Llama impossible by Aleesah Darlison

League of Llamas book 2. Illus. by Simon Greiner. Penguin Random House, 2020. ISBN: 9781760894184. 144pp.
(Age: 7-12) Recommended. This book takes off and runs away with the reader straight away. It's a quick read. Grab it and read aloud. Children (aged 7-12) will love it.
Aleesah Darlison obviously loves to play with words. Words trip and dance off her page to delight the young wordsmith reader. Random words and phrases are highlighted in a darker thicker font throughout for emphasis and just for fun too.
At around the age of ten children begin to love to play with the nuances of language, with jokes, puns and double meanings. The wacky llama detectives, clunking around with their hooves on top of trains and smashing through walls leaving llama shape holes are the stuff of good old wisecracking, smarty pants fun. LOL, LOL this book is lots of laughs.
Memories of the dialogue and action of old detective movies come to mind when reading League of Llamas. The laid back wisecracking monotone dialogue is at times reminiscent of Get Smart. The tricky llama detective action includes a wild train ride, solving a bank robbery and a diamond heist and getting into plenty of sticky situations along the way. The League of Llamas (top agents) operate under Mama Llama who just could be somewhat similar to M in James Bond movies. Darlison makes funny connections all the way through to delight the reader.
Such a play on words! The author has a field day with onomatopoeia, turns of phrase, alliteration, lots of action and spirited jabs of tongue in the cheek repartee between the characters as they pursue the guilty parties.
This is a quick read - easy to pick up and share to delight as a read aloud or to entice the reluctant reader to realise that reading and language can be a hoot. Not everything in the world has to be serious and children, if we want them to read, must get a good giggle out of a book now and then.
League of Llamas : Llama Impossible hits the mark!
Wendy Jeffrey