Brian Falkner has an inventive concept for Maddy West and the Tongue Taker, one that I, at least, have never seen before -- a child who can speak any/every language in the world. It's a somewhat unbelievable concept, although Falkner adds two caveats that make it seem a bit more plausible: Maddy can only speak a language after she's heard at least one word spoken in it, otherwise she doesn't know what sounds/words to use, and while she has the innate ability to speak the languages, she doesn't know the what each language is called until she's told. So, if she hears someone speaking Maori, she can speak Maori as well, but she doesn't know that what she's hearing and speaking is Maori unless someone tells her that it is.

Of course, as with any impressive talent or skill, there are those who want to take advantage of what Maddy can do, and that's where her problems begin. Her mother is the first to take advantage, realizing she can receive significant sums of cash as payment for interviews with Maddy or translations by Maddy. Maddy's parents, especially her mother, are not very great parents, which made this a frustrating read for me. I really hate reading kids' books in which the parents are irresponsible or don't properly take care of their children!

I would guess this story is aimed at somewhat younger, or less advanced, readers, based on the large typeface and the somewhat simplistic writing style. Still, the text felt more stilted than other books aimed at young middle-grade readers, in part because of the "he said, she said" dialogue style.

On the bright side, Donovan Bixley's black-and-white illustrations are excellent. I liked the character of Mr. Chester, the capuchin monkey, anyway, but Bixley's artwork endeared him to me even more.

Note: I received a digital galley of this book through NetGalley. ( )

Glad I read this - it will be a good match for some of my 8 plus students. ( )