Bloomsbury presents Disaster Diaries: The Worst Birthday Ever by Joanna Nadin, read by Anushka Chakravarti

Daffodil Patterson is a small girl with BIG plans - it's really not her fault that they always seem to go wrong … The start of a brilliantly funny series for young listeners, from the author and illustrator of The Worst Class in the World, shortlisted for the Laugh out Loud Book Awards 2024.

Soon-to-be eight-year-old Daffodil likes the dictionary, the middle bit in custard cream biscuits, and thinking BIG. She does NOT like her cousin Hugo Patterson-Dent, who has ten more gold stars than she does; the biscuit bit of custard creams (but that’s OK because her friend Nirmal-Next-Door eats that); or any sort of catastrophe. The trouble is that somehow Daffodil's ambitious plans tend to go pear-shaped …

Daffodil is hoping for the Best Birthday Party EVER. But she hasn't reckoned on Colin, the greyhound with an appetite for everything except dog food. Or the fact that her brother's band Hairy Wasp would break up before they could provide the entertainment. Or the total lack of guests.

Luckily, Daffodil has the knack of looking on the bright side and is soon planning her next absolute bobby-dazzler of an idea!