Archer's Goon

A novel by Diana Wynne Jones. The protagonist's father--an author--is visited by a mysterious figure, who demands that he write two thousand words of gibberish.

Tropes include:

 * Amnesiac Dissonance
 * Ambiguously Gay: Torquil. Has a great love for theatrical outfits (eyeliner included), shopping, and disco dancers. This trope is even more true for the TV miniseries.
 * Dumb Muscle: The Goon.
 * Fountain of Youth.
 * Large and In Charge
 * Left Hanging: The origins of the seven siblings is never explained.
 * Luke, I Am Your Father: Only with siblings.
 * Man of Wealth and Taste: Archer, more so in the miniseries than the book.
 * Mouthy Kid: Awful.
 * Muggle Foster Parents
 * Obfuscating Stupidity.
 * Overnight Age-Up
 * Portal to The Past: A door in the museum turns out to be a portal. Handy.
 * Rewriting Reality: Archer enchants a typewriter to do this.
 * Stripperiffic / Hell-Bent for Leather: Shine. She's somewhat fatter than your usual Vamp, though.
 * Timey-Wimey Ball
 * Tomboy and Girly Girl: Shine and Dillian.
 * Where Does He Get All Those Wonderful Toys?: Paid for by taxes, it turns out.
 * Tomato in The Mirror