Anthony Buckeridge

When Jennings starts the second half of the Christmas term by accidentally setting his rubber on fire, it seems the residents of Linbury Court are going to have an exciting few weeks. Along with High Fidelity Telephonic Communication (or two tins and a piece of string), the Affair of the Assistant Masterpiece and Jennings suddenly becoming a musical prodigy, Old Wilkie is definitely not going to get the peace and quiet he was hoping for.

Term is over and, after a short camping expedition that leaves poor Mr Wilkins determined never to go through such an horrific experience again, Jennings is off to stay with his Aunt Angela. There, he meets Emma Sparrow who needs to hide her collection of stray animals from the exasperated caretaker. When Jennings comes up with a seemingly flawless plan, he congratulates himself on his quick thinking. But with Jennings at large, things can always be expected to go disastrously wrong!

An entertaining story in which Jennings and Darbyshire succeed in getting permission for the Linbury Court School boys to make wooden huts during their leisure time.