Someone discuss those ORT books with me...

[ahundredtimes]

Discuss:

1. Why are there so many glasses left abandoned on the ground? Who loses this many pairs of specs?
2. Who is the janitor from the school in the baseball cap? Why is he always lurking? Why does he appear in different costumes on different adventures? What does he know that we don't know?
3. What is it with that man looking over Biff and Chip's fence? Can his dog really jump that high?

There's something going on in these books. Can anyone help?

Anyone out there? You've all been got by the nosy neighbour and weird janitor. It's just me and floppy against the world.

Yes I've wondered about the man looking over the fence too.

Never noticed the glasses tho.

ooh, go look, they're always there. The optician in that town is making a killing.

have you noticed the abandoned bone?

Thought the man in the glasses was Bill Gates or Stephen Spielberg.

I think that there is a lot of detail put in so that the adults who have to read them a million times a year don't go stark staring mad!!!

It also helps to focus children on the books, especially if you have a child who is a capable reader but has a short attention span. You can talk about what is going on as much as read the story.

YES! Lots of those too. That optician is up to something. One memorable time, outside a tree that had a dragon in it, there were piles of bones AND specs together.. . .

lol devious. Perhaps it is Bill Gates, and he's skulking around trying to work out how he can kill off books and replace them with computer tablets instead. He's on the inside undermining Mrs May.

just googled the glasses - apparently, you should be able to find a pair in each book (but that wasn't from an official site)

and the bone, fox? I'm worried about the bone now. Any word on the janitor?

that janitor is creepy - made me think of Ian Huntley when the Soham stuff was going on

yes he is. And unshaven. I think the governors should have a word. But he knows something. He's always there on their adventures. I think he's the owner of the magic key.

perhaps he's a Timelord

Apparently the guy with the beard and glasses (AKA janitor/Viking/zoo keeper)is the illustrator. I got this from another MN thread so it must be true!

Fox pmsl.

Why is the nosy neighbour SO very interested? His wife appeared once, along with their blardy jumping dog too. She didn't look happy. She's a Fence Widow.

singersgirl - THANK YOU. Now I know. (though slightly disturbed by such blatant narcissism on his part)

they are swingers - the neighbour's watching over the fence waiting for Dad to leave.

LOLOLOL.

And that's why Mum's lipstick is a bit smudged and she always looks vaguely hassled. We've got it.

The books are set in Dagenham - isn't there a picture of the Dagenham Girl Pipers in one of the books? Anyone from Dagenham that recognises these strange people (or is a kleptomaniac spectacle collector?)

DS2 had one this week where Kipper falls through an old wicker chair in House for sale or summink. Had us in stitches.

I always snurk at the author being called Roderick Hunt

That house has secrets, Megalegs.

We are still relatively new to ORT, as they only began ORT after reading 3 stages of the old Ladybird Peter & Jane books. Going to have to look at DD's school books more carefully by sounds of it though.

Dagenham? Now I didn't know that. Is that why you can see those rather ominous factory towers from the park?

ooh Dagenham. I'm not due the next ORT instalments (can you feel my excitement) till Friday so I'll have a look then.

wow, you have all been paying so much more attention than me.
my dd loves the nosy neighbour - she rofl whenever she sees him . I will be joining her tonight after your 'swinging' theory foxinsocks.