This hilarious and magical collection of 11 stories is brimming with unusual and unforgettable characters and their escapades. In all of these remarkable stories, bestselling author Margaret Mahy combines the ordinary with the extraordinary to enchant and delight young readers.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Grade 3-4-- A collection of 11 short stories that range in length from single episodes to entries with as many as 12 chapters. They are clever and whimsical, if somewhat old-fashioned. The first story, in which mint-flavored gum-chewing children manage to foil would-be robbers, has less appeal than the tale of ``The World's Highest Tray Cloth,'' in which a daring girl hangs her wretchedly sewn tray cloth as a flag on the town's highest pine. The longest story, ``The Devil and the Corner Grocer,'' while reminiscent of Natalie Babbitt's story ``Wishes'' in The Devil's Storybook (Farrar, 1974), is good fun from start to finish. In general the selections tend to rebuff the stuffy, encourage children to reject the dull and conventional, and use their imaginations. Mahy's way with words and tongue-in-cheek asides make even an ordinary incident worth reading about. Ormerod's sketches are not particularly memorable and several are quite dingy. A book that should find favor with fairy-tale enthusiasts. --Phyllis G. Sidorsky, National Cathedral Sch . , Washington, DC
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Kirkus Reviews
Another sampling of the redoubtable New Zealander's matchless wit and irrepressible imagination, 11 stories that-- like those in The Door in the Air (p. 474)--were published abroad years ago (in this case, 1982) but are being introduced here only now. These early yarns are wonderfully varied in tone but a touch uneven in quality; the title entry, a satire of advertising claims, derives its humor from outrageous slapstick, but even here amusing irony creeps in, along with ebullient wordplay. As in Mahy's other collections, each story is fresh, original, and grounded in bracing common sense--like the one about a family that buys a giant's house that's been converted for normal use except for the bath, which has a cavernous drain that is the source of the action (it wasn't possible to adapt the mammoth plumbing). The theme of creativity occurs several times, e.g. in a story about green thumbs that are viewed as an oddity except by others so gifted. The complaints of a curmudgeonly neighbor about an oddly assorted group of singers in a daily bus queue are the occasion for a charming lampoon of local politics. And, in the long final story, the devil tempts a community of people wise enough to use the talents he makes available without being corrupted by them, in an entertaining but thoughtful exploration of the difference between cleverness and wisdom. Ormerod's occasional drawings are not up to her fine recent work, but they include some nice passages. A must for Mahy fans. (Short stories. 10+) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
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More About the Author
Margaret Mahy lives in New Zealand and is internationally acknowledged as one of the most outstanding children's writers today. She is the author of more than two hundred books for children of all ages, two of which have received England's Carnegie Medal and others of which have garnered numerous citations from the American Library Association. She is also the recipient of An Order of New Zealand, the highest honor a citizen can receive. In 2006 she received the Hans Christian Andersen award for her contributions to international children's literature.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the top children's books of all time,
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This review is from: The Chewing-Gum Rescue and Other Stories (Hardcover)
Margaret Mahy is a first-class writer, and this is her at her best. I agree with the Kirkus review above, and will just add that her wonderful nonce words, abundant alliteration, and inspired metaphors catch the ear, her detailed descriptions and outrageous yet natural plot points engage the mind, and her grounded, compassionate, and emotionally intense treatment of her characters nourishes the heart. While reading this aloud to my seven-year-old daughter, we often stop and re-read a sentence to savor it. Our favorite story is "The Singing Bus Line" (or "Queue", in the table of contents - British/American edit made incompletely?), which is a joy to read aloud and a manifesto for democratic creativity. I think of this as mature, emotionally instructive literature that happens to appeal to kids as well as adults.
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