Children's book, read it probably back in the '80s.
The heroine is called Victoria. (I'm sure about that because there was a line about her dragging someone onto the Victoria tube line which she 'regarded as her very own, for obvious reasons'.)
The part of the plot I remember was about a couple of guys called the Demolition Gangsters who would go round knocking buildings down for no reason. They had a brilliant little song about this which I liked so much I used to go round singing it and can still remember it fairly well:
'We'll whisk away your ceilings and we'll whisk away your walls,
We'll whisk away your bannisters until your staircase falls,
We'll knock down all your chandeliers and wreck your marble halls,
Then we'll all go marching home
We're the Demolition Gangsters,
The Demon Demolition Gangsters,
Double rubble trouble gangsters,
Now we're off to spend a quiet night at home.'
Anyway, the fantasy part is that there was a magical being who could build the buildings back up again by playing some kind of instrument. However, he needed someone to stand on their head while he did it, and that was Victoria's job. He also had to have a bun beforehand.
Anyone remember this? (Anyone now hate me for having introduced that song into their head where it will run and run all day? You're welcome.)
The heroine is called Victoria. (I'm sure about that because there was a line about her dragging someone onto the Victoria tube line which she 'regarded as her very own, for obvious reasons'.)
The part of the plot I remember was about a couple of guys called the Demolition Gangsters who would go round knocking buildings down for no reason. They had a brilliant little song about this which I liked so much I used to go round singing it and can still remember it fairly well:
'We'll whisk away your ceilings and we'll whisk away your walls,
We'll whisk away your bannisters until your staircase falls,
We'll knock down all your chandeliers and wreck your marble halls,
Then we'll all go marching home
We're the Demolition Gangsters,
The Demon Demolition Gangsters,
Double rubble trouble gangsters,
Now we're off to spend a quiet night at home.'
Anyway, the fantasy part is that there was a magical being who could build the buildings back up again by playing some kind of instrument. However, he needed someone to stand on their head while he did it, and that was Victoria's job. He also had to have a bun beforehand.
Anyone remember this? (Anyone now hate me for having introduced that song into their head where it will run and run all day? You're welcome.)
and you were right about that song!