Ordinary Jack (by Helen Cresswell)

(Amazon UK link)

I do like children's books. I enjoy classics, and my own childhood favourites, and I also enjoy a few authors whom I've only discovered since my sons were small. Helen Cresswell is the author of the very popular Bagthorpe saga - and I dip into them every so often for a bit of light humour.

'Ordinary Jack' is about an eleven-year-old boy with a fair amount of intelligence and common sense, who has three highly-gifted (and rather boastful) siblings: William, Tess and Rosie. The books are written in the third person, but almost entirely from Jack's perspective.

In this first book, Jack is rather fed up that he does not seem to have any gifts. This is because his little sister Rosie has just beaten him in swimming, and is determined to crow about it. Jack acknowledges that she has done well, but dislikes the way that the rest of the family make such a fuss about it.

Mr Bagthorpe, father of the four children, is a television scriptwriter with a rather bad temper and a way of saying exactly what he's feeling, irrelevant of who is listening. He complains a lot when anything goes wrong... but then again, with the things that happen in his household, it's pretty amazing that he has kept his sanity at all.

Mrs Bagthorpe is a professional agony aunt, and does her best to hold the family together with traditions (such as birthday parties) being very important to her. She tries to have a kind word for everyone, but is rather disorganised. She believes in encouraging meaningful conversation around the table at mealtimes, which is a great ideal; unfortunately it usually means everybody talking with their mouths full about their personal achievements.

Grandma and Grandpa, Mr Bagthorpe's parents, live with the family. Grandpa is a strong silent type, who is somewhat deaf (and often chooses to be selectively deafer than necessary) and prone to come out with incongruous statements, which sometimes appear to be deliberate although the rest of the family do not realise it.

Grandma is a highly opinionated old lady who loves to argue, and will beat down anybody who disagrees with her by sheer strength of character and determination. The book opens on the day of Grandma's 75th birthday. Her cake - complete with 75 candles - features rather dramatically.

This book is really designed to introduce us to the Bagthorpe family, so the plot is not all that significant. It hinges mainly around the bright idea that Jack should pretend to be a mystic, and thus attract the attention of his family, so that nobody would think him ordinary or boring again. There are, of course, problems which lead to amusing situations and an exciting climax to the story.

There is a low-key 'message' to the book, too, alongside the humour and chaotic household. Jack learns that it's not always so good to be the centre of attention, and that being 'ordinary' does not make him inferior to his talented siblings.

I very much like Helen Cresswell's writing, which appeals both to younger children, and to teenagers and adults, despite the lack of much action.

I would recommend this and its sequels to any child or young teenager wanting something light but enjoyable to read. 'Ordinary Jack' also makes an excellent book to read aloud to a child of any age, since the humour appeals at so many levels. My sons both enjoyed these books from the time they were about seven or eight, and I still read them myself from time to time.

'Ordinary Jack' is one of the few books which can make me chuckle out loud in one or two places - on re-reading it this evening, I enjoyed it as much as ever. 

Definitely recommended.

Bagthorpes Besieged (by Helen Cresswell)

(Amazon UK link)

Every so often I take a break from reading books for adults - however light - and indulge in a children's book. I only discovered Helen Cresswell's stories, and particularly the Bagthorpe Saga, when my sons were at primary school in the UK.

These books are about slightly unlikely characters in a family. They all spend time competing with each other in various ways. They are observed - usually - by Jack, the most sensible and ordinary child in the family.

'Bagthorpes Besieged' is the ninth book in the series. Unusually, for these books, the plot of the whole story takes only about 24 hours. The catalyst is that Mrs Fosdyke, the Bagthorpes' cleaning lady, is 'discovered' as a media personality.

To give a sample of the strangeness of these books, this one includes the following: Daisy tries locking various people up in her idea of prisons. Meanwhile Uncle Parker dons a dress to try and fool his wife. She is having a phantom pregnancy with twins, and imagining angelic visitors.

There's more, of course...

General mayhem and humour makes this an enjoyable book for children of about 8-11. They are all a bit similar to each other (I don't read more than one of these at a time, usually) and predictable, once the bizarre people and circumstances are accepted.  But definitely recommended for fluent readers or as a read-aloud for children of around seven and upwards.

Bagthorpes unlimited (by Helen Cresswell)

(Amazon UK link)

Every so often I pick up a children's book for a very light read, with no emotion or deep thought necessary. One of the Bagthorpe saga books by Helen Cresswell is usually a good choice.

There are about nine volumes in this series. It features a crazy (but almost believable) family where several of the children are very talented. Or, if not talented, they think themselves so.

'Bagthorpes unlimited' is about a few crazy days in the Bagthorpe household. A family reunion is planned, with their supposedly saintly cousins. Then all the family decide they would like to be famous, in various ways...

Although it stands alone, it's rather easier to understand if you've read some of the previous books in the series, as they're quite similar.

Enjoyable, in a light-kiddie-read kind of way.