Mental Health and The Illustrated Mum

I recently re-read Jacqueline Wilson's brilliant novel The Illustrated Mum with the view to writing my first MA assignment on it. However, things changed, other ideas came up, and i'm off on a different tack now, but I couldn't get this book out of my head. So I thought i'd share a few of my thoughts about it with you.

 If you haven't read it, and think you might want to, I'll give you a quick heads up.... this post contains SPOILERS!!!

The Illustrated Mum is a story about two sisters Star and Dolphin, and their mum Marigold. Marigold is no ordinary mum, she's creative, covered in tattoos, likes to party, and dresses like a teenage girl. There is nothing of the traditional mum about Marigold! But there's something else you need to know about Marigold, she has bipolar disorder.

Jacqueline Wilson has always tackled tough, and you might even say taboo, subjects in her literature for children; adoption, loss, broken families and mental health issues being just a few. Although she had a conventional and happy upbringing Wilson has an amazing ability to enter the heads of children in tough situations and really sympathise with their issues, worries and concerns. She tackles tricky subjects with honesty, compassion and huge emotional complexity. Her characters jump off the page at you, and are so appealing that you just can't help but fall in love with them. Wilson's books are life-lines for children suffering with the same issues as her characters, giving them encouragement and telling them it will be ok. Even if those issues are just the trials of growing up, Wilson is there for her readers. I would certainly put her up there with J.K Rowling as an author of life-saving books!

Seen through the eyes of the youngest daughter Dolphin, The Illustrated Mum charts the peaks and troughs of a parent with bipolar disorder. We see Marigold at her best and her worst, and everything in between. It is a candid look at mental health and how it effects not just the sufferer but the people around them.

A major cause of Marigold's unhappiness is her break up with Star's father Micky. She holds on to his memory, hoping that he will come back to her, but when he finally does return, he only wants his daughter, Star. The pain this causes Marigold sends her into a dark place, and it is here that this book takes on a whole new light. We are introduced to Marigold's manic episodes quite gently, with her obsessions with Micky and her tattoos, and her childlike behaviour. But as the book continues we frequently see her drinking far too much, and neglecting her children. At no point however, does Wilson imply that Marigold is a bad mother to her girls, and you never feel like you should dislike her. Marigold doubts her own abilities as a mother, but we are never explicitly told that she is a terrible mum. Dolphin is constantly reassuring her that she is good enough and that they love her very much, a reminder of the unconditional love between child and parent, despite the problems they might face. Star on the other hand, the elder of the two girls, is very aware of her mother's "bad behaviour". She has had to take on the role of "mother" instead, looking after Dolphin and Marigold as well as her school work, and she works very hard at both. Often having to make sure that she and her sister eat, she is a much more reliable mother figure than Marigold is. So when Micky appears in her life and offers her a "normal" life, away from the stresses of looking after Marigold she jumps at it! She leaves her mum and sister behind to go to Brighton to live with her Dad. She is supposed to take Dolphin with her, but ever loyal to Marigold, she refuses to go.

This is when the story changes. At the loss of both Micky and her daughter Marigold's bipolar disorder becomes markedly worse, and eventually she has a breakdown. Dolphin finds her in the middle of night, painted head to toe in white gloss paint, almost glowing in the darkness; a ghost. The passage is quite frightening, and the spectral imagery is haunting. You feel for this child, who has no choice but to deal with the horrific events unfolding in front of her. Trying to wipe out her tattoos in an attempt to become what she considers a "normal" mother, Marigold has painted herself white, and refuses to move until the paint has dried, muttering to herself and staring into space. A panicked Dolphin tries to get the paint off of her, but both the stubbornness of the paint and the stubbornness of Marigold prevent her from doing so. She has to call an ambulance and Marigold is hospitalised.

Still in primary school, Dolphin has to deal with so much, far too early. Wilson's ability to get into the head of her characters really allows you to feel what Dolphin is feeling, especially as the book is written from Dolphin's point of view. Reading this book as a child I don't remember this scene as quite so horrific. As an adult I actually found it quite disturbing, and I felt a great emotional pull towards Marigold, as well as Dolphin. I think Jacqueline Wilson deals with the issue of mental health in a sensitive and non-judgemental way. We are never seeing Marigold as just her illness, but instead as a person. We are constantly reminded that she is a woman, through the repeated motif of her tattooed body. Each chapter is named after, and features, one of Marigold's tattoos, making her body the structure of the story itself. Although the story focuses on her mental health issues, Wilson also portrays her a real person; someone with a huge personality and enormous creative flair. As an adult reader I found the character of Marigold hugely appealing, whereas I think a child reader would feel much more drawn to the girls.

We are only just breaking down the taboos concerning talking about mental health, and its 2016! Jacqueline Wilson wrote The Illustrated Mum in 1999! You could say she was ahead of her time in some respects. These days teen fiction deals with mental health issues quite freely, but in 1999 a book aimed at an even younger audience was addressing one of the biggest issues of our time, and doing it with style, sensitivity and care.

Thanks for reading, L x

No.88 - The Adventures of Captain Underpants!

Captain Underpants stands for "all things pre-shrunk and cottony!" and fights crime using y-fronts! Created by friends Harold and George, the comic book hero comes to life when they hypnotise their school Principle so he believes that he is in fact the pant-clad superhero! Dav Pilkey's wonderfully silly story The Adventures of Captain Underpants is the only book I know to claim to have both 'Wedgie Power' and 'Flip-o-Rama', and what a difference that makes! No, honestly! This is a classic book for reluctant readers! The good smattering of toilet humour is an instant attraction! This particular story includes as rubber dog poo, a evil villain in a nappy who falls foul to said poo (no pun intended), and a good amount of references to pants! It is also full of practical jokes, general mischief and downright silliness. The perfect combination!

When my boyfriend came over on Friday afternoon he found me at my desk whisking off emails to various people and having a think about my upcoming essay (more about that another day). Whilst I finished my admin he picked up the copy of The Wind in the Willows that was on my desk and proceeded to read excerpts to me, with all the voices! This was of course hilarious, so we decided to find other things he could read. We decided that The Adventures of Captain Underpants should be next! He'd read it when he was small and was keen to relive the adventure! So we snuggled up in my room and spent the whole afternoon reading. It was lovely! I faintly remember having read this book when I was small, but I wasn't sure, so I came to it with hardly any prior knowledge. It was great! I think having it read to me, complete with a myriad of American accents (!), made it all the better. I can't imagine having put that amount of animation or expression into it had I read it quietly to myself. He made it really enjoyable! 

So just for you, here is a taster of Martin reading Captain Underpants. George and Harold have just been busted by their Principle for causing havoc at a school football game, uh oh! (If you can't see the video below then you can watch it here)

I asked Martin why the Captain Underpants books appealed to him when he was small?

