Uncle and His Detective facts for kids

Uncle and his Detective (1966) is an exciting children's story written by J. P. Martin. It is part of his popular Uncle series of books, which follows the adventures of a kind and wealthy elephant named Uncle.

The Mystery of Badfort and a New Detective

This adventure begins with a big problem: the spooky place called Badfort is for sale! Uncle wants to buy it and turn it into a beautiful park. But someone else, Beaver Hateman, sells it to another person. Hateman even gets to stay there as a paying guest. Uncle is disappointed, but he doesn't give up. He decides to keep exploring his home, Homeward.

Exploring Homeward: Art, Ducks, and a Strange House

As Uncle explores, he finds the Art Gallery. To get there, he walks along Quack Walk, which is between two ponds full of loud and grumpy ducks. On his way, he discovers a mysterious place called Crack House. This house is home to a scary creature named Batty, who is half-bat and half-bird. Batty makes horrible squawking noises.

Batty's Trouble and a Treasure Hunt

Uncle visits the Art Gallery and learns that Batty is causing trouble for the curator and his family. Uncle helps to get Batty kicked out of Crack House. After this, Uncle hears rumors about a hidden treasure inside Crack House! He starts visiting the house often to look for it.

A Detective Arrives and Duck Troubles

Because Uncle visits Crack House so much, the ducks on Quack Walk get used to people passing by. Uncle's friend, Alonzo S. Whitebeard, is a bit greedy. He sees how calm the ducks are and tries to catch one to eat for supper. But the duck bites him hard, and Whitebeard yells in pain, throwing the duck away!

Soon, the detective from the book's title appears. He is a smart and stylish fox named A. B. Fox. Uncle hires him for five shillings a day. A. B. Fox proves to be very good at his job, especially because the Badfort Crowd is always trying to find the treasure themselves.

Finding the Treasure and Celebrating Uncle

After many exciting adventures, Uncle finally finds the treasure! It's a huge block of glowing gold, which they call "dlog" (gold spelled backward). He manages to stop the Badfort Crowd from stealing it. Uncle decides to share the gold with everyone in Homeward, and they are all very grateful.

The people of Homeward celebrate Uncle with songs and cheers. But the celebration is cut short. Even though the Badfort Crowd was defeated, they are not completely gone. A group of young badgers sings a song praising Uncle when a loud, rude voice interrupts them: "See that pompous humbug Unc/On the platform raise his trunk." This shows that the Badfort Crowd is still around and will likely cause more trouble in the future from their old, crumbling headquarters.

Other Ways to Enjoy the Story

Uncle and his Detective was also read aloud by Spike Milligan on the BBC1 TV show Jackanory in 1971. This means you could listen to the story as well as read it!