Troll Trouble: Trolls United!; Troll Trouble: Trolls Go Home!

Having been ignominiously defeated by a goat in his native Norway, Mr Troll decides to uproot his family to England. The family settles in suburban England in Biddlesden but no one has told the trolls that their way of life is not entirely compatible with that of the rest of Biddlesden’s inhabitants. Cue the scene for plenty of mishaps, slapstick and knockabout humour. The trolls’ devotion to dirt and filth (Mr Troll checks his son Ulrik daily to make sure he has not washed), along with their endearing but believable innocence will appeal to lower Key Stage Two readers.

In Trolls Go Home! Ulrik manages to save the day by rescuing someone from a fierce runaway goat, thus gaining him some acceptance at school. In Trolls United! Ulrik discovers ‘feetball’ which he is now mad keen upon playing. However, his father is desperate to get a job – but because he cannot read he goes back to school with Ulrik... After lots of embarrassing incidents for Ulrik, Mr Troll finally gets a job and Ulrik can at last have his cherished pair of football boots.

Both books are filled with the sort of detail that fans of the ‘ooh it’s disgusting’ brigade will relish – this includes the illustrations, which add to the picture of the ungainly but cheerful demeanour of the trolls. Two further titles are promised for the autumn, and will be eagerly snapped up by fans. An interesting feature of the books is the not so pleasant behaviour of the outwardly respectable neighbours of the trolls; handled in the right way, teachers could use the books to discuss such issues as acceptance of people deemed to be ‘other’. A useful addition to the classroom book corner.