Quigleys: Not for Sale - Hardcover

Simon Mason has written three adult novels. The Quigleys was his first children’s book. He lives in Oxford, England, with his wife and their two children.

Helen Stephens is the author-illustrator of Poochie-Poo and Ahoyty-Toyty as well as The Quigleys and The Quigleys at Large. She lives in England.

Gr. 3-5. The third book in the amusing British series that began with The Quigleys (2002) features four episodes in which Will and his younger sister, Lucy, try to practice "Good Behaviour." When the family stays at a nice hotel, the children enter the sauna where Will shouts "Crikey . . . . They've got nothing on!" before remembering to be "Polite and Pleasant" to the six unclothed adults staring at them. A series of money-making schemes drives the second tale, while the third concerns a memorable Mother's Day. In the concluding story, the children are "Polite and Pleasant" as they take prospective buyers through their house, helpfully pointing out the defects so that their family won't have to move. Droll, expressive drawings appear throughout the book. Although sometimes compared with Cleary's Quimby family books for their down-to-earth quality and innocent humor, the Quigley stories are loopier; the humor in some scenes may appeal most to adults, but this chapter book will certainly amuse children as well. Fun for reading aloud. Carolyn Phelan
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