The Kilroys #7

J. Edgar Kilroy desperately seeks a moment of peace and quiet, but every corner of his home—the library, the living room, even the garage—throws fresh chaos his way, from household appliances to family members and pets. When he finally decides to escape it all, his plan goes hilariously sideways and lands him exactly where he's been searching for all along. A clever little comedy about what you have to do to get five minutes alone.

When a reluctant Natch gets roped into impersonating himself to pick up his visiting cousin Clara at the train station—all so he can avoid being seen with her by his girlfriend Judy—he sets in motion a hilarious case of mistaken identity that spirals completely out of control. What Natch doesn't count on is Clara turning out to be nothing like the homely nine-year-old in the old family photo, and his buddy Jackson discovering that playing the part of Natch comes with some very unexpected perks. By the time everyone realizes who's actually who, the whole scheme has backfired in the most satisfying way possible.

When the Teen-Age Center faces closure due to lack of funds, the Kilroys and their friend Jackson decide to take matters into their own hands—by writing a letter to President Truman on behalf of the center's beloved director, Mr. Jones. What starts as a scheme to get the attention of the nation's highest office quickly spirals into something neither the boys nor Mr. Kilroy's father could have predicted, turning the quiet insurance broker into an unlikely public figure. As the consequences of their well-intentioned hoax unfold, the whole town becomes caught up in the whirlwind.

Two kids get caught up in the heat of the moment when holdup men rob the Sweet Tooth malt shop—Jackson can't resist chasing after them like his radio heroes, and drags Natch Kilroy along for the wild ride, complete with a car chase that lands them both in hot water with Officer Farrell. When the dust settles at the police station, it turns out the boys' reckless pursuit actually helped crack the case, but not before some fast talking and a few surprises remind them that real crime fighting is messier than the broadcast adventures they've been dreaming about.

One of the Kilroys gets slapped with a speeding ticket and ordered by his father to sell his beloved jalopy to pay the fine—but when he trades it to a shady used-car dealer for far less than it's worth, his quick thinking with a borrowed set of drums teaches his old man a lesson about which nuisance he can really tolerate. It's a clever bit of comeuppance that turns the tables on both a crooked dealer and an overly strict parent, with the Kilroys pulling off a scheme that gets everyone what they actually want.