Bookwitch

I’ll call it temporary thickness, but it took me a while to work out that Philip Ardagh’s The Not-So-Very-Nice Goings-On at Victoria Lodge, Without Illustrations by the author, is a story. At first glance I’d taken it to be Philip’s re-written comments to each individual picture, only. The pictures being borrowed from The Girl’s Own Paper from the 1890s.

But, it’s actually a story of mystery and intrigue, albeit a short one. It’s sixty pages, with only a brief comment on each page to go with Philip’s chosen illustrations.

It’s a funny story, too. I’d particularly like to know what the satellite dish strapped to the heroine’s back really is. It looks like a satellite dish.

I would guess this isn’t a children’s book. Though you can never be sure with Philip Ardagh. Daughter giggled her way through it quite happily.