The Fall of Fergal, Or, Not So Dingly in the Dell (Unlikely Exploits)

The very last words young Fergal McNally heard in his life were: "Don't lean out of that window!" The very last sounds were probably the air whistling past his sticky-out ears as he fell the fourteen stories, the honk of traffic horns below (getting nearer and nearer, of course), and-possibly-the "SP" of the "SPLAT!" he himself made as he hit the pavement. Fergal certainly wouldn't have heard more than the "SP," though, because by the time the "LAT!" part had followed, he would have been well and truly dead.

The first in a darkly hilarious new series from the bestselling author of the Eddie Dickens Trilogy

Philip Ardagh's Unlikely Exploits series chart the extraordinary changes in fortune of the downtrodden McNally family, beginning with The Fall of Fergal. The setting is an unidentified country suffering from an unexpected breakout of large holes.

The McNally children find themselves in the Dell Hotel, the venue for the final of the Tap 'n' Type typing competition, surrounded by a strange assortment of characters ranging from Twinkle-Toes Tweedy, the house detective, to Mr. Peach, a ventriloquist with a very large mustache.

With young Fergal McNally falling to his death on page one, the only way for the McNallys is up . . .

Grade 4-6–In the opening moments of this first book in a new series by Philip Ardagh (Holt, 2004), young Fergal McNally falls to his death with a splat. From there, the narrator weaves a wickedly funny tale of the events leading up to Fergal's demise, throwing in asides involving such things as metaphors, mustaches, and morgues. The plot of the story revolves around the Tap 'n' Type competition in which Fergal's sister LeFay is a finalist. The McNallys are a poor family with an alcoholic father who has a note from the doctor excusing him from parenting. With no parental guidance and no money, the McNally children come up with a grand scheme in order to get to the posh Dell hotel where LeFay is staying during the competition. Along the way, they meet a delightful cast of characters including hotel detective Twinkle Toes Tweedy, the ventriloquist Mr. Peach, and the dastardly Graham Large. Reader Joe Barrett does a superb job of capturing every nuance of this quirky tale and creates a rich character in the narrator. Fans of Lemony Snicket will love this tale and eagerly await the sequels. A necessary purchase for any collection where quirky tales are in demand.–Veronica Schwartz, Des Plaines Public Library, IL
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