Absolute Zero: Being the Second Part of the Bagthorpe Saga

The Bagthorpe Saga #2

by Helen Cresswell

The members of a talented, eccentric, English family eagerly enter slogan-writing contests and are rewarded with such prizes as a trip to a health farm and the opportunity to appear in a toothpaste commercial

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

174 pages, Hardcover

First published March 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

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had forgotten about the Bagthorpe series until I reminded on a librarian's email list. Children's librarians were sharing titles that they wished were back in print. I grabbed up this title at their recommendation and I'm so glad I did. Great British language. Wonderful humor. Wild and crazy characters. I laughed and laughed and laughed. I highly recommend Absolute Zero!

[Linnea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bagthorpes! I love these books. This one's my favorite because they peel all the labels off the canned food and then they have to guess each one by the sound it makes when they shake it (spoiler: they don't guess correctly).

[Nathalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book I read was about when Uncle Parker had won a luxury cruise, the whole family was going competition crazy. Though, Jack and his dog, Zero, were staying out of it. Here are the scenes I liked about this book:

Chapter 2, Page 30:

The house was full of Bagthorpes similarly engaged. Rosie was sucking her pencil over a Slogan for aftershave (made difficult by her uncertainty as to what this product was actually supposed to do). In the end, she settled for 'You may be no saint, but X will make you feel good.'

Chapter 7, Page 111:

It seemed an ideal place to set about losing Zero because he was very much preoccupied by rabbits and squirrels. He had never yet caught a rabbit (indeed Mr Bagthorpe swore to having once seen Zero pursued across the meadow 'by' a rabbit). Nor, of course, had he ever caught a squirrel, though it was not for want of trying.

I would recommend this book to teen readers because on how the writer describes the story with descriptive words.

[Rachael Eyre · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is where the Bagthorpe Saga really gets into its stride, with some outstandingly funny set pieces. It's a sharp critique of consumerism and the fickle world of celebrity, and prefigures reality TV by some thirty years. Indeed, if I had to nominate my favourite instalment in the series, it'd be this or Bagthorpes Unlimited.

Most significantly for fans, it's where the Unholy Alliance between Grandma and Daisy, so key to the humour in later books, is forged.

[Grillables · Rating 4 out of 5]

Floods! Fire! A plague of competitions! Great stuff. I enjoyed this one a bit more than the first in the Bagthorpe saga, perhaps because it seemed to have increased zaniness. Very funny.

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still and more ridiculous.

[William Leight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sadly, my library system has so few copies of these books that the refusal of one person to return their copy of "Ordinary Jack" forced me to start my latest reread with "Absolute Zero". It's a travesty, because the Bagthorpe Saga consists of some the funniest books that apparently not enough people have heard of. Cresswell is a master of farcical situations, brilliant at funny dialogue and wonderful at dry authorial asides. The Bagthorpes themselves are dislikable enough that it's easy to laugh at them while also being human enough that it's possible to occasionally sympathize. For the most part, their failures stem from good old-fashioned hubris. In "Absolute Zero" the family gets obsessed with winning write-in competitions sponsored by companies, in which you have to provide a slogan for their product or something of that nature. The problem is that for the Bagthorpes, any obsession is unhealthy by definition, and any activity immediately morphs into a fierce intra-family contest. Thus, it's not just that most of the Bagthorpes -- the exceptions are Laura, the weak-willed mother; Jack, the one child who is, as the title of the first book indicates, ordinary; and Grandpa, whom Jack takes after -- are convinced that their exceptional intellects will make winning these prizes a trivial matter: it's that they pursue this goal with a single-minded intensity and a determination not only to win but to win, by fair means or foul, more prizes than anyone else in the family. That the consequences of this approach will be catastrophic is easy to see. For instance, in '70s England a lot of such competitions could apparently be found on the wrappers of tin cans, so William (I think), the oldest child, has the bright idea of removing all the wrappers, thus securing to himself alone a bounty of potential prizes. This leaves the cupboard stacked with mystery cans, the contents of which are unknowable, which puts a crimp into meal planning. Naturally, nobody manages to win a Caribbean cruise -- the prize craze goes off after Uncle Parker succeeds in pulling off such a feat -- or anything of close to similar value, with the Bagthorpe who cashes in the most being Zero, Jack's dog, who is chosen to be the face of a dog food campaign. (Extra irony is derived from Zero being a decidedly stupid dog, one who couldn't even fetch a stick if thrown.) In the meantime, four-year-old Cousin Daisy, routinely unsupervised because everybody in the household feels that they have more important things to do than watch her, goes about destroying more or less as she pleases. And I haven't even mentioned Grandma, who likes above all being in the center of things, especially if that center includes an argument, the louder the better. Technically these are kids books, but anything this funny is bound to hold up really well, and I can read them now with just as much enjoyment as when I was 10 or 12: I recommend them to absolutely anybody without hesitation.

