The Fall of Fergal

May 31, 2004
This first in a planned trio of books called the Unlikely Exploits has more plot than Ardagh's Eddie Dickens Trilogy, but a bit less humor. The novel begins with Fergal McNally's catastrophic fall from the 14th floor of the Dell Hotel. Fergal's father, Captain Rufus McNally, a retired war hero who became "bitter, sick, and twisted" after losing his leg in a war injury, has an "excused parenting" note from his doctor and leaves the rearing of his children to eldest daughter Jackie. When his other daughter, Le Fay, becomes a finalist in a typing competition, Jackie decides to take all of the siblings by bus to go and cheer her on. Ardagh plants the usual twists and turns of plot, introducing a ventriloquist/poet named Hieronymous Peach, who befriends them on the bus trip and also figures prominently in the typing competition, and a house detective known as Twinkle-Toes Tweedy ("Stick around long enough and you'll find out why," the author/narrator says of the nickname); the detectives ties to Rufus McNally are revealed in the end. In addition to fun names and clever quips, the author plugs in often paragraph-long parenthetical asides (he writes of the word oxymoron
, " may sound like an idiot with breathing difficulties but actually means something that contradicts itself"). The tragic event around which the novel revolves provides plenty of black comedy to keep readers entertained. Ages 8-up.

July 12, 2004
Barrett employs an Irish brogue to relate the Unlikely Exploits (the name of a proposed trilogy of tales) of the very unusual McNally family. Fans of Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events will find much to like—and compare: dark humor, text passages that address the listener directly, asides pointing out vocabulary or plot points. But Barrett's simultaneously chipper and tongue-in-cheek approach matches the more silly than sinister air of Ardagh's (the Eddie Dickens trilogy) work. Listeners know right off they are in for a wild ride when young Fergal McNally falls 14 stories from a hotel room to his death in the opening lines of the story, replete with a funny description of said event. Of course, the circumstances that brought the McNallys to the Dell Hotel—a sibling is a finalist in the Tap 'n' Type typing contest—are already giggle-worthy, as are the secret powers/quirks of the other McNallys and the people they encounter. And the tragedy that, um, befalls Fergal provides the perfect segue into a sequel. Ages 8-up.

September 1, 2004
Gr 4-6-In the opening moments of this first book in a new series by Philip Ardagh (Holt, 2004), young Fergal McNally falls to his death with a splat. From there, the narrator weaves a wickedly funny tale of the events leading up to Fergal's demise, throwing in asides involving such things as metaphors, mustaches, and morgues. The plot of the story revolves around the Tap 'n' Type competition in which Fergal's sister LeFay is a finalist. The McNallys are a poor family with an alcoholic father who has a note from the doctor excusing him from parenting. With no parental guidance and no money, the McNally children come up with a grand scheme in order to get to the posh Dell hotel where LeFay is staying during the competition. Along the way, they meet a delightful cast of characters including hotel detective Twinkle Toes Tweedy, the ventriloquist Mr. Peach, and the dastardly Graham Large. Reader Joe Barrett does a superb job of capturing every nuance of this quirky tale and creates a rich character in the narrator. Fans of Lemony Snicket will love this tale and eagerly await the sequels. A necessary purchase for any collection where quirky tales are in demand.-Veronica Schwartz, Des Plaines Public Library, IL

Copyright 2004 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 3, 2005
"The novel begins with Fergal's catastrophic fall from the 14th floor of the Dell Hotel," wrote PW
. "The tragic event around which the novel revolves provides plenty of black comedy to keep readers entertained." Ages 8-12.