The Tale of Angelino Brown

Almond's assured, energetic storytelling is in full force in this wonderfully outlandish, funny story of an angel come to earth. When Bert the bus driver feels a fluttering around his chest, he thinks he's having a heart attack. But no: it's an angel in his pocket, a tiny boy angel with (as seen in Smith's frequent pencil illustrations) a topknot of curly hair and a penchant for mini gumdrops and farting. Bert and his wife Betty, the cook at St. Mungo's School, care for the angel as their own and name him Angelino. At school the students love him, even though all he has to say for himself is, "I don't know nowt" and "I don't know who I am." Then he's spotted and kidnapped by young criminal K, whose villainous Boss thinks an angel will sell for millions on the black market, and the race is on. This is a rumbustious mix of over-the-top villains, cheeky giggles, and investigations into the nature of angels, faith, and heroism-as well as being a spirited school story. At its heart, it celebrates messy, inspired, and accidental human-ness, whether in tiny angels, lads "daft as a brush," unconventional art teachers, or ordinary children. The homey, vividly evoked British setting (pints in the pub, telly watching, even the ever-enticing cake and custard) and use of regional diction are part of what gives the tale its appeal, along with Almond's wit, tenderness, and sheer imaginative nuttiness. deirdre f. baker