" I immediately found the idea of it really funny. I loved reading them because I loved the style and the humour and how the illustrations would tell their own mini stories in tandem with the text, like George and Harold changing around the letters on the school signs to make rude and silly phrases. For small books a huge amount was contained in them. The stories were hugely eventful, and each book would include an issue of George and Harold's Captain Underpants to read as part of the story (which resonated with me as a boy because I saw myself in that. I too loved writing). There was also a cool section in each book called Flip-o-rama which involved flipping a page back and fourth to animate two images which was loads of fun. I think the best part of Captain Underpants was that they were just plain funny and I remember the books were a good way of bringing me and my peers at primary school together, as we had that humour in common. "

I too remember these books being a huge hit with boys when I was growing up, and to be fair they probably still are. It has been proven that boys come to reading in a different way to girls, and that often they are slower to pick up the reading bug. The Captain Underpants books seem to be the remedy to this. My experience is that once hooked boys seem to devour the whole series, and come out of it wanting to read. I showed just the cover to my cousin Archie, who's five, and he was instantly interested, I didn't even need to read it! These, and other series that attract boys like magnets, should be treasured! We need more!

I would thoroughly recommend The Adventure of Captain Underpants to any one who fancies a laugh! It is the perfect book for reading aloud and will delight children and adults alike!

Thanks for reading, and listening! L x

Next up Carrie's War by Nina Bawden.

No.89 - Mary Poppins

Mary Poppins is best known as the flying nanny with the talking umbrella portrayed by Julie Andrew's in the famous Disney musical of 1964. But the real Mary Poppins was actually created 30 years before by Pamela Travers, or P.L Travers, as she was known. Travers wrote the first Mary Poppins book, which is the one that I have been reading, in 1934, but she went on to write 7 more tales of the English nanny and her magical adventure, the last of which was published in 1988.

The Disney film is based on the first four books, Mary Poppins, Mary Poppins Comes Back, Mary Poppins Opens the Door, and Mary Poppins in the Park. However, when I say based, I really mean very loosely indeed! From reading just the first book here are some differences I have spotted:

1. Bert is a peripheral character, not like Dick Van Dyke's cockney (!?) lead. 

2. Jane and Michael are not the only Banks children! There are also Barbara and John, the baby twins. 

3. Mary Poppins is not as lovely as Julie Andrews makes her out to be!

4. She is also not as posh as Julie Andrew makes her out to be!

5. The adventures in the book are so much more exciting than those in the film!

I could go on! 

Really the film and the books are non-comparable. They are so different from each other that I can see why Travers got so upset when she saw the film for the first time, and why she was so against selling the film rights in the first place. I love the musical, but I also really enjoyed the version of Mary portrayed in this book. She's a bit tougher on the children, a huge liar when it comes to admitting that she's magic and she really very very vain, but she is also wonderfully charming! I think the children both adore her, but are also quite scared of her too! 

As i've already said, the adventures in the book are far more exciting than anything that happens in the film. The laughing tea party on the ceiling is taken from the book, and they do 'Feed the birds, tuppence a bag'! The chalk painting excursion is also featured, although it is only Bert and Mary who go, and there are no race horses! But the Banks children and Mary Poppins also get up to some other great things too! When Michael gets up on the wrong side of the bed and is ghastly to everyone Mary takes them around the world in a minute. At each compass point they meet an animal from that part of the world who gives them a gift. In the original book these were people from each part of the world but this was deemed un-PC and they were changed to animals in the later editions. Mary Poppins also introduces the children to a very tiny, old lady made of butterscotch who runs a sweet shop with her two daughters. They later help Mary put paper stars back in the night sky. The children also take a night time trip to the zoo, where they find people in the cages and the animals roaming free, fully personified. The final story, which I think is lovely, is that of Maia. The children and Mary Poppins are out christmas shopping where they are met by a little girl. She is Maia, one of the seven Pleiades stars, known as the Seven Sisters. She has come down to earth to buy christmas presents for her sisters, and Mary Poppins and the children agrees to help her. Travers' original tales are truly charming, and certainly magical!

Last week I read a particularly interesting essay by Maria Tatar called A Thousand and One Tales, and in she refers to Lois Lowry's term 'Elsewhere'. Tatar explains that: 

'Elswhere is found in fairytales and fantasies - it is everything from "Once upon a time" to Wonderland, Narnia, Oz, Neverland, and Hogwarts... Elsewhere is a zone that... [gives] us what could be rather than what should be. It opens up perils and possibilities, creating an alternate world where magical thinking is validated and affirmed...' *

This got me thinking. 

If Narnia is 'Elsewhere', then the wardrobe must be the portal to 'Elsehwere', and if "Once upon a time" can transport us to these magical places, then maybe a person could too. I think Mary Poppins can be seen as a portal to Tatar and Lowry's 'Elsewhere'. Without her the children could not experience the magical events that occur in the book. She transports them to these places using her own magical powers. Magical thinking is both 'validated and affirmed'* in Mary Poppins's world. However, when they are back in reality she denies that any of the magic actually happened. Tatar suggests that 'The reality principle is soundly defeated in Elsewhere, if only to show that it is inescapable in our ordinary lives.'*. Mary Poppins' behaviour is the embodiment of this statement. By denying that anything magical ever happened, she actually makes the magic more magical and the reality even more real. Its a pity that Disney ironed out these extremes in a way. Although the magical nature of the musical is all well and good the actual stories have their mysterious sides too, which add to their appeal. 

With the current trend to remake the classic Disney films, I would love to see a film that really embraces the true nature and magic of P.L Travers books. In 2014 there was a hoax suggesting that Tim Burton was to remake the story, and frankly I would have loved to have seen that! However, I have discovered that there is new Mary Poppins film, Mary Poppins Returns, planned for release in 2018, starring Emily Blunt as our beloved nanny, so all we can do is wait, hope and watch this space! 

Thanks for reading, L x

Next up is The Adventures of Captain Underpants! A favourite of many so I have heard!

*Tatar, Maria, (2009) "A Thousand and One Tales" from Hearne, Betsy and Trites, Roberta Seelinger, A narrative compass: stories that guide women's lives, pp.39-46 (particular quotes from p. 43), Urbana, Illinois, University of Illinois Press.

The Lost Beatrix Potter Story: The Tale of Kitty-in-Boots

Last week marked a historic moment for all lovers of Beatrix Potter's classic animal tales. A new story was posthumously published, one that had lain forgotten for around 100 years! Beatrix Potter had written The Tale of Kitty-in-Boots in 1914, over 10 years after her first children's book The Tale of Peter Rabbit was published, but it never became more than just a manuscript. Some suggest that the advent of the First World War may have, among other things, interrupted the completion of the Kitty story, which was found with only one illustration and here it is.

