A house called Awful End / Ardagh, Philip

When both of Eddie's parents catch a disease that makes them turn yellow, go a bit crinkly around the edges, and smell of old hot-water bottles, it's agreed he should go away and stay with relatives at their house. Alas, the house is not the loveliest of places. In fact, it is named Awful End. And the relatives are Mad Uncle Jack and Even Madder Aunt Maud.

Eleven-year-old Eddie Dickens's life becomes one long adventure after his parents are stricken with a strange disease and he is sent to stay with Mad Uncle Jack and Even Madder Aunt Maud at their home, Awful End.

When eleven-year-old Eddie Dickens's ill parents become "a bit crinkly round the edges," he is taken by his great-uncle and great-aunt, Mad Uncle Jack and Mad Aunt Maude, and embarks on adventures that involve strolling actors, St. Horrid's Home for Grateful Orphans, and a carnival float shaped like a giant cow.