Ordinary Jack

Poor Jack. In a family of (eccentric) overachievers, he's the average one, no 'strings to his bow.' In an effort to impress his family, he enlists his dog and his uncle in a scheme to demonstrate his psychic powers, which, of course, this being the Bagthorpes, goes awry with hilarious results.

Even as an adult, I find myself reflecting on Jack Bagthorpe's experiences when I've had a particularly difficult day at work and need to lighten up.. Cresswell's characters and their exploits never fade, from the demon pair of Grandma and Daisy to the hedgehogging housekeeper and the offstage Anonymous from Grisby.

Everybody in Jack's family seems to be brilliant - apart from Jack and his downtrodden dog Zero. Even his little sister can beat him at swimming. But Jack's uncle Parker has come up with a plan to make him and Zero shine: they'll pretend that Jack can tell the future! If only they could foresee what chaos the plan will cause.

Jack, the only "ordinary" child in the Bagthorpe family, hatches a plot with his sympathetic Uncle Parker to gain some fame (or at least notoriety) by becoming a prophet. Throw in some competitive genius siblings, a homesick Danish au pair, a birthday portrait destined for disaster, a pyromaniac four-year-old, and a missing hearing aid, and hilarity ensues. The plot is funny and fast-paced, but the eccentric characters and the wonderful humor are what really make this series stand out. Anyone who likes British humor should certainly look for these books -- they are definitely worth the effort!

I fell in love with all the characters in this book, the members of the crazy Bagthorpe family. The story centers on Jack, who feels too ordinary in comparison to his siblings and parents, all of whom have many Strings in their Bow. His wacky Uncle Parker dreams up a scheme to make the family think Jack has prophetic powers. The scheme works quite well, actually, with prophecies fulfilled about Lavender Men and Brown Bears. All the while the dad breaks his arm trying to stand on his head and the mom is quite busy solving people’s Problems and we can’t forget Rosie who loves to set fires here and there.

This is the story of a boy (and his dog) who are overlooked in his eccentric, talented family because he doesn't have any notable skills. His uncle comes up with a plan to make him more interesting. It's one of those zany British comedies set in a vague old fashioned kind of time (or possibly the 70s when it was published), where it is totally normal to have a servant. I didn't get along with it at first because I don't much like zany but it quickly warmed up because Jack is a sympathetic character, and quite a kind person unlike many of his other relatives, notably his father, and it wasn't all that zany after all. However in the end the story really doesn't go anywhere. It just peters out without coming to any particular conclusion or show more anything having changed. Weird choice. show less

Jack Matthew Bagthorpe is one of four Bagthorpe children. He is convinced he is the ordinary one because all of his siblings have special talents or are considered "genius" except him. They are either mathematical, musical or sporty. Middle child Jack is none of these things. He (and his dog Zero) are practically ignored or shunned because of their lack of specialness. An accomplishment is a string in someone's bow and Jack didn't have a one. Uncle Parker is keen to Jack's plight and sets out to make him extraordinary. Uncle Parker has decided Jack's hidden talent will be the gift of prophecy, and later, of dowsing. The funny thing is, the Bagthorpe family come completely unglued when Jack's "prophesies" start to come true. Of course, show more there is mayhem at the end. show less

Jack is the only ordinary one in a family of geniuses, so he and his Uncle Parker come up with a scheme to make Jack look like a prophet. Jack pretends to go into a trance and utters mysterious prophecies. Uncle Parker works behinds the scenes to make the prophecies come true, amazing the whole family when Jack's utterings come to pass.

But how long can Jack and Uncle Parker keep up their scheme before someone catches on?