Written by Robin Tzannes
Illustrated by Korky Paul
Amazon Link: £4.49
Published by Oxford University Press
Charlotte has always wondered who the mysterious "Doctor Lady" was when she previously had cameo appearances in most of the Winnie Witch books. The answer is the marvellous amazing Professor Puffendorf, a mad scientist with as many crazy inventions as Winnie Witch's spells.
This is the first time we've seen any of the Prof Puffendorf books at the library so we had a look and I think we'll be on the lookout for more in the series as it's excellent stuff. In this cautionary tale of what happens if you're a nasty dishonest hired help, the Professor's cleaner steals several amazing secret potions, testing them out on Professor Puffendorf's hapless hamster before attempting to make off with them. Naturally the thief gets his comeuppance at the end of the book with hilarious consequences. As a massive fan of Korky Paul's artwork there's his trademark of scratchy pen work with absolute tons of detail on show in this story.
We can't wait to read more. Thoroughly recommended if you're fed up with Winnie and her misfiring spells.
Charlotte's best bit: Professor Puffendorf's hamster singing.
Daddy's favourite bit: Trying to decipher those bizarre cyrillic messages Korky Paul leaves throughout his work.
Rating: 4 out of 5