"Flora looked down at her own arm, and her heart did a somersault of shock. Instead of her long-sleeved T-shirt, she appeared to be wearing a dark green jacket. Something was throttling her neck uncomfortably - a green tie with red stripes, like the tie her dad wore to his office. How did that get there? She had never worn a tie in her life. Had she been knocked out and kidnapped and forced into someone else's clothes? No, don't be silly."
As a child, I used to love reading old-fashioned boarding school stories. I devoured Malory Towers, St. Clare's, Trebizon and The Chalet School series, so I was delighted when I was sent this middle grade book, Beswitched, for review purposes.
Yes, it's a children's book, but it's also a great story and I have always believed that good stories are for everyone, regardless of age. I've had it on my shelf for a few weeks, but I wanted to wait until I could devote an entire day to reading it. That day was today and it has honestly been one of the most nostalgic books I've read in a long time.
Although the protagonist, Flora, is very much a twenty-first century twelve year-old, this book is full of old-fashioned charm. I immediately felt like a girl again, as I excitedly curled up with a bag of sweets and a brand new boarding school story to read! I wasn't a bit disappointed.
Flora is sent off to a modern boarding school for a couple of terms, so that her parents can create a granny flat above their garage and have her grandmother come to live with them. As a spoilt child of our times, Flora isn't happy about this at all. Even less so when her train journey somehow takes her back in time and she ends up in 1935 and at a totally different kind of school!
Here she must sleep in a dormitory and wear a hideous school uniform. There are no hot showers, no posh hair products and she has to do Prep every night after a full day of classes. There are no laptops, mobile phones or internet to help with school work. She has to use her own brain for everything. Add to this the pressure that she knows all about the Second World War that's coming but is powerless to stop it, and she feels the arrogance of the British Empire as it is in full swing, and Flora could be forgiven for having a sulky tantrum or two.
But all is not what it seems at St Winifred's School - students are dabbling in spells and witchcraft! Flora makes new friends and they introduce her to a whole new world and a more modest way of living. Will she ever find her way back home again, to her own time?
This is a lovely book for any young girl who loves school stories, or for any grown adult who used to love school stories! It has all the charm of an Enid Blyton book without any of the problematic issues those stories are now frequently condemned for i.e classism, racism, sexism - all the isms really.
In fact, Beswitched addressed these issues in a totally unique way, carefully considering them through the lens of the past without actually condoning them. This book also highlights how much modern kids take for granted and how easy they have it compared to their grandparents. It's a great historical and social commentary, told in a way that children can understand and relate to. I did guess the ending, but I think that's because I'm an adult reader, not a child. Youngsters probably won't see it coming - they just don't think that far ahead!
I think Beswitched will be popular with school teachers and parents alike. It's certainly a nice little book and I have enjoyed reading it. It really was like stepping back in time, into my own childhood reading habits! I highly recommend it as bedtime reading if you have kids - or even if you don't. It's a simply spiffing read!
BB Marie x
AD: This book was sent to me by the publisher for review purposes. It is available now.
No comments:
Post a Comment