14 Best David Walliams Books

Chloe’s lonely life changes when she befriends Mr Stink, the smelliest tramp in town. As their unlikely friendship grows, Chloe uncovers his mysterious past and learns that kindness and courage matter more than appearances or popularity.

A boy’s beloved grandfather, once a daring World War II pilot, is slipping into dementia and trapped in a grim care home. Together they hatch an audacious escape plan that turns into one last, sky-high adventure.

Football-mad Dennis secretly loves fashion and feels most himself in a shimmering dress. When he dares to wear one to school, he challenges bullies, baffled teachers, and his own family in a warm, funny story about identity and acceptance.

Joe has more money than he can ever spend, thanks to his dad’s wildly successful toilet-paper empire. But being rich can’t buy real friendship, so Joe swaps luxury for an ordinary school and discovers who likes him for himself.

Strange, disgusting gifts start appearing under children’s pillows instead of coins, and all clues point to the town’s terrifying new dentist. A brave boy and his friends dig into the mystery, uncovering a monstrous plot beneath their streets.

Every Friday night, Ben dreads staying with his cabbage-obsessed granny—until he discovers she was once an international jewel thief. Soon the pair are plotting a daring raid on the Crown Jewels in a hilarious, surprisingly moving adventure.

This illustrated collection of short stories introduces ten outrageously naughty, spectacularly disgusting children whose bad habits lead to hilarious consequences. Each tale is packed with larger-than-life names, playful language and satisfyingly over-the-top punishment.

Left alone in a crumbling country house with her monstrous aunt and a vicious pet owl, a young heiress fights to save her inheritance. Packed with ghosts, gags and booby traps, it’s a gothic romp about greed and courage.

A lonely girl’s only friend is her beloved pet rat, but a sinister burger man has a far nastier plan for the creature. She must race to outwit him in this gross, darkly funny tale of bravery and loyalty.

In Victorian London, an orphaned girl discovers a frozen woolly mammoth in a museum and becomes determined to bring it back to life. Her quest leads from the streets to the Arctic in an epic, snow-swirled adventure.

In a children’s hospital ward, a group of patients sneak out at midnight to make each other’s wildest dreams come true. Their secret adventures bring magic to a scary place in a funny, tender story about friendship and hope.

A tiny polar bear cub just loves jumping out and shouting 'BOO!' at everyone on the ice, from seals to unsuspecting humans. His pranks cause chaos until a scary encounter teaches him when jokes stop being funny.

This third collection delivers even more monstrously bad children, from boasting brats to revolting pranksters. Each outrageously illustrated tale piles on the chaos before teaching its pint-sized terror a sharply comic lesson.

On bring-your-pet day, a confident girl turns up with a gigantic snake that coils round the classroom and terrifies the teachers. Chaos slithers through the school in this bright, silly picture book about rules, rebellion and inclusivity.