Helen Cresswell: S/D

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The doyenne of East Midlands children's fiction, she came up on the Lost Isle of Lyonesse thread recently, and I see she's been mentioned on the all-embracing children's literature thread too.

So, what do you think? Classic (yay!) or dud (nooo!)? What do you prefer - the endless lunacy of The Bagthorpe Saga or the creepy supernaturalist books like Moondial and Blah blah blah Polly Flint? Go on, talk about her - as Mr. Bagthorpe once said, "if a thing's worth doing, it's worth overdoing."

caitlin (caitlin), Friday, 4 July 2003 13:18 (twenty-two years ago)

The late-80s BBC adaptation of Moondial is indisputably CLASSIC, natch.

caitlin (caitlin), Friday, 4 July 2003 13:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Wasn't there a very good one about some kids putting on a play of Sweeney Todd?

Also I liked Chartbreak although I'm sure it was terrible.

Sam (chirombo), Friday, 4 July 2003 13:39 (twenty-two years ago)

Sorry, those were Gillian Cross.

Sam (chirombo), Friday, 4 July 2003 13:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Wasn't there a very good one about some kids putting on a play of Sweeney Todd?

I might be completely mis-remembering this, but was that the one where this boy keeps coming across ghosts in his school from Victorian times who keep sort of interfering with the play? One of the ghosts tried to eat someone's packed lunch at one point - the sandwich was described as having a huge bite out of it with gobs of saliva on the corners - and another quite pukish bit where the drama teacher gets the class to close their eyes and imagine that they are child labourers in a Victorian sweatshop, and the boy suddenly smells rancid onions and shit and stuff. Also a bit where the kids see a series of child's footprints with missing toes.

Moondial was indeed excellent and I have a feeling it was repeated recently on that CBBC digital channel.

Chriddof (Chriddof), Friday, 4 July 2003 14:28 (twenty-two years ago)

The Bagthorpe Saga k. better than The Royal Tenebaums.
Real actual funny.

Pete (Pete), Friday, 4 July 2003 14:52 (twenty-two years ago)

ten years pass...

The Bagthorpes are amazing and they deformed my mind as a kid.

Guayaquil (eephus!), Monday, 16 September 2013 20:43 (twelve years ago)


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