The Chronicles of Narmo

In a series of wonderful comic episodes, we have life with the Narmos: parents, five children and two dogs. Eccentrics all - except perhaps the dogs - so that merely being together is a drama before they ever come up against the outside world. It's very witty, both in plot and dialogue (it ought to be televised), with some lovely running jokes. My favourite is the way Morag's first attempt at a loaf manages to make an appearance through many of the episodes covering about nine months. It's edible for all this time, finally appearing as stuffing for the turkey. The whole book just bursts with life, and there's so much to spare that many of the normally inanimate objects are dramatised too. The author, by the way, is 15-years-old.