Aufruhr im Schlaraffenland

Commotion in Cockaigne

Philip (soon to be 12) and his father are off on a hiking holiday – on the way there they pick up Carmen Schultze (who runs a beauty studio in Berlin) and her children Samantha (13) and Justin (5). But then everything goes wrong: Their new, bargain-priced navigation device sends them into a pretty dense forest – and very soon the branches brushing against the windows of the car are replaced by a thick, gooey mass outside. When the car finally comes to a halt, the group find themselves in a curious world. Everywhere they look, they see mouthwatering sweets, and nearby there are fish fingers swimming in a stream. Then suddenly, right out of nowhere, a roast suckling pig scoots across their path. Have they landed bang slap in the middle of the all-inclusive holiday paradise Mrs Schultze and her children were heading for?
At last a slick manager type with a Dobermann pinscher at his side turns up to welcome the newcomers – to Cockaigne! This is all well and good, and to start with the lazy life is great fun, but there is one nagging question Philip and the others cannot help asking themselves: why are they the only people here? Their host, Harry Hempstalk, provides an answer, explaining that the holiday club is still at the trial stage – and that they are its very first guests. So far, so good. But when Philip sees the inscrutable Hempstalk using the Dobermann to drive his workers, things get weirder and weirder. Obviously, there’s something not quite right here! Philip and Samantha decide to get to the bottom of things and on the computer the dubious Hempstalk has carefully hidden away, the pair discover an unbelievable document that immediately sets all their alarm bells ringing…