The Practical Joke War - Softcover

Ferguson, Alane

3.25

28 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0380717212 ISBN 13: 9780380717217

Publisher: Avon Books, 1993

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Eleven-year-old Taffy is fed up with her two brother's ruthless pranks, so she sets out to seek appropriate revenge and her actions set off a no-holds-barred practical joke war in the Dillon household. Reprint.

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From School Library Journal:

Grade 3-5-- A series of practical jokes gets all three kids in the Dillon family grounded for a week. But after being cooped up together for a few days, Taffy, Russell, and Eddy are hardly cured of their pranksterism. A war develops that features all the standards (shaving cream shot under a door, Vaseline on a toilet seat, water bucket balanced on doorframe). Alliances shift among the siblings as the action intensifies. Finally, the disappearance of the family cat and the imminent arrival of Mom unites the foes at the end of the day. Added to this mixture is a femme fatale named Susan, who in the name of her crush on Russell, betrays Taffy. It all makes for a breezy and humorous tale, with a few morals thrown in that hardly mar the fun. The complex relationships between brothers and sisters are deftly portrayed, and the dialogue rings true throughout. A novel that accurately portrays the rough-and-tumble of family life. --Todd Morning, Schaumburg Township Public Library, IL
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews:

The author of Cricket and the Crackerbox Kid (1990) weighs in with another unusually original story. When their parents let them stay at home alone during the summer, Eddy (9), Taffy (11), and Russell (12) become involved in an escalating series of pranks, shifting alliances, and misunderstandings that are barely slowed even after their parents ground them. Taffy--from whose point of view the story is told-- is especially interested in getting back at Russell because of his remarks about her new best friend, Susan. But when Taffy's cat is endangered by the practical jokes, all three siblings are united in the cat's behalf, while Taffy herself faces some hard facts about her own behavior--and Susan's. Although the writing is utilitarian, and adult characters are barely sketched, Ferguson has the realities of everyday suburban life and sibling warfare to a tee. Funny, believable entertainment. (Fiction. 8-12) -- Copyright �1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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