It is a charming tale about a cat who enjoys poaching! Kitty or Miss Catherine St Quintin (as she likes to call herself!) likes to don a 'gentleman's Norfolk jacket and little fur-lined boots' and brandish an air-gun at every opportunity! The story follows her as she sneaks out at night to go hunting, switching places with another black cat called Winkiepeeps, so as not to arouse the suspicions of her doting owner. Here she encounters a range of wonderfully personified characters, some a little more familiar than others! She picks up her gun from her friend Cheesebox the cat, and then accidentally shoots Mrs Tiggywinkle (thankfully she only hits her bag of washing!)! She then tries to shoot mice, crows and sheep, before coming across two naughty poaching ferrets Slimmy Jimmy and John Stoat-Ferret, who are pleasingly clad in flat-caps and waistcoats. The two ferrets are after rabbits and it is here that our famous friend Peter Rabbit makes an appearance! Kitty stalks Peter for a while, but luckily doesn't shoot him because 'he was wearing such an elegant jacket' (in true Beatrix Potter style!). The story is not yet over for Kitty however, as she soon finds herself caught in a poachers trap! How ironic! Mrs Tiggywinkle saves her and we are told that she gets away 'with the loss of one toe'! Potter has often been praised for not talking down to her readers and this clearly shows it! Children's literature critic Peter Hollindale once called Potter a 'post-fabulist naturalist', suggesting she was keen to focus on the realities of the natural world, whilst also taking inspiration from the animal fable genre. She doesn't shy away from the consequences of poaching, especially when Mrs Tiggywinkle turns up (alive) in a bag full of furs, half eaten rabbits and a cat's tail! In the end Kitty gives up poaching and establishes a life as a genteel cat, having tea parties and only associating with respectable animals.

Discovered with just the one illustration, a new illustrator had to be found in order for this little gem to be unleashed on the world! What would happen to The Tale of Kitty-in-Boots without it's trademark drawings? 

Cue national treasure Sir Quentin Blake! 

I love Quentin Blake's illustrations! From Roald Dahl's stories, to his own poetry, and even his murals for hospitals, his art is full of a playfulness and joy! I recently had the opportunity to choose one of his illustrations for an exhibition at my local art gallery. You can see my choice Parrot's Toast here! 

Now, like many people, despite my love of Blake's gorgeous illustrations I was wondering how this slightly crazy, vibrant style was going to fit with the calm and genteel style of Potter's writing. I had no need to worry! Yes, they are scratchy and full of movement, and not at all like Beatrix's delicate, soft animal drawings, but this is not a negative point by any means! You just need to look at the cover to see how well he has portrayed the slightly bizarre character of Kitty! Although strikingly different to Potter's portrayal, the slightly mad glint in Kitty's eye seems to work so well with her character! She was almost too serious before!

It's so lovely to see Potter's story interpreted in a different way. The format of the book has remained in keeping with the original stories with the words and pictures on opposite pages, like windows into this secret animal world. Blake's illustrations are fitting to the story and he has interpreted the characters we know and love extremely well, so that you feel you are looking at the same character despite style differences.

All in all it is a beautiful homage to the world and writing of Beatrix Potter. 

Thanks for reading , L x

No.90 - The Brilliant World of Tom Gates

So, I've reached number 90, meaning I have officially completed a 10th of my challenge!!! Huzzah!! 

I think my favourite book from the first 10 has got to be Inkheart by Cornelia Funke, and I urge everyone who hasn't read it to go out and find a copy ASAP! You'll enjoy it! I'd also like to say how much I loved Michael Foreman's beautifully illustrated memoir War Boy, and again I urge you all to have a look at it! 

This post's book is The Brilliant World of Tom Gates by Liz Pichon. Now, so far on this journey the books I've read haven't particularly felt like children's books. Thomas the Tank Engine has probably been the most childlike book so far, but even that felt quite grown up due to its old fashioned writing style. In a stark contrast to this Liz Pichon's book screams 'I AM FOR CHILDREN!!'. The cover itself exudes mischief, fun and childhood, to the point where it would seem that this book has actually been written and illustrated by the main protagonist Tom. And this is exactly Pichon's intention! The cover is as symbolic as the 'Keep Out' sign you might find on a teenagers door or diary, and as an adult reader I almost felt like I was prying! Tom, whom I would place at about 10 years old, is the heart and soul of this book and to all intents and purposes the book is written by him. When you open this book it's not your traditional print book, but instead it is more of a journal or notebook in which 'Tom' has doodled and recorded his life. Just take a look! 

Pichon absolutely succeeds in making you believe that this is the genuine article rather than a work of fiction, and I can imagine that this is very appealing for a pre-teen reader! I think some children, and in particular boys, as many studies have proven, struggle with a traditional print book. This is not to say that their reading skills are below average, but I just think that for some children the idea of a block of text can be quite daunting. What Pichon has achieved here, and in the rest of the Tom Gates series, is a book that is totally accessible. It's numerous amusing doodles, annecdotes and stream of conciousness style of writing keeps the readers attention in a way that a print book just can't. Children can't get bored of Tom Gates's world because the story changes and develops at such a fast pace! For an adult reader this was hard to keep up with and I struggled a little trying to put myself in the place of a 10 year old boy who liked nothing more than annoying his older sister and was obsessed with a rock band called Dude 3!! However, for many 10 year olds this will no doubt strike a chord, and I'll admit that some of Tom's world seemed familiar even to me! (In particular the trial of bumping into a teacher outside of school! Who doesn't remember how weird that was!? And Tom's teacher was wearing leather trousers!! Awkward!) 

I take my hat off to Liz Pichon for creating a book that so wonderfully (and amusingly, may I add) gets into the headspace and world of Tom. She makes it seems so effortless, and this is the beauty of this book. I would certainly recommend it to anyone who is struggling to get a child into reading, in particular boys. It's a quick read, full of wit, mischief and in some ways the reality of school life when you're 10! The embarrassment of parents, the importance of seeing your favourite band, and the horror of school photos and parents evening! The doodles make it endearingly fun and there is even an interactive element, with a lesson on how to draw Tom's older sister Delia at the back! 

Although I was extremely conscious that this book was aimed at a child audience and felt like I was in forbidden territory, for the intended readership I think The Brilliant World of Tom Gates is a very original, enjoyable book that shouldn't be missed! 

Thanks for reading! L X

In other news I'm going to be taking a little break from the blog in September while I make preparations and get started on my MA in Children's Literature! It's all very exciting, but there is so much reading to do that I am going to have to focus on that for a bit. I'm hoping though that what I learn will inform my reading of the books on this list, and in turn produce more interesting posts for you to read, so it's a win win situation! Don't worry though, it won't be long before I'm back here telling you all about the course and the next book on the list, Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers! L x

No. 91 - Saffy's Angel

In the last week or so i've had so many ideas for this blog that I think my head might explode!! I've made lists of things that i'd like to try out, so hopefully there'll be a lot more than just book reviews happening in this space soon! If you read my last post about books vs films then you'll have got a little flavour of things to come, including more engagement with children, and topics other than the books that i'm reading. I'm really hoping to expand what Little Bookworm is about! 

Anyway, today is another review. This time its number 92 on my list, Saffy's Angel by Hilary McKay.

The title seemed familiar and when I read the synopsis I realised that i'd read this book when I was younger, so I was quite interested to see how I would feel coming back to it as an adult. The story is about Saffy, a 13 year old girl who goes to Italy in search of a stone angel left to her in her Grandfather's will. I can't remember my exact opinion of this book from when I was small, but i'm afraid to say that as an adult reader I found the story a little thin, which is a shame. However, what I absolutely love about this story is Hilary McKay's characterisation!

