Vera Pratt and the False Moustaches

This is a lightweight, very enjoyable, literary version of an Ealing B comedy. Comic incidents can be anticipated for pages; the characters are pure cardboard cut-outs but, nonetheless, successful. Vera has her arms in the kitchen sink up to her elbows in the fist illustration -- but it's all right, she's just draining the crankcase of her motorbike. This is the only atypical character is an easily recognisable bunch. Vera's son is called Wally, because he is one; the villain is called Mr Smoothy-Smythe; his sidekick is Dudley Cheque -- Dud, for short, get it? The top TV personality is Terry Household-Word. Worldly-wise Upper Juniors will enjoy the detailed descriptions of Vera's motorcycle maintenance - it will be interesting to monitor their reactions to a woman talking knowledgeably about a predominantly male subject. A wide range of Juniors will enjoy the quite predictable but well written set pieces -- especially the climax. The illustrations add little to a text which is already rich in detail.