Roll Over Roly

When Rupert's parents have to attend the funeral of his Great Uncle Percy, he is left for the day with his Great Aunt Ada, a truly formidable lady who talks mainly in proverbs, precepts and rhyming exhortations to good behaviour. Her disapproval for Rupert's seeming unruliness extends to his untrained puppy, Roly. But Roly's life of unrestrained puppiness comes to an abrupt end when he is trapped in a room with one of Uncle Percy's heirlooms: an aggressive parrot with a repertoire of stentorian commands. From these ingredients Anne Fine constructs a brief comedy in which, by the time mum and dad return from the funeral, all of the characters except the parrot have evolved in one way or another. This is a very well observed story which might be enjoyed by both children troubled by stern relatives, and the relatives themselves.