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BAGTHORPES UNLIMITED by Helen Cresswell

BAGTHORPES UNLIMITED

By

Pub Date: Sept. 1st, 1978
Publisher: Macmillan

Four-year-old cousin Daisy Parker, reformed pyromaniac, wreaks characteristic havoc in the mad mad Bagthorpes' latest misadventures, but this time it is not Uncle Parker but another batch of relatives (called the Dogcollar Brigade) who inspire the family's feats of competitive lunacy. As none of them can endure scripture-quoting, germ-fearing Aunt Penelope, the four young Bagthorpes conspire to make her visit a short one by cultivating a stash of maggots and other creepy-crawlies with which to garnish Grandma's family reunion dinner. Predictably, the disaster thus effected exceeds even the plotters' expectations--but meanwhile, having learned of the likely fame of their young cousins (Penelope's offspring), as a published poet and radio's Young Brain of Britain, respectively, they all rush off on their separate, senseless bids for immortality via the Guinness Book of Records. Cresswell ends with a scene of unusual family harmony, with all the Bagthorpes outdoors in the rain under floodlights and umbrellas, patiently constructing the world's longest daisy chain--and, incidentally, turning TV-writer Mr. B's long-coveted interview with the Times into a typical Bagthorpe fiasco. Third in the series and becoming a bit transparent--but no let-down for fans seeking more of the uproarious same.