Awful End

{{Short description|Book by Philip Ardagh}}

{{more citations needed|date=July 2015}}

{{Infobox book

| name = A House Called Awful End

| title_orig =

| translator =

| image = File:Awful End.jpg

| caption = First edition (UK)

| author = Philip Ardagh

| illustrator = David Roberts

| cover_artist =

| country = United Kingdom

| language = English (United Kingdom)

| series = Eddie Dickens

| genre = comedy

| publisher = Faber and Faber

| pub_date = 2000

| english_pub_date =

| media_type = Book

| pages = 119

| isbn = 0-571-20354-X

| congress = PZ7.A6776 Aw 2000

| oclc = 44562795

| preceded_by =

| followed_by = Dreadful Acts

}}

Awful End (published in the US as A House Called Awful End) a 2000 children's novel by Philip Ardagh and the first book of the Eddie Dickens trilogy, which was followed by Dreadful Acts.

It was shortlisted for the 2002 Stockton Children's Book of the Year Award.{{cite web |url=http://archive.thenorthernecho.co.uk/2002/3/12/143068.html |title=Authors compete for children's votes |accessdate=2008-04-08 |date=2002-03-12 |publisher=The Northern Echo}} The German translation by Harry Rowohlt won the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis in 2003.{{Cite web|title=Schlimmes Ende|url=https://www.jugendliteratur.org/title.cfm?djlp_id=1728|last=www.akj.de|first=AKJ-|website=Arbeitskreis für Jugendliteratur e.V.|language=de|access-date=2020-05-06}}

The book is essentially a comical adventure about Eddie Dickens who has to go live with his great uncle and great aunt at Awful End as his parents have the yellow fever. Philip Ardagh uses clever puns and uses ambiguity of sentences to create a situation comedy. For example:

'Eddie took a seat next to Aunt. "Put that seat right back into its place!", screamed Aunt. So Eddie put the seat back in its place and sat down.'

Philip Ardagh

Philip Ardagh is a children's author whose other titles include The Grunts, Grubtown Tales and Stick and Fetch. Many consider The Eddie Dickens Series one of his best works.

Even Madder Aunt Maud

Even Madder Aunt Maud{{Cite web|title=Awful End|url=https://www.faber.co.uk/9780571203543-awful-end.html|website=Public Store View|language=en|access-date=2020-05-06}} (full name: Maud MacMuckle; also known as EMAM) is one of the principal characters in Philip Ardagh's best-selling books 'The Eddie Dickens Trilogy'. Even Madder Aunt Maud is Mad Uncle Jack’s wife, making her Eddie’s Even Madder Great-Aunt Maud. She is to be seen anywhere and everywhere accompanied by her pet stoat, Malcolm. Although she is a bit mad, she always has perfectly reasonable explanations for things, or at least they are reasonable in her mind.[http://www.scholastic.com/titles/eddiedickens/whoareyou/index.htm Scholastic]

Mad Uncle Jack

{{Portal |Children's literature}}

Mad Uncle Jack is the husband of Even Madder Aunt Maud. He is less mad than his wife hence his wife's name "Even Madder Aunt Maud". He is Eddie's Mad Great Uncle Jack.

20 years of Eddie Dickens

2020 sees the 20th anniversary of Eddie Dickens in print. The book (Awful End) was the first of six books beginning with Awful End and ending with Final Curtain.

Other books in The Eddie Dickens Series

The following books in the series are:

  • Dreadful Acts{{Cite web|title=Dreadful Acts by Philip Ardagh {{!}} Scholastic|url=http://www.scholastic.com/content/teachers/en/books/eddie-dickens-trilogy-the-2-dreadful-acts-by-philip-ardagh/|website=www.scholastic.com|access-date=2020-05-06}}
  • Terrible Times{{Cite web|title=Terrible Times|url=https://www.faber.co.uk/9780571216222-terrible-times.html|website=Public Store View|language=en|access-date=2020-05-06}}
  • Dubious Deeds{{Cite web|title=Dubious Deeds : Further Adventures of Eddie Dickens (Bk.1) by Ardagh, Philip: New Paperback (2004) {{!}} Murray Media|url=https://www.abebooks.co.uk/Dubious-Deeds-Adventures-Eddie-Dickens-Bk.1/30087830763/bd|website=www.abebooks.co.uk|language=en-GB|access-date=2020-05-06}}
  • Horrendous Habits{{Cite web|title=Horrendous Habits - AbeBooks|url=https://www.abebooks.co.uk/book-search/kw/horrendous-habits/|website=www.abebooks.co.uk|language=en-GB|access-date=2020-05-06}}
  • Final Curtain{{Cite web|title=Final Curtain: Further Adventures of Eddie Dickens Book 3 by Philip Ardagh: Good Paperback (2007) {{!}} The Monster Bookshop|url=https://www.abebooks.co.uk/9780571217120/Final-Curtain-Adventures-Eddie-Dickens-0571217125/plp|website=www.abebooks.co.uk|language=en-GB|access-date=2020-05-06}}

References

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