Christopher Plummer

King Lear is universally acknowledged as one of Shakespeare's greatest tragic roles. Plummer has played the role under the direction of Sir Jonathan Miller (who, we discover, has directed it six times).

Lord Cucuface arrives at the Old House with a large chunk of prize-winning cheese (for fondue) and a new touring car. While Cucuface takes Miss Clavel for a calamitous driving lesson, the mice eat the cheese.

In the middle of the winter holiday season, Miss Clavel gets called away from the Old House to care for her ailing aunt. Lord Cucuface replaces her with Mr. Grump, who is more of a drill sergeant than headmaster.

Madeline convinces the young Prince of Monaco to remove his crown so he can spend an afternoon as an ordinary boy. But when the children return from the park, the priceless crown is missing. Using her superb detective skills, Madeline launches a citywide search that eventually implicates Pepito!

The newspaper sponsors a treasure hunt leading to a chest full of money. The clues lead the group to famous Paris landmarks, where the girls lose valuable time when they stop to help people in trouble (like a little boy whose sailboat has blown away). When they reach the treasure chest, someone else has arrived there first.

Genevieve digs up a huge bone in the garden that turns out to be a fossilized stegosaurus' hip bone. The girls are thrilled with the discovery until the Old House becomes a dig site and is invaded by hordes of paleontologists and equipment. Calm is briefly restored after Miss Clavel convinces Lord Cucuface to donate the bone to a museum.

After Miss Clavel inspires the girls to read more books, they decide to put on a presentation of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame. " Pepito refuses to play the title role because he is embarrassed to portray an ugly, deformed character. In an attempt to change his mind, the group visits Notre Dame where a scary real-live hunchback swings down from the bell tower and carries off Miss Clavel!

Madeline, Pepito and the girls take the famed Orient Express to Istanbul to compete in the International Spelling Bee. When a snake charmer on the train announces that his prize cobra is missing, Madeline and Pepito volunteer to search for the missing serpent (although the other girls refuse).

It is Madeline's birthday, and Pepito and his father take her to the zoo while Miss Clavel and the girls get the house ready for a surprise birthday party. But when a mischievous monkey lets all the animals out of their cages, Madeline feels responsible and fails to make it home in time for the party. In the end, Miss Clavel relocates the festivities and Madeline gets to celebrate with her animal pals.

The Old House, sorely in need of repair, is condemned and the girls are forced to move to a small apartment where their snooty neighbors hate kids and dogs. But just before the wrecking ball destroys their beloved abode, Madeline enlists the aid of the ladies of the Historical Society, who help get the Old House renovated to perfection.