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Eddie Dickens Trilogy |  |
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Eddie Dickens Trilogy | |
As readers learn in the first book, A House Called Awful End, Eddie Dickens lives in a house called Awful End with his parents, his great-uncle, and Mad Aunt Maud. This second novel, Dreadful Acts, begins one fateful night when Uncle Jack wakes Eddie up to show him that a driverless hearse (drawn by horses) is parked in their driveway. Imagine their surprise to discover that the hearse's coffin contains a living man, the Great Zucchini, a famous escapologist (but definitely not an Egyptologist). Add to the mix the sudden crash-landing via hot-air balloon by the camel-faced, petticoated Daniella who makes Eddie dribble and act like a simpleton, a bunch of "peelers" (police), and a few escaped convicts, and the plot thickens. Oddball characters, compassionately sketched, distinguish this funny, endearingly quirky read. David Roberts's spidery illustrations of pointy-faced people, generously sprinkled throughout the book, are quite wonderful in a rather Quentin Blake-y way. A four-page glossary at the close of the book explains terms such as box hedge, cream tea, and creosote. Stay tuned for the dramatic trilogy conclusion Terrible Times. (Ages 11 and older) --Karin Snelson --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From School Library Journal
Grade 4-6-Eddie Dickens, hero of A House Called Awful End (Holt, 2002), returns. This time, his adventures begin with a bang, or rather a boom, as his father accidentally blows a large hole in the house by lighting a match after leaving the gas on. The noise spooks a pair of horses that have mysteriously appeared in the yard, trailing a hearse with a coffin inside. To the boy's horror, the coffin begins to open-and The Great Zucchini, a famous escapologist whose latest trick has gone horribly wrong, emerges. Suddenly, Eddie finds himself caught up in a whirlwind of activity in which he is thrown in jail, kidnapped by escaped convicts, and involved in a mad chase across the moors. Ardagh keeps the tone light and engages in a nonstop stream of wordplay and general zaniness. The characters in this quirky British series are purely stock, and the plot is deliberately far-fetched. Fans of Monty Python's style of humor will appreciate the constant verbal wit, slapstick, and random plot twists. Others will find the narration grating and hard to follow. Roberts's dark line drawings (a cross between the art of Edward Gorey and Shel Silverstein) appear throughout the text. A glossary provides definitions for some of the Briticisms and more obscure words. Not an essential purchase, this book may occupy Lemony Snicket's fans who are anxiously awaiting the next installment in that series.
Ashley Larsen, Woodside Library, CA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Booklist
Gr. 4-7. The second book in the Eddie Dickens trilogy finds the 12-year-old encountering yet another series of odd events and characters. First, he is awakened by an electric eel and Mad Uncle Jack asking him to help reload a coffin. A gas explosion, a meeting with the Great Zucchini (a magician, not a vegetable), and an encounter with escaped convicts follow. Then there are interactions with Even Madder Aunt Maude and Eddie's offbeat parents, with the whole shebang coming together in unexpected ways. Set in Victorian times, this sequel to A House Called Awful End [BKL N 1 02] once again features straight man Eddie, who is swept into absurdity and mayhem. Ardagh's prose is a blend of archaic elegance, silly puns, and direct address, with playful author and plot digressions: a character appears unexpectedly; story lines are dropped and picked up at whim; there are footnotes; and more. Black-and-white drawings with a touch of the macabre add further period flavor and farce. This will be great for series fans, but it will also stand alone. Shelle Rosenfeld
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Review
A Book Sense Children's 76 Winter 2003 - 2004 title
"Ardagh's prose is a blend of archaic elegance, silly puns, and direct address, with playful author and plot digressions. . . . Black-and-white drawings with a touch of the macabre add further period flavor and farce. This will be great for series' fans, but it will also stand alone." --Booklist
Bookshelf --New York Times Book Review
"[T]he series is endlessly jokey and playful. Many a child will laugh aloud at parenthetical snide remarks, and the illustrations by David Roberts have a very contemporary spookiness." --Bookpage
-- Review --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Review
A Book Sense Children's 76 Winter 2003 - 2004 title
"Ardagh's prose is a blend of archaic elegance, silly puns, and direct address, with playful author and plot digressions. . . . Black-and-white drawings with a touch of the macabre add further period flavor and farce. This will be great for series' fans, but it will also stand alone." --Booklist
Bookshelf --New York Times Book Review
"[T]he series is endlessly jokey and playful. Many a child will laugh aloud at parenthetical snide remarks, and the illustrations by David Roberts have a very contemporary spookiness." --Bookpage
