"An enchanting new episode in the fictionalised life of Billy Hopkins, with whom readers have travelled happily since his birth in 1920s Manchester, through the war years and on to the swinging sixties. Billy Hopkins is thrilled to be released from the trials and tribulations of teaching when he takes early retirement. He's just buzzing with ideas for filling his time and making a spare buck - whether it's investing in apparently fail-safe business enterprises, starting up himself as an entrepreneur specialising in doll's houses or writing up the story of his life. Only one of those is likely to have the desired result on the financial front - but Billy's hilarious descriptions of his efforts, together with lovely glimpses of his ever-expanding family, make WHATEVER NEXT! a delightful and absolutely satisfying novel, which will update on-going readers and introduce many new ones to the unique world of the Hopkins household."--Jacket.