'There are many reasons why Tansy dreads Aunt Emma coming to visit. She's rude, she's boring, and Tansy has to give up her room so Aunt Emma can sleep there. And every year Dad makes Tansy promise to be nice - even when Aunt Emma is awful. But this year, when Tansy is left alone with Aunt Emma, she decides she's going to be the nicest she's every been - so sickly sweet that it'll drive Aunt Emma crazy! Let the games begin ...'
Having family members you don't get on with can be hard, and this can be especially true for children, young people who don't know how to navigate the difficulties of family drama. This is something that young Tansy has to deal with whenever her aunt Emma comes to visit. Even though she only passes through their home on her way to holiday once a year Tansy dreads Emma's visits, the nasty comments she makes, and having to sleep on the floor as Emma gets her bed.
This year she's hoping that things might be a bit better, but as soon as she arrives aunt Emma is making her feel bad. She's even picking on the dog. So when she has to be left alone with aunt Emma she's expecting the worst, but comes up with a new plan on how to deal with this troublesome family member. Tansy decides to be nice to her. Not just nice, but super nice. Nice enough to drive her aunt mad.
Anne Fine crafts a rather fun and endearing story across the relatively short space of Be Nice To Aunt Emma, and you quickly get a good sense of what the characters are like. Even before she arrives on the scene you have a pretty clear picture of what to expect from aunt Emma's visit. As soon as she enters the fun really starts, with Tansy having to navigate her way through snarky comments, trying her best to not upset anyone and to earn a reward for her good behaviour from her dad.
The interplay between Tansy and Emma is definitely the highlight of the book, and the moments where Tansy is trying to annoy her aunt with how sweet she is are particularly stand out. However, this being a children's book no one is every really bad, and eventually Tansy and her aunt come to an understanding, and Tansy even comes to really like Emma, being disappointed that she's having to leave so quickly come the end.
The relatively quick change in tone, and the alteration to the relationship the two of them have doesn't feel rushed, however, and it actually leaves you wanting to read more, wishing that the book went on longer.
The story is also accompanied by some frankly brilliant artwork by Gareth Conway, who really helps to bring the book to life. Not only has he illustrated some of the key scenes from the narrative, but he's managed to make even the most ordinary moments look dynamic and full of fun.
Be Nice To Aunt Emma is a fun and engaging children's read, one that readers of any age are sure to enjoy. It shows kids ways in which to deal with those annoying and nasty relatives, and that just because you might think someone is nasty it doesn't always mean that they're a bad person.
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