Awful end - Philip Ardagh - Reviewed by Simon Mackenzie

Awful end is the first book of the Eddie Dickens trilogy written by Philip Ardagh this book is full of random but very hilarious subjects. This book would suit anyone from the age of 8 and up as long as they have a sense of humour.

Awful end is set in old days, it is the story of a young Eddie Dickens who has to move out of his house to get away from his parents who are extremely ill described in the book as “all yellow and crinkly around the edges” and he is taken away with Mad Uncle Jack (Eddies mad great uncle jack) “the thinnest of thin beaky-nosed gentlemen” who comes out of a wardrobe and his Even Madder Aunt Maud “a force o be reckoned with, with a stuffed stoat called Malcolm”. Together Eddie, Mad Uncle Jack and Even Madder Aunt Maud set of to Awful End although on the way they have many unexpected encounters.

I personally got into this book when I went to the city to see some authors speak which to me meant an afternoon off school until Philip Ardargh got up and spoke and got me interested, he was funny which to me didn’t happen in books until then books to me were boring words on paper that we had to read for school but Philip Ardagh opened my eyes in his speech and immediately I bought the book and cold not take my eyes off it until I had finished. This book means a lot to me as it opened my eyes to books because it is like no other book it is very random which I find funny.

This is a great book about a boy who has to be taken off kicking and screaming with his mad relatives, during the book Eddie gets entranced by a handkerchief, has a revolver pointed to his head, escapes inside a cow and many more crazy adventures. This is a great book which I highly recommend.