Terence Blacker

Because his life is a bit of a mess, thirteen-year-old Danny Bell agrees to let ParentSwap(tm) try to match him with his ideal parents, but he soon realizes that the company is about more than giving adolescents a new start.

When Matthew's crazy American cousin suddenly arrives on his doorstep, it's a bit shock for the whole family. Sam is small, blonde and wild - with a giant attitude problem - and he immediately starts to wreak havoc on Matthew's social life. Desperate to get their own back, Matthew and his best friends cook up a birlliant, outrageous plot that will humiliate Sam AND deal a stunning blow to the bitchiest girls at school. Victory is theirs until Operation Sam runs hysterically out of control...

Prato Prize in 1963 John Florio Prize for translation for Isabel Quigly 1967