Ian Serraillier (1912–1994)

I read this when I was about 10, as I played Joseph in the Windsor Arts Club Junior Drama production. Apart from 2 or 3 bits, I didn't remember most of the events in the story. It's interesting in that so much of the book takes place after the end of the war - it shows the allied occupation, and how the different countries managed their sectors (I don't want to overplay this though - it's interesting, but it isn't one of the major parts of the book).

The structure of the book is quite interesting - it feels like a bunch of vignettes, rather than having an overarching narrative. You could drop one of the sections, without it significantly affecting the narrative. Still, it is a fascinating story, very evocative of the broken Europe left after World War 2.… (mer)

Grabbing illustrations mix with potent prose and just the right amount of haunting twists to make this a read to cherish year after year.

While this book begins with a child, who believes to have met a witch, it soon turns to the question of what others would do if they ran across one. Here, the story of two children, Roland and Miranda, begins and what happened when they were snatched by one. It's haunting and holds the rich threads of a fairy tale as it winds around the adventure with imagination, magic, and a tiny sense of dread. After all, no one really wants to meet a dangerous witch.

This one is worth picking up because of the artwork. The style seems chaotic at first glass but mesmerizes with details and knotted weaves. It fits the tale marvelously and will captivate not only young readers but older ones as well. It invites to flip through the pages and simply enjoy each scene. And wow, is that witch creepy.

The prose flows with traditional style and reminds of an early, story-telling era. The imagery and descriptions are well-crafted, letting the text flow with as much artistry as the illustrations. That also means that this will go over the youngest readers' heads and will even give many in the intended age group some difficulties, at times. It's still worth the read, though, since the plot is obvious, and the unknown words and phrases will stretch and boost vocabulary skills. It's a treat many will enjoy, and not just children...which also explains why it's been around and enjoyed for many decades. I received a complimentary digital copy and enjoyed the tale… (mer)

I remember reading this book a very long time ago; like, maybe 15 years ago (Before any of you say anything, 15 years ago is a long time for me, when you remember that I’m only 24 years old). The copy I have at home is quite old, and if you remember my review of Ben Hur, then you can imagine how old this is. The pages are brittle, the writing looks like it was done on a typewriter, and there’s one of my family member’s initials in dark fountain pen ink on the front page.

The story is about a family, the Balickis, who are a Polish family living in Warsaw when the war breaks out. Because of circumstances beyond their control, the whole family – three children, father, and mother – are all separated from each other. The story mostly follows the children on their wacky adventures through war-torn Europe as they try to find their way back to their parents, not even knowing if they’re alive or not. But their unwavering hope and optimism keeps everyone going and they always find a way in the end!

I think that what adult readers of this novel have to keep in mind is that it is written for children under the age of 12. The story is very feel-good, even if they do have a lot of mishaps and problems coming their way, but you do know that they are going to be just fine in the end.

It’s a cute little family novel that does well in introducing children to the severity of World War II, and what the real situation was for a lot of families during that time – separation, not being able to contact each other, death, and illness. It’s all in the book, and it’s all tied up with a nice little ribbon made of happy endings at the end.

Final rating: if this is for a child below the age of 12, then definitely a 4/5. The writing is very babyish but I’m sure that a child would enjoy it more than an adult would.… (mer)