Awful End - Softcover

Philip Ardagh

3.67

2,733 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 057120354X ISBN 13: 9780571203543

Publisher: Faber & Faber, 2003

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When both of Eddie Dickens's parents catch a disease that makes them turn yellow, go a bit crinkly round the edges and smell of hot water bottles, it's agreed he should go and stay with relatives at their house Awful End. Unfortunately for Eddie, those relatives are Mad Uncle Jack and Even-Madder Aunt Maud, and it doesn't look as if the three of them are ever going to reach their destination . . .

Set in a 19th-century world of blotchy skin, runaway orphans, and a stuffed stoat called Malcolm, this wonderfully ridiculous adventure story was Philip Ardagh's first full-length work of fiction and provides pure entertainment for children aged 8-80.

Also available on Faber Penguin Audiobooks.

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Review:

Age range: 8-11

When Eddie's parents are struck down by a strange disease that turns them a rather peculiar shade of yellow, it is decided that he should go and stay with Mad Uncle Jack and Even-Madder Aunt Maud at Awful End.

Philip Ardagh's supremely daft and extremely funny novel is set in a terribly smelly 19th century world that children will love. Ardagh captures the stench and stealth of the times, turning what could have been a straightforward adventure story into a delightfully pungent, utterly ridiculous but unbelievably gripping adventure story.--Susan Harrison

From the Publisher:

AWFUL END press coverage
AWFUL END has received rave reviews. Here are a few extracts:

"A delicious slice of the ridiculous. A real find." Tara Stephenson, THE BOOKSELLER

"With a wildly funny imagination that positively fizzes, Ardagh piles on the laughs. This is completely barking and I love it." Alison Davison, BIRMINGHAM POST

"Like Roddy Doyle, Philip Ardagh plays with narrative to hilarious effect." Jennifer Taylor, THE CHILDREN'S BOOKSELLER

"Stimulating, original and exceptionally funny." Heaher Walmsley, SCHOOLSNET

"The author's breezy interjections and the characters' endearing habits make it a delightful and entertaining read." TIME OUT

"Eccentric, anarchic and engagingly written, this is a guaranteed winner." Lindsey Fraser, GUARDIAN

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