A playful story exploring the hilarious complications of first friendships, from an exciting new voice in children’s literature.

Ramona is having her best friend Gracie to stay the night. It’s their first ever sleepover and she wants to make a den, read stories, dance like a wild thing, stay up all night and have a midnight feast. It’ll be the BEST SLEEPOVER IN HISTORY. But nothing quite goes to plan. Will Gracie, Ramona and her little sister Ruby be able to solve their problems and still be friends in the morning?

The Worst Sleepover in the World features young Ramona who is having her friend Gracie for a sleepover. However, Gracie is very picky/high maintenance. She only likes certain foods, can only sleep in a bed, can only go to sleep with certain music on, etc. After all the planning Ramona made to make their sleepover the best ever she is feeling a bit upset and her mum is run ragged trying to pacify Gracie. Will this be the worst sleepover ever?

I’m not sure who will enjoy this book more, the children or adults as most of us have come across a child who we have looked after, whether for a few hours or overnight who we have sworn afterward ‘never again’. I once looked after a lad for a few hours who I soon discovered his mother didn’t believe in telling him ‘no’ and I spent the whole day stopping him from hurting himself, or others, and trying to make him behave. This book reminded me of that day.

This isn’t a sweet and lovely book, this is a real representation of how children are different and that some things don’t go according to plan, or in my eyes that some things are really bad ideas!

The Worst Sleepover in the World is an amusing story though and the full-page illustrations bring it to life and capture the characters perfectly, especially the mother who is nearly pulling her hair out.

I loved this book. It made me feel a little stressed reading it but it also made me smile and giggle.

Sophie Dahl is the bestselling author of four books for adults, and two for children. The Worst Sleepover In The World follows her children’s debut, the critically acclaimed, Madame Badobedah. Dahl has written non-fiction essays for US Vogue, Vogue, The New York Times, The Guardian and The Sunday Times. She has judged the Women’s prize for fiction and Vogue’s Young Talent Contest. She is also a contributing editor and monthly columnist at House and Garden magazine.

Madame Badobedah, was nominated for a Greenaway Medal, selected as one of both The Guardian’s and The Sunday Times’s Children’s Books of The Year in 2019, and in the US it was awarded a Parent’s Choice Gold Award

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