3.0 out of 5 stars
Good, but not quite up there with the best in this series, 23 Dec 2010
When Jennings and Darbishire send off for a false moustache and some 'free' stamps, there's no foreseeing the trouble it will cause with the cross-country run, the trip to the cinema, and the end of term show.
This is an average book in the Jennings series, certainly not a bad book but far from the best of the set. My copy had been updated for the 1980s, however while the currency references were decimalised, other aspects such as the cinema trip were more reminiscent of the period the book was originally set.
While the set-ups were the usual quality of humorous misunderstandings, in places they were taken a little too far, and became (to me as an adult at least) tediously predictable. On the other hand, one of the mini-conclusions was particularly disappointing because it came out of the blue and relied on nothing previously set up.
Overall I would say it would still be entertaining to a younger reader/listener, but doesn't touch some of the funnier of Buckeridge's books.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Funny, Imaginative and Highly Entertaining, 12 Aug 2010
In this book Jennings and Darbishire manage to help a farmer on a cross country run, but then end up so far behind that they cheat and take a buss, only to be found out by the astute Mr Carter. And that is just the start of the fun in this highly imaginative story in which the author really gets into the clourful imagination of the prep school boys.
I loved Jennings as a child, and I am not so old that the language of the books was very dated when I read them! So don't let that put you off. Indeed I think the dated prep school slang of Jennings really adds to the charm of these books which refelct on a slice of life that we all might like to have back.
The books are often hilarious. I devoured this series first time around, borrowing books from friends who loved them too. Recently I have been buying up and completing my collection, and re-reading them from the start.
Highly recommended. Personally I preferred these to Just William and other such stories.
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