Product Description

Jeffrey spends his Saturdays working in Mr Prendergast's junk shop. One day, while they are sorting things out, they uncover a mysterious machine. Jeffrey takes it home to see if he can make it work. It turns out to be a joke-producing machine, and an extremely funny one at that! Soon everyone in town wants one of its jokes. Everyone except Mr Jenkinson, that is, the miserable owner of the shop next door. Of course, what Mr Jenkinson really needs to do is get a sense of humour instead of trying to ruin everyone's fun. But who will get the last laugh?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #52659 in Books
• Published on: 2006-01-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 80 pages

About the Author
Alexander McCall Smith is professor of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh. He is also the author of over fifty books. These range from adult fiction to specialist titles, such as Forensic Aspects of Sleep, to a wide selection of children's books. In 1999 The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency was published. This book quickly became a bestseller and was voted one of the 'International Books of the Year and the Millennium' by the Times Literary Supplement. In America the success of the series was instant with sales exceeding two million in the USA alone. Winner of three Author of the Year awards in 2004 (British Book Awards, Booksellers' Association and Waterstone's), Bloomsbury Publishing are very proud and excited to be re-publishing Alexander's key children's books.

Customer Reviews

An original and fun story for the 5-8 year olds.
Set in an old fashioned antique shop, like Mr Gruber's in Paddington Bear, Jeffrey and Mr Prendergast find an unusual old-fashioned contraption. Once it is oiled and cleaned up, this magnificent machine produces the most rip-roaring jokes, attracting crowds to the old shop. But then the machine malfunctions, how can that have happened and what can they do to bring laughter and fun back to the little row of shop? This book is a smart combination of good writing, a neat unusual story and funky stylized illustrations on most pages. This charming tale is simple, written in nine short chapters, and could easily be read in one sitting. It is perfectly suited to be read aloud to the 5-7s and for newly confident readers to read to themselves. Although McCall Smith is best known for his adult fiction and the Ladies Detective Agency series, his straightforward intelligent story-telling style works brilliantly for children and The Joke Machine is one of a strong series - I also recommend The Popcorn Pirates.