power of teamwork and determination, and the importance of doing what’s right and what’s kind.

Recommended for sure to tweens and teens. Little lovers of adventure and Roald Dahl-esque plots will definitely enjoy this foray into magical Scottish outskirts.

My thanks to author Louiza Kallona for providing me with a complimentary copy of “The Tickling Tale of Smoo”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

The book is also available to Kindle Unlimited subscribers.

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