Boarding school satire

The Compleet Molesworth by Geoffrey Willans and Ronald Searle (co-creator and illustrator) had been on my TRL for ages. I was intrigued by the illustrations that were depicted on the cover and its comparison to my dear Roald Dahl. This is a classic children's series (bound together in its entirety here) about a boy named Nigel Molesworth who narrates his time in a boy's boarding school called St. Custard's. Willans captures the spirit of boyhood in a private boarding school especially well owing to his being a Headmaster himself. (This is even funnier once you get to know Headmaster Grimes who is particularly fond of the cane.) This book is replete with bad spelling (evidenced in the title) and absolutely stunning illustrations by Searle who was a satirical cartoonist (perfect for this series). Molesworth and his buddies get up to many hi-jinks and shenanigans which are generally instigated by our hero. Amidst all of this tomfoolery Willans and Searle have taken jabs at the inequalities of the classes by showcasing the Head Boy Grabber as only being placed in such a prestigious position because his parents shell out lots of money. (The Headmaster is greedy and generally does all he can to cut corners most notably with the selection of food offered to the students.) If you can get used to the bad spelling, grammatical errors, made-up slang, and seemingly arbitrary abbreviations for everything you will see why this has held up as a true children's classic. It's witty, cutting in its bluntness, and in general everything I hoped it would be. 10/10

Source: Amazon.co.uk

I wanted to give a little taste for the delights that await you.

What's Up Next: Space Dumplins by Craig Thompson

What I'm Currently Reading: Tales from the Inner City by Shaun Tan

**If you're interested in buying this book or any books really, you can click here or here. The first will re-direct you to AbeBooks and the second will re-direct you to The Book Depository. These are great websites for purchasing books (AbeBooks carries inexpensive used and out-of-print books and The Book Depository ships free everywhere in the world). Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made by following either of these links. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **

What makes us "real"?

The Imaginary by A.F. Harrold recalls to mind the memory of childhood and the power (danger?) of imagination. The story revolves around Amanda and her best friend named Rudger. They're typical friends that have lots of imaginary play, get into mischief, and share all of their secrets with one another. The only difference is that no one else can see Rudger because he's Amanda's imaginary friend. This book walks a tightrope between fantasy and reality which at times is quite blurred. This is not a fantasy full of giggles and silliness but one fraught with darkness and fear. There is a threat not only to Amanda and Rudger's friendship but to their very lives...and it's getting closer. This is a book about the true meaning of friendship and to what lengths you will go to preserve it. Also, cats. (I genuinely made a note after reading this book that was simply CATS so clearly that's an important aspect of this book.) I must also point out that the narrative was elevated even further by the fantastic illustrations of Emily Gravett. (I liked her work so much that I sought out her picture books.) I've been recommending this to reluctant readers because I think it's a great way to dip your toe into fantasy and the scary element definitely sells it as well. 9/10

Source: Bloomsbury Publishing

Source: books4yourkids.com

What's Up Next: HiLo series books 1-3 by Judd Winick

What I'm Currently Reading: The World of Lore: Monstrous Creatues by Aaron Mahnke & Haunted Nights: A Horror Writers Association anthology

**If you're interested in buying this book or any books really, you can click here or here. The first will re-direct you to AbeBooks and the second will re-direct you to The Book Depository. These are great websites for purchasing books (AbeBooks carries inexpensive used and out-of-print books and The Book Depository ships free everywhere in the world). Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made by following either of these links. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **

I seriously need to know what the teacups signify

I tried explaining the Caldecott Honor to a group of pre-k children the other day. (It was pretty funny.) If you're unfamiliar, the Caldecott Medal and the Caldecott Honor are awarded to American illustrators whose work is singled out by the ALA as being "the most distinguished picture book for children". [Note: This does have a bearing on this post.]

