When Lisa discovers that her idol – and the author of the Angelica Buttons book series – is in fact just a cog in a marketing conglomerate and serves as a front for a team of ghostwriters, she vows to write her own book – and Homer vows to game the market and grow his own pot of gold.

This parody of the Oceans 11 series is razor sharp and refreshingly intelligent – it has quite a number of rather piquant things to say about how books are marketed.You had to feel for Lisa, who both got what she wanted and didn’t want out of the publishing game.

Homer was bumbling, shiftless, and hilarious, but Bart was the one who sparkled the most, as well as Patty and Moe.

The use of Neil Gaiman was creative and even funny; “British Fonzie” was an apt way to describe him in this plot.I normally object to guest stars getting huge chunks of screentime when they’re playing themselves, but Gaiman was amazingly funny, even though his readings were occasionally wooden.

I have to note that this was a particularly wacky episode – it was also an hilarious one.If you’re willing to put up with one facet of the mix, “The Book Job” is an enchanting brew.

LETTER GRADE: A