The Amazing Brain of O C Longbotham

Philip James Longbotham is twelve. His nickname is OC and he possesses a most amazing brain. It might not go round corners but it's a whiz at science and plays chess like a dream. It also has a nasty habit of seizing up at the wrong moment; Kitty says it only does that because it's overloaded with maths equations. Kitty and Anna are OC's sisters and they're the reason Mum wants to leave home. OC's best friend is Charles Andrew Sheridan Harris. He lives next door and goes round in an excessively speedy wheelchair. Nicknamed 'The Cash', his ambition is to become the world's greatest villain and make a bankful of money. He's not doing such a bad job of it either! While OC plays chess and does maths and science homework for lazy kids, Cash has a nice sideline in forging sick notes and shop-lifting. When a chess tournament lures the four friends to Birmingham, Cash takes OC to meet Jim Bowie, one of the all-time great villains, with the intention of asking if he can become an...