Character Analysis

Introduction

Of all contemporary pastimes, charity offers the best excuse for fooling about. Without charity there would be no bathing in cold custard, no public displays of depilation and no outlet for tombola. Nobody would ever have entered a shipping lane clad only in Speedos and goosefat. And there would be no charity anthologies, which may not be a bad thing - except that occasionally, as with this book, the carnival misrule of the format produces something novel and touching and fun. This anthology's benefactor is 826 New York, a branch of Dave Eggers's innovative foundation for promoting children's literacy ...