The story centres around the Casson family, a loveable, but truly chaotic family of six. Bill and Eve Casson are artists, and their three children, Cadmium (Caddy), Indigo and Rose are all named after paint colours, which is a really lovely touch. Saffron (Saffy) is adopted, she is the daughter of Eve's sister, who died in a car accident whilst living in Italy. Her name does not appear on the paint chart in their kitchen, and this was how she discovered that Bill and Eve were not really her parents. McKay deals with the concept of adoption in a gentle and sensitive way by placing great emphasis on the closeness of the Casson family children, including Saffy. She refers them as a pack. They all stick up for each other, each offering their own individual strength to family life, and this is how they muddle along together.

Each character has their own individual quirky nature, making them wonderfully endearing, and this is what I love about this book! Caddy, the eldest, is scatty, away with the fairies a lot of time, and breeds Guinea Pigs in the front garden! She dreams of studying Zoology at university and going to work in Africa, just as soon as she manages to pass her A Levels. Then there is Indigo, the only boy of the pack, he has dreams of becoming an Arctic explorer once he's faced his fears and feels brave enough to leave his sisters. He spends a lot of time sitting on the outside edge of his window sill confronting his fear of heights! The smallest Casson child is Rose, known to her siblings as Permanent Rose, because she was very poorly as a baby but now she's not going anywhere (coincidently, it's also a paint colour). She loves art, and is always painting something, somewhere in the house; she also eats paint which her mum believes made her a stronger baby! Mum Eve, spends all her time painting in her shed and unfortunately sometimes forgets she has children to look after, hence the need for the Casson kids to stick together. Their long-suffering dad Bill spends most his time in his London studio, escaping the chaos that is his family! And finally there is Saffy, not a true Casson, but loved by them all the same. She is much calmer than the others and has a bit more of a grasp on reality. As you can see McKay has excelled in creating characters that really grasp the readers attention. By giving so much background and character information within the story readers can identify with the characters in the best way possible; as if they were their family or friends, or even themselves. Even I found myself wishing that I had a sister like Caddy, and thinking wouldn't it be nice to live in a house like theirs. However, realistically I don't think my nerves could take it!! I'm more like Bill Casson than i'd care to admit!

Despite being a fairly ordinary story of a teenager on a journey of personal discovery, McKay manages to create a whole extraordinary domestic world in which it can happen. From the house itself, to what's for dinner, the Casson's slightly dysfunctional home life is a joy! I am pleased to say that there are three more books in the Casson family series, and despite not loving this story, I feel compelled to read the next books to find out what happens to these wonderful characters as they grow up! The Casson family is not a family you can forget about quickly!

Thanks for reading! L x

Next up is The Brilliant World of Tom Gates by Liz Pichon.

Books vs Films

Is it better to read the book or see the film? Or is there merit in both? For years now I've always slightly considered film adaptations of books inferior to the books themselves, in particular films of children's books! It upsets me greatly that a child might only know who The Cat in the Hat or The Grinch is because they've seen the films! I can't bear the thought of children not exploring the books I loved when I was little, or worst still, not even knowing they exist! Children these days seem to watch a lot more films, and they seem even more readily available with on demand viewing and digital downloads common in most houses (don't even get me started!). I suppose i'm just really scared that the book will go extinct and the children of today will grew up not knowing the pleasure of getting lost in a book, instead of screen.

The only film adaptation of children's stories that I can remember when I was a child were the Disney films, and as I now know, these were grossly different to the texts from which they took their names! You only have to watch the film Saving Mr Banks to see what liberties Walt Disney took with author's original works! If you haven't seen this film, its about P.L Travers, creator of the wonderful Mary Poppins, and the struggle she went through when Walt Disney 'Disney-fied' her beloved books. Its well worth a watch! Anyway, if adaptations were around they were more than likely to be on the tele, but I don't seem to remember there being that many, which I suppose is why I'm biased towards the book! I read, A LOT, and so books were a huge part of my childhood. 

Anyway, recently i've come to realise that the adaptation may not be so bad after all, and frankly I shouldn't be such a book snob! The more I thought about the film/TV adaptation vs the book I realised that I too was guilty of enjoying film or TV before book. I actually don't think I would have read a lot of the novels i've read if it wasn't for the BBC! I read Tess of the D'Urbevilles after watching the tele adaptation, and the same can be said for Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen), The Ladies Paradise (Emile Zola), and Cider with Rosie (Laurie Lee). And of course i'd be lying if I said i'd read all the Harry Potter books before i'd seen the films! The films actually inspired me to read the books! Often i've enjoyed an adaptation on the tele or seen a really good film version of a book, my first thought is 'I need to read this!', so this left me wondering whether seeing a film could also inspire a child to read a book? I could deal with that! Maybe film adaptations might not be the route of all evil after all.....

If you know me you'll know I have a Lilia (7) and an Archie (4), my little second cousins. When I went to see them the other day they were buzzing about having just seen the brand new film adaptation of The BFG. It is the must-see film of the summer holidays and they told me it was great! I was very pleased to hear that having seen the film Lilia was now keen to read the story, so we grabbed the book and started reading, taking it in turns. It was really lovely to see her engaging with the story and the characters. I think having seen the film, and therefore now knowing the story, she was able to enjoy the book more and have a greater understanding of Dahl's tale. Below is a drawing she did of the BFG himself, after we read his description in the book. I love it!

So could seeing the film of a book actually encourage children to read and enhance their understanding and enjoyment of a story? Absolutely! I've certainly got a more open mind on this subject now. I think children will always eventually find these books, even if they've seen a film adaptation. In fact seeing the film may even make them seek out the book! As much as on demand tele allows for films to become a regular event, I think reading will still play a huge role in the lives of children. So, to answer my original question, there's certainly merit in both film and book and whatever sparks a child's imagination and gets them reading, i'm for it!! 

Thanks for reading, L x

No.92 Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief

I was totally prepared to hate this book. I'd convinced myself that I didn't like American children's fiction, let alone American teen fiction! And did you really expect me to enjoy a book that seemingly mixed the American high-school genre with a no doubt dodgy take on classical mythology?

Low and behold I opened the book and was greeted by a self-centred, troubled teenager telling me not to read on if I believed I was a 'half-blood' too; at this point I nearly gave up on the whole thing! However, remembering that I had pledged to read 100 books, and giving up on number 92 would be ridiculous, I ploughed on! And i'm really glad I did! 

Yes, it was a bit cheesy, yes it was somewhat predictable, and yes, it had a slightly dubious take on Greek mythology, but i'll admit Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief was a real page turner and to my surprise I actually enjoyed it! 

The story is narrated by Percy Jackson, a twelve year old boy who discovers that he is a demigod or half-blood. It turns out that Percy's mum had a fling with the Greek god Poseidon and Percy was the result! As I said the story has an interesting take on Greek mythology! However dubious, everyone whose anyone in Greek mythology features in this book! Zeus, Hades, Poseidon, Dionysus, Ares, Medusa, to name but a few. And Percy finds himself face-to-face with many a mythical creature too, he fights the Minotaur, the Furies, Cerberus the three-headed dog (think Fluffy in The Chamber of Secrets), and a Chimera. Therefore, its a good job he goes to stay at Camp Half-Blood. 

