Uncle in the Attic ¦ Skeleton at School

Springy and Sam are twins, children of parents who are struggling to set up a boarding house in the vibrant suburb of West Didsbury. In the first book, the house begins to collapse around the family's ears until help arrives in the form of Uncle Jock, a part-time vagrant who has been holded up in a treasure-filled annexe to the attic. The second book concerns the trials and errors endured by the twins when they try to smuggle one of Uncle Jock's treasures piecemeal into school in order to impress their enjoyably eccentric teacher.

Both books proceed at a very pleasant pace, presenting the reader with convincingly warm-blooded characters and a wealth of incident. An added advantage is that the fascination of life in Greater Manchester, long unsung in children's literature, is here given the praise it so richly deserves.