Shortlisted for the prestigious Sheffield Children's Book Award 2011
Hugely entertaining, this captivating story is also thought provoking about the perils of having way too much money. Joe Spud is the richest twelve-year-old in the world; he has everything his heart desires – except happiness. As one disaster follows another, Joe and his father both learn the hard way what really matters. David William’s third book for children is a neat combination of hilarity and morality in the best spirit of the master story-teller of the genre, Roald Dahl.
A hilarious, touching and extraordinary new fable from David Walliams, number one bestseller and one of the fastest growing children’s author across the globe. Joe has a lot of reasons to be happy. About a billion of them, in fact. You see, Joe's rich. Really, really rich. Joe's got his own bowling alley, his own cinema, even his own butler who is also an orangutan. He's the wealthiest twelve-year-old in the land. But Joe isn't happy. Why not? Because he's got a billion pounds… and not a single friend. But then someone comes along, someone who likes Joe for Joe, not for his money. The problem is, Joe's about to learn that when money is involved, nothing is what it seems. The best things in life are free, they say – and if Joe's not careful, he's going to lose them all…