Charlie Lewis Plays for Time
If you enjoyed The Turbulent Term of Tyke Tiler, then you will enjoy this latest tale of Cricklepit Combined School which is written in the same mode, complete with surprising twist. Gene Kemp has a penchant for siding with the under-dog, yet is careful to maintain a balance, ensuring no character is totally objectionable. She almost runs a crusade to show that all 'good' folk have a dark side, and vice versa, thus the characters of Rocket and Charlie complement each other. And she also plays on our tendency to accept the good parts of the favourable character, and suspect the rogue of all bad doings, as quiet law-abiding Charlie (whose mother is a concert pianist) tells the story of their last term at primary school. The old adage 'Give a dog a bad name' still runs true and this book allows our prejudices to prove it. My advice to any top Junior reader--buy this book now!