The Fall of Fergal: Or Not So Dingly in the Dell (Unlikely Exploits) - Hardcover

Ardagh, Philip

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0805074767 ISBN 13: 9780805074765

Publisher: Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, 2004

Synopsis

While visiting a distant town, the site of this year's Tap 'n' Type typing competition, the McNally family discover that many strange things are going on there--including the sudden and unexpected breakout of large holes in the area. 75,000 first printing.

About this title

About the Authors

Over six and a half feet tall, with a bushy beard, there's no doubt that Philip Ardagh is not only very big but also very hairy. He writes fiction and nonfiction for all ages, and his Eddie Dickens Trilogy books are bestsellers. When not writing silly books, Mr. Ardagh is very serious indeed and frowns a great deal. He lives with a wife and son and a cat in a seaside town somewhere in England.

David Roberts has illustrated several books for children, including The Eddie Dickens Trilogy, and lives in England.

Over six and a half feet tall, with a bushy beard, there's no doubt that Philip Ardagh is not only very big but also very hairy. He writes fiction and nonfiction for all ages, and his Eddie Dickens Trilogy books are bestsellers. When not writing silly books, Mr. Ardagh is very serious indeed and frowns a great deal. He lives with a wife and son and a cat in a seaside town somewhere in England.

David Roberts has illustrated several books for children, including The Eddie Dickens Trilogy, and lives in England.

Reviews

Grade 4-6–"The very last words young Fergal McNally heard in his life were: 'Don't lean out of that window!'" It's a great hook for a dark tale that begins with the end and works its way backward, but the device is not entirely successful. Widowed Captain McNally is a former sailor and war hero who has turned to drinking. His oldest daughter, Jackie, takes care of her four siblings. When Le Fay wins a spot in the national grand finals for a typing competition, Jackie devises a plan for the other children to attend the event; they will sneak into Le Fay's hotel room. After uncovering a plot by another competitor to cheat her out of the championship, Fergal tragically falls to his death. When the detective sees the remaining children in the hotel room, he notices a resemblance between them and an old sailor who once saved his life. A strange twist at the end leads the way to the next book in the series. Dropping prophetic hints throughout, Ardagh ties the loose ends together nicely and talks to readers in a series of asides. Unfortunately, the sequencing of the story, starting with Fergal, skipping back to introduce the characters and tell the story, occasionally fast forwarding again, is distracting and results in a fragmented narrative. Ardagh's dark sense of humor is particularly evident in his graphic description of Fergal's fall and subsequent trip to the morgue. The pen-and-ink line drawings are eerily sinister and somewhat disturbing. This British author's dry, off-the-wall wit will appeal to a limited audience.–Kit Vaughan, Chesterfield County Public Schools, VA
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Edition details

• Publisher: Henry Holt Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0805074767
• ISBN 13: 9780805074765
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 125
• Illustrator: Roberts David