[P.D.R. Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a howlingly funny look at a British middle class family in the 1980s you can't beat the Bagthorpes.
Helen Cresswell has a wicked sense of humour and a neat way with words. Her creation of each character is masterly. Telling the story mainly through Jack, who longs to be ordinary, and is constantly hauled into the exploits of his extraordinary relatives, makes the events even more comic.

Helen Cresswell sends up the physcho babble of the 80s, the constant boosting of her children's dubious talents by Mrs Bagthorpe, Mr Bagthorpe's overdone creative muse, the inability to say no or use common sense by most characters. It's a hoot! Poor Jack is drowned out (literally at one point) by his dreadful Grandmother, the appalling Daisy, and the rest of his family. Still he and his faithful companion, Zero the mutt, do quite well in the end.

This is the second novel in the Saga and quite my favourite, but they are all worth a read. Writers could read the series for research, as a good look at the '80s in the UK, but I do recommend the series as bedtime reading for the family, to be enjoyed by all.

[Alfreda Morrissey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was even more funny than the first one. I love the unholy alliance between Daisy and Grandma. It was really hilarious to see more development of their personality. In the first book, I find them to be kind of annoying, but this book brings out the youthful, mischievousness in Grandma and paired with the inexhaustible ideas of Daisy really helped me to connect with these characters.

It is so nice to see Zero finally get recognized for the great dog that he is. I have to admit there was a tear in my eye when the entire family jumped in to defend Zero when the greedy man tried to claim him, even though they were back to bashing him not five minutes later. It shows their true feelings about zero, which really does a lot for Jack's confidence in the series.

I would recommend this book as good fun and clean laughs for all ages.

[Julie Furnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wanted to read a book after reading some quite heavy gloomy ghost/fantasy books lately and this was the best antidote. Read this many years ago when I was a kid and it's been on my shelves for a few years having picked it up at a second hand book shop. It's still funny, irreverent and cheers you up. Forgot how funny Helen Cresswell was.

[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.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have this same version. I really like the illustrations.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack's dog is fairly ordinary, despite Jack's efforts to train him. When the dog achieves a breakthrough, though, the rest of the family isn't as delighted as Jack had hoped.

[Veronica Jantoan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This family is so funny. I love them

[Thorn MotherIssues · Rating 5 out of 5]

I laughed until I cried. Twice!

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious!

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have no idea why these books are usually in the youth section of the library. They seem more suited for people who enjoy British TV series such as Fawlty Towers. As a matter of fact, if they ever made this into a movie/series, I would highly suggest they nab John Cleese to play the self-important, blustering father, Mr. Bagthorpe. I'm not sure who to cast as the sharp-tongued grandmother... perhaps Maggie Smith. I question if I will read more of this series--it's rather exhausting putting up with this chaotic family for very long.

[Anna McCormack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laugh and laugh again

Another book from the 1970s that this great-grandma has reread and laughed over again, as much a when the kids were young. The Bagthorpes saga was a triumph for Helen Cresswell. Absolutely.

[David Erkale · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Bagthorpes once again are involved in hilariously zany scenarios, this time with the whole family trying to earn prizes from contests. This is because Uncle Parker happened to score a boat cruise for him and Aunt Celia.

[emma madison · Rating 2 out of 5]

not the worst.. but not the best

[Alex Ankarr · Rating 5 out of 5]

so funny, absolutely adorable.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bought this as I remembered it from childhood - and in fact, this was the book with the 'all the bees are ded" line that made me choke with laughter at twelve. That happened again a few times at twenty-five, although there was the inevitable loss of pathos in the name of humour that I didn't note half my life ago. Very, very clever books for 'children', though, and amazingly well-realised characters. However, Jack as the hero of the piece plays into the boring Everyman trope. Team Uncle Parker!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to as an audiobook in the "Kayray Reads to You" podcast as I fell asleep each night. Just as amusing as the first in the series, and, while not a young reader classic, but definitely an enjoyable and worthwhile read/series.

[Edward Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

More excentric fund with the competitive Bagthorpe family, this time entering competitons to better the cruise won by their Uncle Parker. Filled with subplots that might go over the heads of some younger children, this is a well written funfilled extravaganza.

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

Re-read 5/16/10.

[Penny Jensen · Rating 1 out of 5]

For whatever reason, this book was not my kind of humor. I tried to like it, but it went nowhere. Oh well.

[Elevetha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good. Humor abounds. Quirky likeable characters. Highly recommended.

[Tony Lucas]

the best book in the bagthorpe saga. still makes me laugh out loud