Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #203406 in Books
• Published on: 1999-03-04
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Angus worships his two younger siblings and helps his much-married, actress mother to take care of them. But he is tired of his "Mr Dependable" tag and starts to resent his mum's perpetual flirtations with unsuitable men that leave him, quite literally, holding the baby while husbands one, two and three get on with their own lives. And when taking care of the little ones threatens to interfere with rehearsals for the school play, Angus decides that something has to be done, especially when he realises that his errant and incredibly fertile mother could well be en route to another pregnancy.

Morris Gleitzman is in fine form in this complex, funny and totally endearing tale which successfully turns the coming-of-age cliché upside down, presenting us with a young boy with the weight of responsibility on his shoulders as he tries to find a way to enjoy his childhood. As ever, Gleitzman shines in one of the best books a child is ever likely to read. (Ages 9 to 12) --Susan Harrison

Synopsis
The story of a kid who's having to lead a far more adult life than he really wants to. After all, he's only 11 years old and he has to look after his brothers and sisters. And his mum's going to have another baby to add to the chaos. He's had enough - he has to stop mum from having this baby.

Customer Reviews

My 11 year old says this is the best book he's ever read!!
My son is a reader, he reads a book a night... this one he has read over and over, he says it's the best book he's ever read. Not for the faint hearted, I'm sure it's due to the fact he relates to the toilet humor and rude bits, but hey... they need an outlet at this age and how great if it's in the form of book.

A must buy!!!

A fantastic read!
I read this book to my Year 6 class and they loved it - however, it is one of those books that has a lot for adults as well, as my reading of it was occasionally punctuated by my own snorts, sniggers and tuts as Morris Gleitzman dug his characters deeper into the mire! There's a lot that happens in this story - Angus, the hero, is a normal boy who has too much responsibility thrust upon him, and really he just wants to have time to be a kid; his friend Rindi is in a different position, but essentially has the same problem - she is being made to grow up too soon. This story has it all - it's extremely funny, has great characters with infuriating adults who have no idea what it's like to be a kid; it shows how life is really unfair, has heroics and daring-do, and ultimately a very satisfactory ending. I recommend this book to adults, teens and tweens alike - it's great!

Best book I've ever read
So says my daughter, although I have to admit that reading it with her, I enjoyed it just as much myself. Touching, funny, and unputdownable. You could imagine there are some poor kids in real life out there who, like Angus, are in the same boat struggling to look after their younger siblings. Great stuff if you don't mind explaining to your child what contraception is all about!