Camp Half-Blood is a summer camp that teaches children like Percy how to do what a demigod should do; it is like Hogwarts for children who are half Greek god. It is run by headmaster and alcoholic Dionysus the god of wine, his deputy Chiron, a centaur, and some Satyrs (half goat, half man). Percy's best friend Grover, whom he met at his last school turn out to be one of these Satyrs, apparently putting trousers and trainers on completely disguises goat legs! Anyway, as well as Grover, Percy makes another friend, Annabeth, daughter of Athena. Like her mother Annabeth is known for her intelligence, logic and reason; she is somewhat of an intellectual, with a thirst for knowledge and a cool head in a crisis. Sound familiar? Yes I thought so too. Annabeth sounds very much like Hermione Granger don't you think? Once i'd picked up on this it was really hard not to see Percy as a Harry type character and Grover in some ways as Ron (it didn't help that i'd imagined him with ginger hair!). Although Percy has a mother (who dies temporarily) and a father who is a god, he spends a lot of time in boarding schools giving him a hint of the orphaned boy character, a well used protagonist in much children's literature, from Dicken's Oliver Twist to our beloved Harry Potter, and lots of other characters in between. Riordan uses this stereotype to endear his readers to Percy, making us feel a little sorry for him, as well as backing him in his fight against evil. The main plot of the story involves Percy and his friends going on a quest to return Zeus's Master Bolt to the god after it is stolen. 

Here are my high points from the quest:

• Percy has a really cool pen that turns into a sword! 
• Medusa owns a garden gnome emporium! Somewhere she can sell all the people she has turned to stone of course. 
• Percy encounters a water-bed salesman who is in fact a mythological creature.
• Demigods and other mythological creatures communicate through 'iris-messaging', which is like video-calling through a rainbow.
• The underworld is situated in a recording studio in L.A.

I would actually recommend this book! It was a fun, enjoyable read, with a creative twist on the stories and characters of Greek mythology. 

Thanks for reading, L x

In other news I have set up a facebook page for this blog! I'm planning to fill it with articles and other interesting things that are children's lit related. If this sounds up your street then click here to take a look! Thank you! 

No.93 - Thomas the Tank Engine

Hello! 

I've been recently informed that my blog loads in different fonts on different computers/browsers..... I'm really sorry if you've been trying to read it in a super italic font! This is not a bad decision on my part, but the work of the gremlins that live in the internet! If you would rather read the blog in a more readable font I suggest refreshing your browser window, which should change the font making for a more comfortable experience! 

Right, technical bits over! On with the blog! This time the book is Thomas the Tank Engine, no.2 in Rev. W. Awdry's Railway Series. 

Funnily enough this little book was really hard to track down and in the end I had to download it onto my kindle! But Thomas is everywhere I hear you say - true, but not the original Thomas. There's a difference? Yes! Now all the Thomas the Tank Engine books are part of the Thomas and Friends franchise, and the stories are all different! 

I was a Thomas the Tank Engine fan when I was little, in particular the 90s tv version, but I don't actually remember ever reading the original books! When trying to track this one down I was surprised to see that Thomas was not the main focus of the Railway Series, as the modern versions would lead us to believe, but in fact the second book. However, it is clear that out of all of Awdry's little trains, Thomas was the one to capture the hearts of children everywhere. 

This lovely little book is made up of 4 stories about Thomas, the little train who wants to be 'a very helpful engine', as the Reverend puts it. Thomas is introduced as a loveable but very cheeky engine! To begin with he has a bit of an attitude problem, playing tricks on the big engines and telling them they aren't working hard enough! Thomas's job is to move the coaches and carriages ready for bigger engines to pull, but really he wants to be like them and go on adventures. It certainly reminds me of smaller siblings wanting to do everything the older ones do, believing that that is better, and I think this is at the heart of Awdry's story. Over the 4 stories Thomas learns that he's not experienced enough to do the big jobs and that they are much tougher than he thinks. However, in the last story Thomas gets a chance to prove himself by pushing the rescue trucks to help save James when some naughty trucks run him off the rails. For this Thomas gets huge praise from the Fat Director (yes, not the Fat Controller! I was surprised too!). From then on the other engines stop seeing Thomas as a trouble maker and they all get on splendidly as equals. Thomas also learns that he is a valuable member of the team, and the jobs he does are as valid as the job of big engines.

It has its moral messages, just as you'd expect from a vicar writing for children in the 1940s, but it is fun too. Also, as you'd expect at that time, these books were written for boys, Awdry's son Christopher to be precise. The association with boys and trains or cars or any vehicle for that matter, is one that still continues today in the children's book industry. However, I would urge any one with a young child, whether boy or girl to read these lovely little books by the Reverend Awdry, as they are truly delightful! Plus C. Reginald Dalby's colour illustrations are beautiful too, each one its own little painting depicting the escapades of the little train. Children cannot help but love Thomas and his friends, and this is clear to see even today, where despite a few reinventions the characters are still timeless. Awdry's little train is a classic! 

No.94 - A Wizard of Earthsea

I'll be the first person to admit that fantasy is not really my bag. I've read a bit of Terry Prachett and Neil Gaiman, and of course Harry Potter, but i've never tackled the likes of Tolkein for example! So when I was confronted with A Wizard of Earthsea I was interested to see how i'd enjoy it. Unfortunately, it was not for me! 

I don't want to be super critical of this book, but there were certain aspects that I struggled with. Originally published in 1968, A Wizard of Earthsea is a coming of age story about a young wizard searching to find his true self (sound familiar!?). Before reading this book I'd read that A Wizard of Earthsea could be considered a forerunner to boarding school/fantasy stories such as The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy and the Harry Potter series. This filled me with hope, as I really enjoyed both of these! However, the boarding school part of this story was extremely brief, and quite early on in the story. The entire plot was what I would term 'flitting', jumping from one thing to the next, leaving the reader feeling a tad confused. I felt there were many moments where I was left wanting just a little more story, or information. As a younger reader I feel I would have really struggled to keep up with the narrative, especially as the location was constantly changing, along with the array of characters and even their names. 

Names play a huge role in this story, as the hold the key to the true version of things, ie. characters and animals have their given names and their true names. Just explaining this to you has confused me, and gives you an idea of how complex this story is. By the end of Chapter One, Duny, the main character, is given his 'true name', and is referred to as Ged for the rest of the book. I know it sounds silly but it took me a while to understand what had happened and who Ged was, so I can imagine that for a child this would cause some confusion! 

The language and narrative style were also quite complex, and I found it much easier to read it out loud than in my head! I'd like to take this moment to apologise to anyone who had this book read at them over the last few weeks! Set around an archipeligo of islands there were lots of really odd place names such as Vemish, Iffish and Gont. Le Guin refers to all these places like you've been there, know exactly where they are and who lives there, which makes it even more confusing! There are sections where she explains locations and their mythology, which in some ways was helpful, but the way it was written was quite dense. However, she also provides some rather helpful maps, which made it much easier to chart Ged's journey! 

