(George) -- E. L. Konigsburg

Until recently, this was one of the few books by E. L. Konigsburg that I hadn't been able to get my hands on--and of course, I found it at a book sale when I wasn't even thinking of it.  (You know how that works, right?)

It's very definitely one of her stranger books:

Only two people knew that George was probably the funniest little man in the whole world and that he used foul language.  Howard Carr knew, and so did Howard's older brother, Benjamin Dickinson Carr.  Benjamin knew because the funniest little man in the whole world lived inside of him, and Howard knew because, except for Ben, he was the only other person that George had ever spoken out loud to.  For a long time.  For all the years until the year of Benjamin's sixth grade when the events to be written here happened.  Until then, even their mother had not known that when she gave birth to Benjamin, she had given birth to concentric twins.

So, of course, when George actually speaks out in public, everyone thinks that Benjamin is a schizophrenic.  Especially his beastly stepmother (who was my favorite, in a oh-my-god-could-she-be-any-more-horrible? way):

"But I think that you can be helped, with professional assistance.  I've discussed this with your father, and after listening outside your room, he's convinced that I'm right.  I want you to know, Ben, that it wasn't easy convincing your father that you're crazy.  He is still your father and feels very warm towards you.  But I persisted, and finally, he agreed."

As it was written in 1970, I didn't have a difficult time figuring out what Ben's former lab partner was secretly making in the chem lab over vacation.  (Here's a hint--he told Ben that the box of sugar cubes was for coffee, even though there wasn't a coffee pot in the lab).

Yet more proof that E. L. Konigsburg doesn't know how to write a bad book.