Review: Eating Chips with Monkey

When ten-year-old Daniel suffers a terrible accident one night, he loses all memory of his life before the incident and becomes a shadow of his former self, speaking to no one except for his toy Monkey. His family try to help him by using one thing that they know he loves: chips. Eating Chips with Monkey follows Daniel’s family on a drive around England to find the best fish and chip shop in the country. The family experiences many amusing mishaps and adventures along the way, such as Grandma’s encounter with a very hungry giraffe.

Lowery employs a great amount of tact in his representation of Daniel, who has autism, and the journey that Daniel and his family embark on, making good use of humour to tell a story that is both light- hearted and endearing. Within Eating Chips with Monkey, autism spectrum disorders are portrayed in a way that is respectful while also being educational and entertaining. The narrative, told from the perspective of Daniel’s sister Megan, carries the message that those on the spectrum are more than just their disability – Megan notes, more than once, that her brother is a wonderful, multi-faceted boy.

At its heart, this is a narrative about unconditional love and the close-knit bond of family. Eating Chips with Monkey is a touching novel and a must-read for parents and children – with one small disclaimer: this story will have your stomach rumbling!

You can buy a copy of Eating Chips with Monkey here:

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Thank you to Children’s Books Ireland for providing me with an advance review copy of this book.

This review was originally published in Inis Magazine Issue 60 (July 2020).