Spoonful of Jam (Mammoth Read) [Paperback]

Michelle Magorian (Author)

Book Description

Series: Mammoth Read | Publication Date: October 1, 1998

It is the summer of 1947 and the second year of world peace. Elsie, however, is still fighting a war. Against a vicious bully. Against the indifference of her father. Against being the scholarship pupil at the girl's grammar school. But Elsie learns to fight back.

Product Details

• Paperback: 369 pages
• Publisher: Mammoth (October 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0749736283
• ISBN-13: 978-0749736286
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 4.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,030,410 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful piece of historical fiction!, May 3, 2005

By 

Quill2002 (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spoonful of Jam (Mammoth Read) (Paperback)

The sequel to Magorian's "Cuckoo in the Nest", one of my all-time favorite books, "A Spoonful of Jam" is definitely just as wonderful as its predecessor. Magorian has a real talent for writing stories that are touching, funny, and meaningful, with wonderfully realistic characters that you really care about. She also makes history (esp. 1940s Britain) come to life.

This book tells the story of Ellie, the only daughter of the working-class British family portrayed in the previous book. Ellie's family is changing quickly in the years after WWII. Her father and elder brother have returned, her mother is pregnant, one of her brothers has become an actor and the other is leaving school and working in the paper mill with her father, and Elsie's just finished her first year at grammar school (i.e. American private school). But some things haven't changed for twelve-year-old Elsie. Her father still ignores her. She's still getting beaten up by bullies. And she's still the smallest girl and a scholarship pupil at school. But in the summer of 1947, she takes some risks, finds something within herself, and things begin to change for Elsie herself.

Shorter (but with larger type, at least in the British edition, so it has about the same number of pages) than its predecessor, this is probably an easier read, and might be more appropriate for younger ages, but it will make a lot more sense if you read "A Cuckoo in the Nest" first.

I can't recommend this book highly enough for anyone interested in historical fiction, Britain in the 1940s, bullying, theatre, or just a good read! Magorian's other books are also more than worth a look.