The six siblings could not leave the town all that time not because of Quentin's words, but because their parents laid it on them to protect Venturus, and as long as Venturus–Howard was too young to realize his magical powers, they had to be close by to protect him. The best part was that on the last page, someone had written neatly in pencil: "this book comes with free spider.

And I'll stick with that, since an actual description of the plot couldn't give you ANY idea of how good it is. None of the rest seem to know the point of those writing samples or why the Sykes family has been caught up in this affair, but they quickly launch a tug-of-war power struggle over the household, all demanding their own pieces to study and learn what the others are up to. In 1965, when Rhodesia declared independence unilaterally (one of the last colonies and not tiny), "I felt as if the book were coming true as I wrote it.Erskine has the three locked up as a way of exerting even more pressure on Quentin, but they manage to escape with the help of the aforementioned Ginger Hind, who insists that he needs Howard's help to be free from Shine.

A conference dedicated solely to her work was held at the University of West England, Bristol, in 2009. He kept me interested because while seemingly stupid, he was also very clever and keeps the other characters on their toes. And this might be a kids' book (my library put it under Juvenile), but I didn't feel like she was dumbing anything down. Even so, they are an intriguing group, and it’s fun to try to work out what part each plays in the story.In the context of a children's book, such ready acceptance of the irrational mirrors the arbitrary world around young people, which oftentimes seems, if not actually is, illogical: Why can't I stay out late? This was such a great children's programme, directed by Marilyn Fox the same lady who gave us the wonderful 'The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe', its a shame it has been virtually forgotten now. Just who Archer is and how 2000 words can be payment for anything turn are the beginning of a quest that take Howard and Awful on an adventure that truly is indescribable. Tomato in the Mirror: When Howard finally tracks down Venturus' lair and learns where he's been hiding all this time. Meaningful Name: Venturus, its meaning isn't mentioned in the book but the tv series has Quentin translate it as "he who is to come" in Latin.