Losing the plot

"A tremendous whooshing noise started up. It sounded like a million pages being riffled at once. I caught a strong whiff of gingerbread. Then The Complete Fairytales of the Brothers Grimm flew open and a human-shaped blur came shooting out ... Basil Beedon and Terry Clegg are neighbours, and that's all they have in common. Terry loves sport and Basil loves books--but to Basil's absolute dismay, he's been roped into helping Terry with his reading...