Harriet Huxtable is not happy. Mr Penny, her wonderful teacher, is away from school and the relief teacher Mr Rugless is awful – he doesn’t play the saxophone and he knows nothing about cricket. What’s worse is that the reason Mr Penny is away is that he has an interview at a school in the city. If he gets it he’ll be leaving.
Harriet and her best friend Sophie hatch a plan to keep Mr Penny in town. If they can find him a wife he won’t leave and Mr Rugless won’t be their permanent teacher. Great plan – now all they have to do is find the wife!
Harriet and Sophie have loads of fun and some awkward moments as they search for the perfect woman for Mr Penny, avoid the grumpy Mr Rugless, and even manage to find Harriet’s father’s missing body part.
A funny read.
Harriet Huxtable and the Trouble With Teachers, by Louise Pike
Omnibus, 2003