Our hero sets loose a dark shadowy beast/creature/thing which continues to follow him around the archipelago trying to kill him... I think! Every time he faces this thing it weakens his powers. The book is mainly made up of him sailing around, trying to run away from it! However, after consulting his mentor Ogion the Silent (a fine example of one of the names in this book, but not as good as Kurremkarmerruk the Master Namer, which i'm still not sure how to pronounce!!) he decides to go after the beast, and the book culminates in their face off. I shan't tell you anymore in case you fancy trying it out for yourself! Personally, it was quite a slog for me, but if you're used to fantasy fiction then you might really enjoy it!

Thanks for reading X

Next up, the children's classic Thomas the Tank Engine by Rev. W. Awdry

No.95 - Inkheart

Hello!

Firstly, I'm so sorry it's been so long! I've busy finishing my degree, but that's done now (hooray!) so I'm pleased to say that I can get back to reading for this project again!

I cannot understand why Inkheart by Cornelia Funke is not further up the list!? 95 out of 100 seems awfully low for such a good book! It deserves to be so much higher! It is a great read; a gripping, exciting, enticing and beautiful novel for ages 12+. It is a book within a book, a story within a story. Inkheart is not only the name of Cornelia Funke's novel, but the name of the book around which the story centres.

Have you ever wished the characters in a book would come alive and you could be part of their story? I know I have! But what if those characters were the baddies... Not sounding so nice now is it! For father and daughter, Mo and Meggie, this is their reality. When Mo reads Inkheart aloud the evil dictator Capricorn and his men appear out of the fantasy novel, changing Mo and Meggie's life forever.

I don't want to give too much away, as its a wonderful, interwoven story, and my description of what happens wouldn't fall close to doing it justice! You should all just go and read it instead!

What I can tell you is:

It is set in the Italian hills, in several little villages, which you can easily summon up in your imagination from the writing, which is lovely. I found the setting wonderfully refreshing, as so many books seem to be set in either the UK or America. It was really nice to explore a more European setting.

If you love books then this story is definitely for you! The humble book is treated like the most precious of jewels, and the words inside like priceless gold thread. Mo restores old books, taking care of them like sick and injured people. In turn his daughter Meggie has a similar affinity with them, keeping all her favourites in a secure box that she takes with her wherever she goes. They both have a habit of stroking a book before they open it, in a kind of greeting I suppose, which I think is a lovely thing and might even take to doing myself!!

There is a quote from another story at the beginning of every chapter. Funke has quoted the likes of Kenneth Grahame, Mark Twain, Robert Louis Stevenson and even Shakespeare to name but a few! Each quote she chooses foreshadows the contents of that chapter, linking her story with so many others, which I think is a really nice touch.

There is magic in this story! There are people disappearing in and out of books, there are fairies, and trolls and people made of glass. J.M Barrie's Tinkerbell even makes an appearance!

There are some really nasty characters too. Evil Capricorn for a start; and then some of his men are pretty horrible, for example Basta is someone you wouldn't want to meet on a dark night!

Inkheart is a fantastic tale of good and evil, with an edge that will entice any book lover. You feel the ups and downs of every character, and the heroine Meggy is a brave and powerful force! I would recommend this book to everyone, its been my favourite on the list so far. And, whats more, Inkheart is the first of a trilogy of books; Inkspell and Inkdeath are certainly on my 'to read' list now!

Next up, A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin, which, if the cover is anything to go by, could be quite bizarre......

Thanks for reading, L x

So what is good for children these days...?

So I was having a browse of Facebook, as you do, and this little gem popped up in my news feed....

'A school principle claims books like Harry Potter

cause brain damage'

Firstly, I laughed. What a ridiculous comment! Then I looked a little closer.... this wasn't a joke, someone had actually said this, and not in jest! 

The story comes from a school blog, in which the headmaster had raised concerns about what his pupils were reading. He suggested that fantasy fiction caused irreversible damage to the imagination of young children, thus causing mental illness!

According to this gentleman hugely popular children series' such The Hunger Games, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings were books to be avoided if you didn't want your children to be hampered by upsetting or frightening imagery, and magic or demonic themes. Instead he said children should be reading Shakespeare and Dickens, amongst others. Yes, I agree, they absolutely should be! But, if you are suggesting that these authors' works are devoid of negative themes and plot lines, you would be mistaken. Fantasy writer Samantha Shannon put it perfectly in her Guardian article in response to the aforementioned blog post. Here she reminds us of the rape, dismemberment and torture of Lavinia in Titus Andronicus by Shakespeare. How is this protecting children from disturbing imagery!? In fact what could be more disturbing!? You can read the other brilliant things she has to say on the topic here.  Please do! 

Just think about all the violence that can be found in Shakespeare plays, I give you Romeo and Juliet and Othello for starters. Our headmaster also disapproved of magic and ghosts in the literature children were being exposed to. Again, I draw your attention to Shakepeare! Macbeth for example contains murder and ghosts, and A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Tempest are full of magic! Also, if we consider Dickens we can draw similar conclusions, with A Christmas Carol featuring the ghost of Marley, and just think about Oliver Twist's Bill Sykes, he's really scary! 

Earlier today I had read about the amazing J.K Rowling and the way she supports her fans through their struggles mental illness. The particular story I had read can be found here. As many of you will know the Dementors, and their effect on the characters, represent Rowling's experience of depression, and it is touches such as these that make her books relatable for millions of children and adults around the world. I feel that there is a lot more proof out there that series such as Harry Potter help and support children through the struggles of growing up, rather than damage them in any way. For many, having characters, and indeed authors, to whom they can relate, and fantasy worlds and magical events to escape to are totally invaluable! If anything, fantasy is safer than the real world! 

It is not often that I have a rant about things, but this seemed just too good to miss! I'd love to know what you think. 

Thanks for reading :) L x

There is a post on Inkheart coming soon, I just have to get my final uni essay out the way first!! 

Extremely Wise Words

Hello!

Sorry its been a bit quiet on here lately, I've been pretty busy and I've not had as much time for reading as I would have liked. However, the reading of Inkheart is going well, and I'm absolutely loving the spell binding story, centred around the book loving heroine Meggie!

Whilst I'm busying away I thought I'd keep you amused with a post about my most loved quotes from children's books. (It's a bit of a long one, but I hope you enjoy it!)

As those of you who know me will already know I suffer quite badly from an anxiety disorder. You could say that my love of children's books stems from a time when life was easier, when I had less to worry about and things were simpler, and I think you'd be right in some respects. By sitting down with a beloved children's book I am often transported back to memories of reading that book as a child, and I revisit favourites again and again for that fondness and familiarity; they are my old friends. Now I think of it, most of those old friends took the shape of bears! Winnie-the-Pooh, Paddington, Teddy Robinson, Old Bear, Little Bear, Bramwell Brown! My Ursine pals were always there! But there were others too, like Charlie Bucket, Esiot Trot and Matilda, Ratty, Moley and Toad, and who could forget Pongwiffy the Witch!

