Who Got Rid of Angus Flint?

by Diana Wynne Jones

Angus Flint had overstayed his welcome the moment he walked through the door. He ate all the food, hogged the TV, and made everyone's lives miserable. Everyone wanted him gone, but no one knew how to do it--except, it seemed, the least likely members of the family....

Genres: Fantasy, Childrens, Fiction, Middle Grade, Science Fiction Fantasy, Young Adult, Humor

58 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Diana Wynne Jones was a celebrated British writer best known for her inventive and influential works of fantasy for children and young adults. Her stories often combined magical worlds with science fiction elements, parallel universes, and a sharp sense of humor. Among her most beloved books are Howl's Moving Castle, the Chrestomanci series, The Dalemark Quartet, Dark Lord of Derkholm, and the satirical The Tough Guide to Fantasyland. Her work gained renewed attention and readership with the popularity of the Harry Potter series, to which her books have frequently been compared.

Admired by authors such as Neil Gaiman, Philip Pullman, and J.K. Rowling, Jones was a major influence on the landscape of modern fantasy. She received numerous accolades throughout her career, including the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, two Mythopoeic Awards, the Karl Edward Wagner Award, and the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement. In 2004, Howl's Moving Castle was adapted into an acclaimed animated film by Hayao Miyazaki, further expanding her global audience.

Jones studied at Oxford, where she attended lectures by both C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. She began writing professionally in the 1960s and remained active until her death in 2011. Her final novel, The Islands of Chaldea, was completed posthumously by her sister Ursula Jones.

Reviews

[Melissa McShane · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this short book (novella? Novelette?). I mean, Diana Wynne Jones is brilliant, and in this early story she's messing around with POV and the naive narrator like she did with Eight Days Of Luke, so I admire the storytelling. On the other hand, the story itself is unpleasant--an obnoxious houseguest, parents who are too "polite" to kick him out (too wimpy, really), kids who are left to suffer because of him. I mean, Angus Flint actually picks the kids up by the hair and whirls them around. And it's not in an exaggerated, not-realistic way like in Roald Dahl's Matilda. He abuses these kids and the parents do nothing. If it were my house that guy would have been out the door with my foot up his butt. I don't know what Jones was going for here, but it's too cruel to be enjoyable and not exaggerated enough to be funny. So now I've read it for The Big DWJ Read and will move on to a much nicer book.

[Marnanel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Angus Flint invites himself to stay with a family on the basis of a slight acquaintance with their father. He is a terrible guest, and seems intent on staying forever.

From the title, I had assumed this would be a whodunnit. Nobody kills Flint, though I'm sure they'd be happy with him dead: the "got rid of" is about making him leave, and that only happens in the last chapter. You probably won't guess how it happens, though.

This was the first of DWJ's middle-grade books, so the plot is a bit lighter than usual. It's still a good story, and still contains the author's usual trademarks such as magical realism and family squabbling.

DWJ readthrough, #4.

[Rita · Rating 5 out of 5]

found in Stopping for a Spell

[Rebecca]

Pure Comedy