Scary Laughter: Bagthorpes Liberated

The third of my Bagthorpe books, which are #5 - 7 of the ten book series, kept me happy during the tiring extended hours of my vacation flight, a flight that kept stretching longer and including more airports and planes and eventually airport hotels. Helen Cresswell's Bagthorpes Liberated picks up a few hours after the end of Bagthorpes Haunted, which made for a nice grouping; all three books take place in within a week or so.

At this point in my exhaustion, the familiarity of the characters was an asset; I could relax into the sparkling dialogue, crazy situations, and extravagant actions taken by all the Bagthorpes. I especially liked the focus on the mom, who decides to push back against the advantages taken by the rest of the family, starting with her husband Henry.  Grandma's delight in stirring up trouble takes new heights, as when she successfully passes of a local tramp as an eccentric millionaire. As an added advantages, the way I constantly burst into laughter very quickly cleared me a wide space to stretch out in as I waited for the plane to take off again.