The Shrimpton's were noticed by everyone; they hated to be missed. They spent a great deal of time to make sure people noticed them. Mrs. Shrimpton created hats from feathers, fruit, and fur. Mr. Shrimpton had a mustache that was so long and twirly, he made quite a statement as far as mustaches went. Penelope Shrimpton was dreadfully beautiful that people gasped when they saw her turn the corner. Hector Shrimpton was a mesmerizing toe-tapper who wore tap shoes everywhere he went. Constance Shrimpton had a voice like music. Wardo Shrimpton was so funny, he was like a laugh a minute. Being noticed was what the Shrimpton's lived for. Well, that is, everyone except Maude. She seemed to merge, fade, and disappear. She was what is known as a blender. Everyone thought it was a shame that Maude didn't seem to have a talent for anything. Maude's birthday was coming soon and her father asked what she would like for her birthday. Maude said that she wanted a goldfish. The other Shrimpton's thought it should be something giant like a carp, or enormous like a whale. But, Maude said, "I want a goldfish", "Just a goldfish." On her birthday, Maude unwrapped her present. Her heart sank, it was not a goldfish. Instead, it was a tiger. Maude was embarrassed to walk out of the house with a tiger; everyone looked as they walked pass. The tiger did amazing tricks, but it also ate a lot. One Tuesday in August, Mrs. Shrimpton arrived back home after shopping. Suddenly, she heard a terrible, "ROAR." Maude stated that they had ran out of tiger food. Mrs. Shrimpton said to run, Mr. Shrimpton said to hide, Penelope said to disappear, Constance said to be quiet, Hector said to tip-toe, and Wardo said ha, ha, ha. But, Maude just stood completely still. "Can you see her?" Sometimes, not being noticed is the very best talent of all.
I favored how Maude continued to act like her true self, while the rest of her family gave it their all, just to be noticed. Maude did not change anything, including her opinion about wanting a goldfish for her birthday, even after her entire family went on about it being something extraordinary. Sometimes, its better to blend in and not be so noticeable. Maude's talent of blending in, most certainly came into handy as she blended when the tiger was hungry. ( )

Every one of Maude's family members has a talent, all except her. Well, she does have a talent, you see. Her talent is to blend in and be unnoticed. People would actually know that if they actually noticed her though. However, for her birthday she told her parents that she wanted a goldfish. Being the flashy and noticeable parents that they were, this was not acceptable. Instead of receiving what she wanted on her birthday, her parents bought her a tiger! One day, the tiger got really hungry since it ran out of food. Every one of the Shrimpton family members had to hide, tip toe, or whisper in order to get out of danger, but not Maude. Finally, just finally, it was the time that her talent actually came in good use. Everyone has a talent, we just have to wait to be able to find its importance. ( )

The plot is overly simple - it's the concept, the characters, and the art (and the way the climax is presented) that make this special & wise. Whether you identify with the girl who wanted 'just a goldfish' for her birthday, or with the family members who can't bear to go unnoticed, you'll laugh at this. A little too sophisticated for the youngest rug-rats. ( )

Everywhere they went, the Shrimptons could not be missed. They prided themselves on being the most extravagant, eccentric and larger than life family out there. Where ever they went heads were turning, they truly hated to be missed. They all stood out like sore thumb, all but Maude. No matter how hard Maude tried, Maude always went completely unnoticed. She didn't blend in with crowd, she blended in with things like walls, couches and grass. When it was time for her birthday, of course her family could not give her the simple goldfish like she asked for. Instead she was given a tiger. The Shrimpton's loved how the people stared as they walked a big cat down the street. Everything was fine until the tiger got hungry. For the first time in her life, Maude's ability to be unnoticed came in handy. The tiger noticed and wanted to eat everyone but her. Her ability saved her life, and became the best talent out of her whole family. This is the only book that I picked that Lauren Child did not illustrate. The illustrations were great and still resembled her other books. I really enjoyed this book. ( )

This book is clever but also dark. Maude's family consists of a bunch of attention seekers. Maude, on the other hand, prefers to blend in. Not until Maude receives an unwanted gift, does she realize the benefits of blending in. The ending is a bit odd and dark. Maude is just standing there with a smile on her face after her whole family has just been eaten by a tiger. ( )