Bagthorpes Unlimited: Being the Third Part of the Bagthorpe Saga

The Bagthorpe Saga #3

by Helen Cresswell

'I want a Family Reunion.'

Grandma Bagthorpe should have realized the consequences of such a momentous announcement. Chaos and disaster are inevitable on the arrival of Uncle Claud, his boring wife and their two horribly clever children. Soon it becomes clear that they will have to be driven out - which means even more pandemonium in the crazy Bagthorpe household.

Bagthorpes Unlimited is the third book about the entertaining, eccentric and exasperating Bagthorpe family

Genres: Fiction, Childrens, Humor, Young Adult, British Literature

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Helen Cresswell (1934–2005) was an English television scriptwriter and author of more than 100 children's books, best known for comedy and supernatural fiction. Her most popular book series, Lizzie Dripping and The Bagthorpe Saga, were also the basis for television series.

Reviews

[Annerlee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved this book as a child and I love it still. There are laugh out moments galore - Mr Bagthorpe's reaction to the daisy chain episode had me laughing with glee. I still chuckle when I think about it.

At 10 years old, this was a 5 star read.

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another riotous meeting with the extended Bagthorpe family. This time there is a family reunion which is especially hilarious. Thankfully, it is not necessary to read these right in a row. The author makes references to earlier escapades that help to jog the memory. I'll wait a while before continuing with the next book.

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Young readers 11-14 years old will enjoy the hilarious antics of the Bagthorpes--the most eccentric and zany family in England.
The Bagthorpe's least favorite relatives--self-righteous Aunt Penelope, meek Uncle Claud and their spoiled children--come to visit. In order to shorten the stay of this "Dogcollar Brigade," the Bagthorpe children breed maggots and other pests with which to infest the house. Their plan works well, until 4-year-old Daisy gets involved.
I love the original covers of the entire series which were rendered by Caldecott-Award winner Trina Schart Hyman.

[Dana Salman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll never get tired of Daisy and grandma and her stupid cat!

[Jennifer Heise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maggots in the airing-cupboard! The pursuit of fame! All is Chaos, in the fine Bagthorpian way.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

2.08
Reread book from childhood. A chaotic week among a satisfyingly boisterous crowd.

[William Leight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another brilliant and hilarious entry in the series. Cresswell cleverly introduces some additional Bagthorpes, Uncle Claude and his family, who are entirely unsympathetic. Well, not Claude, who takes after his father: like Grandpa, he's a quiet, mild, inoffensive soul, and like Grandpa, he apparently chose to marry the most appalling woman he could find. That would be Aunt Penelope, who, since she is not to be a fixture in the series, can be even less appealing than Grandma: self-satisfied, prudish, puritanical, and germ-obsessed, and what is more, constantly quoting Scripture to justify her nonstop carping (the scene in which Henry confounds her by tossing off a series of memorized quotes from the Bible is a classic), she has no redeeming qualities whatsoever, making her an excellent foil for the rest of the family. Her and Claude's two children are rather like the Bagthorpe children, except smugger, with a prim sense of self-righteousness inherited from their mother: they are also instant enemies to our Bagthorpes. (Much like Grandpa, Claude might as well not be there, and it seems pretty clear that he much prefers not to be noticed.) The Bagthorpe children being what they are, they naturally decide that the only possible response is a campaign of harassment via bugs, designed to hit Aunt Penelope's obsession with cleanliness: naturally this ends up going overboard and ending in hilarious disaster, helped along by the extremely dubious decision to involve Daisy, perpetual chaos agent, in the plan.

But of course the simple recital of plot only goes so far in describing why one ought to read this book: Cresswell is not a Wodehouse-esque plotter, and the Bagthorpe books don't feature Macguffins or romances or any of the other elements that drive Wodehouse's often-intricate stories. Instead, in addition to the hilarious authorial asides, the side-splitting scenes, and the clever dialogue, it's the gleeful, only barely-tamed chaos that attracts. Almost all of the book takes place in a single house, and though it's certainly a large house by ordinary standards, it's not the kind of country house you might find in a Jeeves and Wooster novel. And the family is large: the basic complement is eight Bagthorpes (all the books take place while school is out, so that the kids are always around) plus Mrs. Fosdyke and Zero; Daisy practically lives there; Uncle Parker and (to a lesser extent) Aunt Celia are regular visitors; and this book, of course, adds (temporarily) four more. The result is that everybody is constantly on top of everybody else, and since most of the characters are at least somewhat abrasive, constant action is inevitable. From the outside, it seems like sheer insanity -- it's hard to imagine anyone wanting to stay part of a family that includes both Henry and Grandma -- but Cresswell's best effect may be making you believe that the Bagthorpes don't feel that way: this is just the way things are for them, and they don't see anything very extraordinary about it. This provides just enough of a grounding in reality to keep the series' humor anchored, helping to make these books some of the funniest ever written for children, or anybody else for that matter.

[David Erkale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still solid for the Bagthorpes, as it provides some fun situations for what happens when you try to have a family reunion and end up hating it. Plus, afterward, the family tries to be immortal by attempting a world record.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few crazy days in the Bagthorpe household. A family reunion is planned with the saintly cousins. Then the family decide to become famous in various ways. Probably easier to understand if you've read some of the previous books in the series, as they're quite similar. Enjoyable as a light kiddie read.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series of books--written ostensibly for children--is one of the funniest I've ever read. I read them all with my son years ago and decided to pick one up to see if it was still great. It is still fresh and original and I will name my next dog either Zero or Bagthorpe.

[Edward Davies · Rating 3 out of 5]

A burglary encourages Grandma to invite the rest of the family to visit, with the Bagthorpe's competing against the cousins to be the best. Not as good as the first two books, but still good clean fun.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these so much. I've read the first four all four times each, including aloud to my daughter. it seemed to be a lesser known series in the US, which is too bad. the language is pretty sophisticated and the books are HILARIOUS. the characters are fantastic.

[Grillables · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Bagthorpes are in fine form again - some good laugh-out-loud moments in this one, though the story line seems a little less cohesive than the first two books in the series.

[MB (What she read) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rereading an old favorite. I love Cresswell's dry sense of humor.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Bagthorpes are back, all determined to outdo the rest, except Jack, who, as everyone knows, isn't as talented as the rest of them.