THE UN-WEDDING

by Babette Cole ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1998

Demetrius and Paula Ogglebutt have a problem--their parents. Their mother and father can't agree about anything and their stand-off is approaching all out war. Mr. Ogglebutt puts cement in Mrs. Ogglebutt's bath salts; she puts fireworks in his sausage and mashed potatoes. He puts wigglers in her mudpack; she puts a cow pie in his cap. The uglier their feelings for each other, the uglier they look. Demetrius and Paula are miserable until they come up with a wonderful plan--they ask the minister to un-marry their parents. ""What a clever idea,"" he says, and their parents wonder why they didn't think of it themselves. A lovely un-wedding ensues, with the beaming un-couple and guests all in black. While the two honeymoon separately, the children demolish the baronial estate and build two houses, one for each parent, connected by a secret tunnel that only children can crawl through. They order two of everything they want and everyone lives ""happily ever after--apart."" Cole (Drop Dead, 1997, etc.) proves again that humor is the best medicine; this tongue-in-cheek take on divorce won't prevent children from suffering on their own warring home fronts, but casts the process of separating in a light that may cheer them. Loosely drawn line-and-watercolor illustrations portray the bickering couple in hilarious detail, made all the funnier by the posh British backdrop that is their battleground.

Pub Date: April 1, 1998

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Knopf

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1998

Categories: CHILDREN'S