The Strange Affair of Adelaide Harris

Timid schoolmaster Mr Brett is striving to teach his class Ancient History. He tells them of the Spartan custom of exposing unwanted infants on the mountain side (looking fearfully at the boys in front of him, he wonders why the custom was ever abandoned). One of the boys, the crafty harris, comes up with the idea of exposing his own infant sister, Adelaide, to see if she will be suckled by a she-wolf (or, this being England in the Regency period, a fox). He enlists the help of his slow-witted but admiring friend Bostock, and together they expose Adelaide and wait hopefully for the fox to turn up. Unfortunately, the baby is rescued by romantic Tizzy Alexander, the schoolmaster's daughter (loved hopelessly by Mr Brett) who takes her home. Her father suspects the worst when his daughter turns up with a baby, and challenges her bumptious admirer Ralph Bunnion to a duel. The hapless Mr Brett finds himself acting as second to both participants. Meanwhile poor Adelaide ends up ina foundling hospital. As Harris and Bostock try desperately to get her back, more and more characters are drawn into a complex web of misunderstandings and deceits. This is an absolutely hilarious book, told in Leon Garfield's inimitable style.

Two boys set out with baby Adelaide, to see if a wolf will adopt her so they might become "famous". Their plan turns into a huge adventure, when Adelaide is taken all the way to the poorhouse. I like the book especially because of the "love".Their is love between the school teacher,Brett,and the beautiful lady Tizzy.I love romance,and adventure. There is also some violence in the story, but not much.It is a very enchanting 16th century book. I recommend it to all who like romance, adventure, and action.

Oh how I wish someone had told me about Leon Garfield when I was a child! I would have just eaten these books right up. Garfield writes beautifully and wittily, with well drawn, likable characters and intelligent dialogue. But his plots! Dear lord, the plots. "The Strange Affair of Adelaide Harris" features the classic Garfield plot structure of beginning with about a dozen characters, sending half in one direction and the other half the opposite way to gradually form a giant circle. Way leads unto zany way as the people in his decidedly eccentric world try desperately to stave off their respective fates, to no avail. The good guy gets the girl, the bad guys end up confused, and Bostock and Harris go on to "Night of the Comet", (which if memory serves is actually a prequel, but never mind). If you have never read one of Leon Garfield's loopy tales, please do so immediately. You won't regret it. And if you like "The Strange Affair of Adelaide Harris" you absolutely MUST read "Black Jack", Garfield's masterwork. Murderers, con-men, insane asylums, the end of the world- it's not be to missed.

This is a book by a well-known writer of novels for young adults, but it isn't really a book for children.It's a comic tale of two troublesome boys, Bostock and Harris, from Dr Bunion's Academy in England in the early 1800s, who decide as an experiment to leave Harris's baby sister, the young Adelaide of the title, exposed to the elements just like the babies of ancient Sparta were (this is just the kind of thing kids pick up from history lessons). They expect a she-wolf to come along to suckle her, but instead .....The book features a wonderful cast of funny characters, my favourites being the scheming and devious Major Alexander, who can't look anyone in the eye, and the awful enquiry agent, Mr Selwyn Raven, who sees a spider web of sin in the world and notes it all down on ever-increasing bits of paper.There is adventure, romance, and some very funny happenings in a delighfully told tale that will have you smiling your way through. Very highly recommended for all readers.