Considering my literary pals, it occurred to me how much impact a book can have on a child, and how authors convey messages to their young readers. Much of what is written for the young is invaluable in terms of teaching life lessons, and addressing difficult situations. Just take some of the topics teen fiction covers these days! As an adult however, I think we can still look to children's fiction for inspiration and advice, so I thought I would share with you some of my favourite quotes.

1. Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne -

When I first came across this quote, not that long ago, it made me cry! It seemed to sum up everything I was feeling and the things that I needed to remind myself on a daily basis. I shy away from a lot because I don't feel brave enough, and I often underestimate how much I can cope with life. There are many other beautiful quotes to be found in the Winnie-the-Pooh stories, but this one will always resonate with me the most, and I like to keep it on my desk at all times to remind myself that I am ok, if only I remember what A.A Milne once said.



2. Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator by Roald Dahl-

I love this quote! It's an important one for everyone to remember! Please be silly, just because you're grown up doesn't mean you must stop being daft! Just look at Willy Wonker there in that wonderful Quentin Blake illustration, he's the epitomy of jollity. This quote pops into my head quite regularly and reminds me to loosen up a bit!


3. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K Rowling -

Good old Dumbledore, full of all wise words. These words in particular resonate with me. I've spent years wishing that my anxiety hadn't held me back, that I'd gone to university, that I'd done an arts course, that I'd been the person that I always believed that I would be, and its only recently that I've been honest enough with myself to admit that these dreams were not worth dwelling on anymore. Instead, I realised that I should be happy with what I've got and how my life is now, to look forward and not back. Dumbledore's wise words make so much sense now, because whilst you're dwelling on what you wished might have been you're are missing what is right there in front of you and it's passing you by. It's a valuable lesson people! 

4. Little Women by Lousia May Alcott -

Right now I am learning how to sail my ship! The waters are certainly rough and I'm often not sure if my boat is up to the job, but together we manage to get over the waves and keep going! This quote from the brilliant Jo March has helped me realise that if I keep trying I too could weather the storms and regain control. Little Women is an overtly moral tale, but it teaches some great general life lessons that we could all take something from.

5. Dr Seuss -

Dr Seuss said some really great things! He was always encouraging reading and learning and self belief in children. This quote however is aimed at adults. It reminds us how important the act of reading aloud to a child is. This is a subject very close to my heart, as I was read to when I was little, and I listened to a LOT of audio books too, and in fact now reading aloud is one of my favourite things to do! So I totally agree with Dr Seuss, there is no excuse! In fact the older, wackier and wilder you are the better! 

6. The Twits by Roald Dahl -

This has got to be one of my all time favourite quotes! I even have it on a t-shirt (thank you Primark!)! When I am feeling a bit low it reminds me to think a bit more positively, because if I do I will look happier and in turn feel happier. Everyone wants to look lovely don't they! It makes so much sense, think lovely, look lovely, be lovely! And that's good for everyone! So next time you're feeling a bit down remember to get those sunbeams shining out of your face!


There are loads more quotes I could share with you, but I think I best stop or we could be here forever. I hope you've enjoyed reading about my favourite children's book quotes, and that they might make a difference to your lives too. Never underestimate the power of books, whether you are young or old, and be it emotionally or academically. As Dr Suess once said "The more that you read, The more things you will know, The more that you learn, The more places you'll go!"

Thanks for reading :) x

No.96 - War Boy

I was told after my last post that I should have shown you all my lovely little copy of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Unfortunately it was quite tricky to show the gold edged pages in a photo, but here is my little book anyway! I love the slightly camp cover illustration! 

                                    

Anyway, to this post's book, War Boy by Michael Foreman, a memoir of the author's wartime childhood. This is really beautiful book! The illustrations are wonderful, and the observations are funny and moving. I reminds me of Laurie Lee's classic Cider with Rosie, with it's village anecdotes, vibrant characters and naive charm. It's a favourite of mine, and well worth a read! 

War Boy begins with Michael remembering a bomb that came through the bedroom ceiling, 

I woke up when the bomb came through the roof.

It came through at an angle, overflew my bed by

inches, bounced up over my mother's bed, hit the 

mirror, dropped into the grate and exploded up

the chimney. It was an incendiary. A fire-bomb.

This introduction is poetic in both structure and style. It is a vivid image that you can see instantly in your mind's eye. You are catapulted straight into wartime Britain, and the rest of the story follows in the same way. Each page contains more illustration than text and this makes the story really engaging, as the words are not only written, but drawn and painted across the page. Foreman uses a mixture of single line drawings, wartime graphics, full page inky spreads, and delicate colour illustrations. Each page contains something different. The landscape orientation of the book gives the illustrations more room to tell the story, which is lovely! 

The story is full of lots of little anecdotes about life in wartime Suffolk. Having lived near there as a child I recognised the place names which was nice, it was all rather familiar! I particularly liked the stories about the corner shop that his mother owned. As a toddler he used to sit in the window like some kind of display, and eat the sweets out of their jars! The shop seemed to be the heart of the village, a place where the soldiers and sailors could go for a cup of tea, a cigarette and a chat! Again, Foreman has illustrated this beautifully, in particular the grumpy old lady trying to get to the counter for her shopping! 

This book is full of little gems, all illustrated in the most wonderful way. It is brilliant and touching story of life during the Second World War from a child's perspective, but it's also peppered with interesting facts about the troops and defences put in place on the Suffolk coast too. I'd thoroughly recommend Michael Foreman's War Boy to any child, or indeed anyone, wanting to learn a bit more about WW2.

Thanks for reading, L X

Next up is no. 95, Cornelia Funke's Inkheart. I've read the first few pages already and it's promising to be a really good read, so I'm quite excited! But... it's a huge book and I've got lots of stuff going on and another grown up book on the go too (Chocolat by Joanne Harris, I recommend it!), so I apologise in advance for the inevitably long wait for the next post! I may pop in a few other posts in the mean time about other things children's book related, so fear not!

No.97 - The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

I opened the pages of my little gold edged copy of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz with hazy memories of the musical whirling around my head. Judy Garland skipping arm in arm with the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Lion down the yellow brick road, rainbow coloured horses and of course the ruby slippers. And I've been humming 'If I only had a brain' for weeks now!

I'll admit to not really looking forward to reading this book. There were bound to be books on the list that I just wasn't going to get on with and I was convinced that this would be one of those. Written in 1900, I was expecting the language to be dense and dry, full of moral teaching and sensible advice for children, like other books of this period. However, I was pleasantly surprised! It's actually beautifully written and Baum doesn't lecture his readers at all. The plot moves at a good pace, with Dorothy being blown away on the first few pages, which was much quicker than I had expected! I was expecting pages of waffle about her life in Kansas, but I was pleased to get straight into the adventure.