I had decided to use a different style of picture book for my storytime and I chose to use Henry & Leo by Pamela Zagarenski. Two of the books that Zagarenski illustrated have been awarded the Caldecott Honor (Sleep Like a Tiger and Red Sings From Treetops: A Year in Colors). You might have guessed that because she was both author and illustrator that Henry & Leo is most likely a visually stunning book...and you'd be correct. However, the kids weren't overly impressed with the storyline. :-/ I don't think this was so much the fault of the author but more a mistake on my part for trying this out with a group of pre-k aged children (solo reading for this age would most likely work fine though). It's a bit too introspective for such a large age of young children. The story centers on Henry who has a best friend named Leo...who is a stuffed lion. To Henry, Leo is absolutely 100% alive and he can't understand why his sister and parents fail to see this simple fact. Through a series of adventures, the reader learns just how much Leo and Henry mean to each other. I encouraged the kids to point out the crowns and other little treats that Zagarenski uses in all of her illustrations (without any explanation I might add). This was everyone's favorite thing to do but none of them could tell me much about the story after we'd finished so it wasn't as successful as I would have ultimately liked. Personally, I felt it lacked the heart that I had expected based on the premise and the beautiful artwork. I recommend that you check it out for yourself because I (and the children) might be overly harsh in our judgment. :-) For the record, this doesn't mean that I won't be checking out more of Zagarenski's work just that this one wasn't my all-time favorite. 3/5

To give you a little sample of the art style:

Source: Today's Little Ditty

**If you're interested in buying this book or any books really, you can click here or here. The first will re-direct you to AbeBooks and the second will re-direct you to The Book Depository. These are great websites for purchasing books (AbeBooks carries inexpensive used and out-of-print books and The Book Depository ships free everywhere in the world). Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made by following either of these links. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **

I do believe in fairies! I do! I do!

Have you ever wondered where that eraser you swear you left on the kitchen table disappeared to? Do you always seem to be replacing safety pins and you have no idea where they all go? You're not completely batty! According to Mary Norton, author of The Borrowers, your house is probably home to tiny people who are simply 'borrowing' all of these items. Most people are aware of this story because they saw the movie of the same name starring John Goodman, Jim Broadbent, and Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy to my fellow Potterheads). However, I'd like to give a shoutout to The Secret World of Arrietty which is a FANTASTIC movie that was adapted to the screen by Hayao Miyazaki (!!). I don't think that either version is completely faithful to the book but I also don't think it matters. They capture the idea of what it would be like to discover tiny people living below your floorboards, behind the clock, under the stove...you get the idea. It's a fun story and it captures the imagination as all good children's books (or any books for that matter) should. (Also, the soundtrack to The Secret World of Arrietty is one of my favorites.)

Let's talk about Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie. I couldn't believe that up until this year I had never read this book. I knew the story, of course, but I had never actually read it. I remedied that and I am so glad that I did. Also, I'm glad that the version that I picked up included a biography of Barrie and the Llewelyn Davies family. I always think it's interesting to read about the history behind the writing of a book and how that shaped the characters, storyline, etc. For those unaware, Peter Pan is the story of a little boy who doesn't want to grow into a man. He's acquired a sort of mythology over the years and serves as an emblem for all that is carefree imagination. However, there is a darker side to the story. He's unable to truly feel and his memory is so poor that he is likely to forget you from one moment to the next. It's chilling if you examine it too closely. The illustrations in the edition which I have are stunning and really lent to the overall  feel of the story. (I recommend that when purchasing any book with illustrations that you examine them closely because crappy illustrations can seriously dampen the effect of a good book.) When talking film adaptations, I was torn between the animated Disney version and the live action film with Jason Isaacs and Jeremy Sumter. I like them both for a variety of reasons. The Disney version is pure nostalgia for me. I find myself humming 'following the leader' more often that I care to admit. The live action is visually striking and shows the vulnerable side of Peter which I think is important. I think it says something about the versatility and longevity of a book if it's continually being adapted to film and the stage. I highly recommend you read this children's classic if you get an opportunity.

** If you're interested in a book like the ones reviewed above, you can click here. This will re-direct you to The Book Deposity which is a website which offers free shipping worldwide. Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made by following this link. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **