Misery Guts - Morris Gleitzman

Published by Pan Macmillan Publishers Australia: Sydney, Australia, 1992 (1991).

Keith is an optimist. His parents are 'misery guts': always depressed, weighed down by life. Keith wants to cheer them up, but his attempts to do so all backfire - who would have thought that painting their fish and chip shop bright orange to surprise them wouldn't bring them great joy?

This odd little book is my first exposure to Morris Gleitzman, an author who has always been on the edge of my radar but never made it to the reading stage. It's fun, and silly, and pretty much the way I assumed Gleitzman's books would be, from the reputation he has.

The story is broken into two halves: half one is Keith trying to cheer his parents up while living in England. Half two takes place when the family has moved to Australia, and now Keith is trying to protect his parents from finding out about the Australian dangers that surround them, fearful that if they learn about poisonous spiders, jellyfish, stonefish, killer crocodiles and deadly coconuts they will once again become 'misery guts.' 

In the process, he might be in danger of becoming a 'misery guts' himself!

Enjoyable. Easy to read. 

Completed 8 August 2025.

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