Like most fairy stories, the original has its fair share of gruesomeness and I'm pleased to report that The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is no exception! The Tin Woodman gives a lovely account of how he became a tin man by chopping off all his own limbs!! Given an enchanted axe by the Wicked
Witch of the East he then proceeds to accidentally cut off his arms, legs, head! Then to add insult to injury he manages to cut his own torso in half too! But luckily he gets each part sorted out by a tin smith and all is good! He is also not adverse to using his axe skills to save Dorothy and the others, chopping the heads off most of the enemies they come across! Another macabre touch are the pins that Oz puts in the Scarecrow's brain, which are supposed to show his sharp mind, but just protrude out of his scalp in a rather grim way when we he thinks too much! See the illustration below....

There are certainly a few things that are very different to the film. For example, there are no rainbow horses... they are all green. Also Dorothy's adventure was not a dream at all, but a real occurance! She arrives home find a new house has been built and that her aunt and uncle presume she has died! But far more shocking than that is that there are no famous ruby slippers in L. Frank Baum's book!! The shoes that Dorothy uses to get home to Kansas are in fact silver! They were changed to red in the film to show up in Technicolour! I guess silver slippers just weren't glamorous enough for Hollywood.

Thanks for reading X

Next up is Michael Foreman's War Boy, which I can't wait to write about! It was brilliant!

Heroes and Villains

What do Matilda Wormwood and Paddington Bear have in common? Do they both enjoy a marmalade sandwich I hear you ask? No, though Paddington does always have one under his hat! Actually both characters appear in a list of favourite children's book heroes compiled from a poll taken recently by National Book Tokens.

There was also a list of favourites villains too, which was headed by the most evil of all, Lord Voldemort, unsurprisingly followed closely by the dreaded Professor Umbridge! Not all the villains were Harry Potter characters however, classic baddies such as Cruella De Vil were also featured.

As for heroes, Harry Potter characters still reigned supreme, with Harry topping the poll, and Hermione coming in 3rd. The list also featured the lovable characters Winnie the Pooh, a favourite of mine, and Bilbo Baggins too.

These were all good choices, and it made me think about who I would choose as my favourite heroes and villains of children's lit. So here are my top 5:

Heroes                                        

1. Burglar Bill (Burglar Bill, by Janet and Allen Alburg) for saving the baby, giving up his life of crime and becoming a baker!     
2. Bobby (The Railway Children by E.Nesbitt) for being so incredibly brave!
3. Harry Potter for being, well, Harry Potter I suppose!
4. Winnie-the-Pooh for being such a loyal and wonderful friend to Piglet.
5. Matilda for showing that knowledge is power! Plus she plays some pretty good tricks on horrible people too!

Villains

1. Mr Wormwood (Matilda by Roald Dahl) for being so ignorant of the joys of books and learning, and he's just plain nasty!
2. Bill Sikes (Oliver Twist by Dickens) because he's really scary!
3. Bellatrix le Strange for having no remorse at all! She's just plain evil!
4. The 'charming gentleman', or sly fox (The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck by Beatrix Potter) for persuading poor, simple Jemima to nest in his shed so he could plot to eat her!
5. Dawn (Sophie's Snail by Dick King Smith) for being a spoil brat and stamping on Sophie's beloved wood louse! Cruel!


I'm sure you can all think of lots more!
You'll find the full National Book Tokens list here.

Thanks for reading X

No.98 - Goosebumps

Call me a coward if you like, but I've never been into horror stories, or ghost stories either for that matter. Some people love them, find thrill in the fear, but I've never seen the pleasure in frightening myself! I just don't understand it! Maybe it's because I'm one of life's worriers, or because I have quite a vivid imagination and once something gets in there it tends to stick around. Needless to say I'd never read the Goosebumps book as a child. I know lots of people to whom these books were the staple of their childhood reading, but alas, not me. I remember looking at these books in the library when I was little and being put off by the slightly grim illustrations on the covers! So, as you can imagine I was a little wary of what these creepy looking books would contain, even at 24!

As the list didn't specify which book from the series I should read I went for the first one I could get hold of, Welcome to Dead House, a story about a family that moves into a creepy old mansion full of ghosts. As I've already said I don't have a stomach for ghost stories. Don't get me wrong I love watching Most Haunted for example and debunking the sightings and sounds, but in literary form I just don't like spooky or morbid things. It's just a children's book I hear you say, and I know I must sound like a total wimp, but I just couldn't get on with Welcome to Dead House, with its ghost children and dreams of dying. With this in mind I headed out to Trelissick Gardens, our local National Trust, to see if they had any other Goosebumps titles in their second hand bookshop. Luckily they had plenty of them to choose from! Children seem to devour these books one at a time but never read them again, as they often pop up in these kinds of places. Despite being tempted by a story about a murderous piano teacher, I opted for the rather amusingly titled Revenge of the Garden Gnomes! Much better, less death and more fantasy.

As with Welcome to Dead House, I was initially annoyed by the Americanised writing style, predictable story line and short staccato sentences. But then I remember that it was a children's book and not a work of classic adult literature! I guess these stories are aimed at the 6-10 age bracket, depending on their content, and the short chapters, fast paced story, lots of dialogue, and easy to grasp characters would make them a satisfying read for most children. I expect it would be quite easy, once you got the taste for them, to read them all, one after another. Although these type of books were never my cup of tea i'm still glad they exist, because a series like Goosebumps could be the catalyst that gets a child reading, which is invaluable!

Ok, to the story. The Revenge of the Garden Gnomes follows the strange goings on in a family's garden after the dad brings home two slightly creepy looking garden gnomes. The next door neighbour and the dad are both growing produce for a local fruit and veg competition, and the cheeky gnomes cause all kinds of fruit based mischief, coming alive at night and squashing things, eating stuff and even drawing faces on the melons! For a while Joe, the son, tries to convince his parents that the gnomes keep coming alive at night and causing all this trouble, but instead he and his dog Buster get the blame! This goes on for a while, with something different happening every night. In the end Joe and his friend Moose (?) stake out the gnomes and catch them in the act! Unfortunately they get spotted and the gnomes come after them, kidnapping Joe's sister Mindy in the process. Once they've got the children's attention they spin a rather hammy yarn about having been taken from their natural forest habitat and forced to be garden ornaments by the sweet old lady that owns the garden ornaments shop! The gnomes ask the children to accompany them to Lawn Lovely (again, ?) the garden ornaments shop, to free the other 6 gnomes that are in the basement. Now, this is clearly a trap, but as we know from Tintin, story characters seem to be very gullible! So the children go with the gnomes and get trapped in the basement of the shop with hundreds of evil garden gnomes!! Not cool! The dog Buster becomes their only hope of escape, as Joe believes the gnomes are scared of him. This hope is short lived however, when Buster abandons them, not liking the smell of the basement, which as Stine graphically explains, stinks of gnome sweat!! Anyway, the children finally discover that it's Buster's dog whistle that the gnomes are scared of and not the dog himself. It turns out that the whistle transforms the gnomes to stone, which conveniently allows the children to escape! Hooray! When they return home they discover that their dad has bought a new garden ornament, to replace the gnomes he believes have been stolen. As Joe looks at the new garden gorilla it winks at him! Could it all be happening again......

This was a truly bizarre story and I commend R.L Stine on his ability to come up with these strange story lines, especially as there are 62 Goosebumps books!

Thanks for reading,  L x

Next up The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum.