Jennings Follows a Clue - Second in the series of Jennings Books

This is one of those books I had a friend pick up on a lark, and it turned out to be surprising in a number of ways.  The title sounded like a fun read, and since the publisher was Collins, I knew it was a British book.  However, I was completely unaware that this was actually the second book in an on-going series of tales about a precious young boy named J.C.T. (John Christopher Timothy) Jennings and his best friend, C.E.J. (Charles Edwin Jeremy) Darbishire, who are students at the Linbury Court preparatory school.  The series is authored by Anthony Buckeridge (1912-2004), a British author who is best known for this series, as well as another about another schoolboy named Rex Milligan.  The Jenning series lasted for a total of 24 books, with the first book (Jennings Goes to School) being published in 1950, and the final book (That's Jennings) being published 44 years later in 1994.

 

As I began reading Jennings Follows a Clue, I began to wonder if this be a book a simply read and passed on, as it was not overly exciting.  It begins as simply another book about boys at a prep school and their misadventures as they look for ways to have fun and try desperately to avoid any kind of school work whatsoever.  Jennings and his cohort, Darbishire, are some extremely imaginative children, whether it be playing cops and robbers, spies and thieves, cowboys and Indians, or any other made up adventure.  When Jennings gets a little too rambunctious as a gyro-copter and knocks into Mr. Carter, the teach takes it upon himself to introduce Jennings and a couple of other students to The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, reading aloud tales of the great detective.  Little does he know that the reading of this book inspires young Jennings to open up his own detective agency at the school, enlisting Darbishire as his very own "Watson."  Now, if they could only find a real mystery to solve...

 

 While the book has a slow start to it, the reader quickly begins to realize the story is more than just a tale of boys' life at a prep school - it is almost an Airplane! or Naked Gun or Scary Movie version of boys' life.  The number of crazy circumstances, the number of bumbling comedy of errors, and the number of Abbott-and-Costello-like dialogue exchanges will more than make you smile, and pretty often make you giggle and laugh out loud.  Jennings and Darbishire are right there at the middle of everything, and despite all of their best intentions, their over-active imaginations lead them into one big mess after another.  The Headmaster, Mr. Carter, and Mr. Wilkins all attempt to reign the boy in, but with Jennings, there is simply no controlling the boy!  He is determined to be a detective, and with Darbishire at his side, the Linbury Court Detective Agency (or Ln. Ct. Det. Ag., for short) is going to solve every mystery the school has to offer - and as luck would have it, one does fall right into their laps, even if no one believes them.

 

The boys make their share of mistakes trying to find a mystery, but when they spot the shadow of a man in the infirmary late at night, when no one is supposed to be there, they believe they are on to something.  They keep their suspicions under wraps, Jennings determined to get real evidence of a thief before they present it to the Headmaster; and with the big Sports Day games coming up, the Ln. Ct. Det. Ag. have very little free time to devote to their detecting.  One fateful night, they chance to see the intruder again, so they sneak over to the infirmary to catch the man in the act - only, the tables get turned, and they are the ones caught instead - locked inside a room while the thief gets away!  At first, the Headmaster does not believe their story, until they return to the school and find that someone has stolen all of the boys' Sports Day trophies from the library!  The game is now afoot, and unwittingly (or, perhaps we should say, dimwittedly!), Jennings and Darbishire follow up on their one clue - a button torn from the thief's shirt - to track down and ultimately unmask the crook.  (And if you pay attention while reading the book, you'll be able to spot the thief fairly easily - but blink, and you might miss it!)

 

Now, there are some things worth mentioning about the story, particularly the time of year.  On the very first page of the first chapter, the author describes "the grumbling February sky" (p. 9), yet, just before that, indicates that this takes place "[d]uring the first half of the Easter term" (p. 9).  This seems rather odd, since Easter normally takes place between March 22 and April 25, and it never falls in February.  So, perhaps the reference to "Easter term" is actually just another way of describing the "Spring term" for the school?  Next, the author makes a passing reference to "Dick Barton" (p. 50), when Jennings suggests to Darbishire that they will hail the next car and ask the driver to follow the one they are chasing, because "[t]hat's what 'Dick Baron' does anyway, and it always works" (p. 50).  I looked it up, and it seems Dick Barton was a radio-serial about a special agent that used to be broadcast on the BBC between 1946 and 1951 - and since this book was first published in 1951, it would have been right around the time that serial was coming to an end (but clearly, young boys like Jennings and Darbishire would still have listened to the stories and be familiar with the character).

 

In addition, readers get a brief lesson in Latin, when the boys are in class, using the pronouns hic, haec, hoc as sound effects for their imaginary plane battle - which comes to an abrupt end when the teacher enters the room, albeit Jennings misses the queue and keeps his "gun" firing:  "Hic-haec-hoc ... hic-haec-hoc ... hic-haec-hoc ... B-A-N-G!" (p. 181).   They jokingly utilize  the feminine ablative, accusative singular, genitive plural, and other variations of the words in their battle, naming their conjugations as they bleat them out in their fantasy battle.  I found this to be an ingenuious way of the author to insert a bit of actual learning into the story.

 

I am not sure who did the cover art  for this edition, but it is a beautiful, wrap-around scene that depicts the opening sequence, when Jennings and Darbishire are attempting to play a quiet game of chess while all the other boys in their grade (or "form," as it is referred to in the book) are wildly engaged in noisy activities, one of which sends a boxing glove right into the chessboard, knocking over all of our main characters' pieces.

 

While I ultimately enjoyed the story, and found a number of conversations to be very much along the lines of the 1980s and 1990s parody films, I am unlikely to search out any other books in the series.  A quick glance at the list of books on the back inside flap of the dust jacket reveals that this book appears to be the only one with any sort of mystery to it. All of the other books appear to be simply tales of Jennings' life at the boarding school and the various misadventures he and Darbishire find themselves in time and time again.  These are not my typical reading material, and so this is just a one-off that will find itself on my shelf of British children's books, never to have any of the other books in its series around it.

 

RATING:  7 Grossman Cine Camera de Luxes out of 10 for a slapstick style misadventure filled with plenty of misunderstandings, crack comments, and a touch of mystery. 

 

Trudy Phillips, Headline Year - the second Trudy Phillips book

This two-book series has been my introduction, of sorts, into the world of "malt shop" stories, and I must say, I rather enjoyed them.  The first book offered up a slight mystery mixed in with plenty of school days adventures and teen angst, and the second book pretty much followed the same form, albeit with an even slighter mystery.  Written by Barbara (S.) Bates (1919-2002), the series follows the life of its title character after her family moves to Tylertown. In the first book, Trudy is trying to find out where she belongs in this new town and new school; now, in this second book, she has adjusted to life in Tylertown and is ready to forge ahead with plans for her future and a brand new friend!

 

Trudy Phillips, Headline Year picks up literally where the first book left off.  For those who may not remember,  Trudy not only made friends with the very popular Gloria Holden, but she welcomed her into her home (as Gloria's parents were never really present, leaving the young teen by herself most of the time).  Now, as this book opens, Trudy is helping Gloria carry her many suitcases into the Phillips home, where Gloria will share a room with Trudy.  Quite frankly, this book is almost as much about Gloria and her growth as it is about Trudy's.  One would think that after finally admitting her loneliness by the end of the previous book, Gloria would have been somewhat humbled - but, no, in this book, Trudy finds herself at odds with her new friend a/k/a roommate a/k/a "sister," as Gloria has taken a dislike to Trudy's dog, Tucker, and even worse, she has a clear disdain for Alice Johnson, the new girl at school!  Trudy finds herself caught between the two, as she remembers what it was like to be the new girl (after all, that was just in the last book!), and she wants to make Alice feel welcome, but at the same time, she does not want to alienate Gloria after spending most of the last book trying to win her friendship!

 

Bates takes the characters from Christmas, through the New Year, on to Valentine's Day, before reaching the end during the St. Patrick's Day celebration - and during that time, Trudy and her friends face a number of challenges.  When one of the journalism students moves away, there is a spot open on the school's newspaper, The Sentinel, and Trudy decides she wants to try for the position.  She manages to win the coveted spot, and now finds she must learn to balance her time between school, the newspaper, her dog, her family, and her friends! And speaking of her dog ... poor Tucker has his own set of challenges, as Trudy desperately tries to train him, but finds herself at a loss to teach the dog to obey.  The shy new girl takes a liking to Tucker and agrees to help, but she is frightened away time and again by Gloria's actions towards her, as well as towards the dog.  Then there is the overcrowding on the school busses and in the lunch room that leads to a student revolt, inadvertently spurred on by the school paper!  On top of all of this, there are two mysteries that weave their way through the story:  (1) who is the anonymous writer who provides the paper with some well-written and though provoking articles, and (2) why does Alice always  wear a turban and never invited anyone to her house?

 

The various storylines provide Bates with plenty of opportunity for drama and teen angst, particularly since these kids are just at the age where they are starting to like the opposite sex.  Thus, everyone is worried about dates for the New Year's parties, for the Valentine's Day dance, as well as for the St. Patrick's Day celebration.  I, for one, was glad to see Trudy remains faithful to her glasses-wearing, college-level word spouting friend, Steve (the two of them made it to the cover of the book!), and does not fall sway to Alice's rather handsome older brother - a young man who Gloria sets her eyes on!  I also enjoyed reading Trudy's repeated attempts to make friends with Alice, despite her constant brush-offs and her secretive nature surrounding her family and her turban.  The mystery surrounding the latter is actually revealed about half-way through the book, and it is Trudy's mother who uncovers the reason the girls is always wearing something over her hair (p. 173).  I won't spoil it, but let's just say the reason given is factually accurate, as I did some research to see if it was real or not - and it was definitely real!

 

The student strike due to overcrowding was a bit much, as I can't imagine any school, particularly back in the 1950s, would have so easily given in to student demands when most of the school walks out and begins to picket rather than attending class.  Perhaps I am looking back with rose-colored glasses, but it seems to me that school authorities (principals, teachers, administration, etc.) had a much more firm control over the student body than to allow what takes place in this book.  And I do realize that a lot of it was for dramatic purposes, and part of it was a fictionalized telling of what junior high school students would probably love to be able to do in order to get their way.  At least Bates gave her title character and her friends some backbone to stand up to the strikers and find a way to get everyone back in class before things get too far out of hand. 

 

One surprise I found while reading the book was a pop culture reference, when Alice finally invites Trudy over to her house and they listen to some records - including a "new" version of "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" by Frank Bye (p. 259).   While the song is definitely a real one, made famous by The Platters back in the late 1950s (four years AFTER this book was published!), and was covered by numerous artists thereafter, I was unable to find any version by someone named "Frank Bye."  The first recorded version was by Gertrude Niesen in 1933, then recorded by Nat "King" Cole in 1946, and after that, it was performed in the 1952 film adaptation of Roberta.  Numerous others have covered the song since.

 

Dorothy Grider once again provides the art for this book.  The end pages are the same as the first book, with all of the students milling outside of the school and Trudy running up to the steps on her first day at the new school.  The illustrations feature black and white line drawings with splashes of color, either pink or a pastel blue/green. Nearly every chapter has an illustration to complement the story taking place therein, and while there is nothing too exciting in the scenes (after all, this is not a fast-paced Stratemeyer series book that is dependent on lots of action and cliffhangers!), it is fun to see some of the choices made - from Trudy and Gloria carrying all of Gloria's things into the Phillips house to Alice's budding affection for Trudy's dog (in no less than three of the illustrations!) to couples at the various parties.  One particular illustration I thought was well done was where Trudy is upset by her father's reaction regarding the events unfolding at her school (p. 209) - I felt Grider really captured Trudy's emotion exceptionally well on the girl's face, such that it was clear to see just how upset she was without even having to read the story!

 

It's rather a shame this series ended with this second book.  Sure, they are not the most exciting stories in the world, but they are fun with some endearing characters that quickly grow on you (yes, even Gloria).  Trudy, Spooky, Gloria, Doug, Steve, Mike, Ginger, and now Alice - a better group of friends you are unlikely to find in any other series book!

 

RATING:  8 heavy white wool mittens out of 10 for expressing the ups and downs of a teenagers life with realistic and fictional drama woven into an engaging story that never drags nor bores! 

Trudy Phillips, New Girl - the first Trudy Phillips book

This series is the first "malt shop" series that I've read (even though I have quite a few of them in my collection).  For those unfamiliar with the term, "malt shop books" refers to books from the mid-20th Century with female protagonists that addressed teen problems in a very clean, wholesome way.  Many were romances and/or career girl stories, but some (like this one) feature a certain element of mystery.  Popular authors from this genre were Janet Lambert, Rosamond du Jardin (my mother's favorite author when she was a teenager), among others.  Whitman Publishing actually published several series in this genre:  Donna Parker, Ginny Gordon, Polly French, and our very own Trudy Phillips.  Trudy only had two books, while Polly had three, Ginny had five and Donna beat them all with seven books in her series.  Since poor Trudy only had two, I figured I would start with hers.

 

Trudy Phillips, New Girl was written by Barbara (S.) Bates (1919 - 2002).  According to the Pennsylvania Center for the Book, Bates was a prolific author, penning quite a few books before her death in 2002, both in the realms of fiction and non-fiction.  In addition, Bates also authored articles about books for literary journals. (Author - Barbara S. Bates) Surprisingly, her books for young readers were published under her own name, rather than a house pseudonym.  The two Trudy Phillips books appear to be the only two she wrote for Whitman Publishing.

 

This first book of the two-book series introduces readers to  14-year old Trudy Phillips, whose family has recently moved to Tylertown where her father has been transferred by his job.  Trudy is very unhappy, as she is having to start a new school.  She bemoans the fact that at her previous school, she was very popular and was a shoe-in as class president for the year.  Now, as a "new girl," she would not know anyone and would have to catch upon several weeks of school work she missed due to the move.  The story's focus is on Trudy's status as the "new girl" at school, the problems she faces, the difficulties she overcomes, the friendships (and enemies!) she makes, and the successes she enjoys as she navigates this new school and its students.  While the book does feature a minor mystery involving various thefts of money, that is more of a sub-plat than the main story.

 

Bates provides Trudy with quite a large supporting cast - besides her parents (Mr. and Mrs. Phillips), there is her younger brother Johnny, a precocious red-headed prankster; there is "Spooky" Ruddle (a/k/a Gwen Ruddle), a young tom-boyish girl in her class who quickly becomes her best friend; there is Mike, the foreign boy who is also new to the school and shares Trudy's concerns about people liking him; there is Stephen, the class nerd who is everyone's go-to if they need help with classes; there is Doug, the editor of the school newspaper; then there are Susan, Ginger, Debby, Dick, Bob, Cynthia, and plenty of other classmates, including Gloria Holden -  the most beautiful, most talented, and most popular girl in the class, who always knows how to make an entrance and who is always the center of attention.  Trudy decides right away she would like to get to know Gloria and hopefully become friends with her.  And this is how the story begins...

 

The book finds Trudy facing any number of teenage problems - from being the only one not invited to Gloria Holden's big party (to be held on Halloween, the same day Spooky holds her annual birthday party!) to inadvertently beating Gloria during a class debate, making an immediate enemy of the girl.  She also must figure out a way to save up $20 in order to purchase this puppy from the town's pet store, while at the same time working on the class play, worrying about whether anyone will ask her to the Thanksgiving dance, and deciding whether she should run for class secretary, as all her friends want her to do.  In addition to all of these, Trudy is also determined to make friends with Gloria, even going so far as to invite her to a party she throws, over all of her friends' objections (which causes a brief rift between Spooky and her).

 

The mystery asserts itself in various places throughout the book.  Money from the ticket sales for the play goes missing.  Stephen's envelope filled with his savings to buy a new bike disappears from his locker.  Debby loses her silver dollar at the school dance.  Money from the school store's cash box is taken.  The more incidents that occur, the more it becomes obvious that one of the students is stealing money.  Stephen and Trudy work with one of the teachers to try and set a trap for the thief, but that goes awry, and the money used as bait disappears, but the thief is nowhere to be seen.  The mystery is not really that difficult (from the very first theft, it was obvious who was doing it and why), but it does add a unique element to the story (and since I'm more of a mystery reader than a romance reader, it definitely made reading this book more enjoyable!).

 

Something I thought was interesting was Bates gave Trudy a "collection of foreign dolls" in her room (p. 32).  It's not too often you come across a series book character who is a collector, and particularly, as in this instance, someone who collects foreign dolls.  It immediately brought to mind the Nancy Drew book, The Clue in the Old Album, as well as the Meg book, Mystery in Williamsburg, both of which featured mysteries that centered around doll collections.  Only, in this book, the dolls are mentioned in passing and never become a part of the story.  Leaves one to wonder why Bates even mentions them at all, unless it is to give Trudy a stronger feminine side to her character (since collecting dolls could be seen as more of a female hobby).

 

The book is illustrated by Dorothy Grider (1915 - 2012), who happens to be a Kentucky native (my home state!).  She got her BA at Western Kentucky State College and went on to study art in Paris.  Grider illustrated a large number of children's books, including the Trudy Phillips books for Whitman.  Her two-page endpapers depicts a scene that coincides with the cover art (also provided by Grider, based on what I was able to discern online) - both scenes reflect Trudy's arrival of her first day at Tylertown Junior High School (finally! endpapers that do not spoil any of the story, as so many of Whitman's books seem to do!).  The endpapers show her hurrying towards the front doors, with groups of students standing around (and it's amazing how easily one can pick out the various characters in their scene, as Grider definitely utilized the character descriptions for her art - with Dick talking to Gloria on the bottom right, while Steven is chatting with Ginny (or Debby) on the bottom left side, while Mike and Spooky are hurrying through the gate).  The brightly colored cover shows the same scene moments later, as Trudy climbs those front steps, with Steven and Spooky seated on the steps and Mike leaning against the wall.  Trudy is even wearing the red sweater and plaid skirt (p. 11) described in the book.  The cover wraps around to the back, where we find Gloria talking with one boy, while another is watching them from the window.  

 

While I've seen mixed reviews about the book online, I rather enjoyed the story.  The mix of theater and mystery, swirled around with all of the other teen antics, made for a rather fun drama.  And I actually found myself identifying with characteristics from several of the characters, which endeared me to pretty much all of them (except Gloria - the typical mean girl!).  Overall, I think this was a great introduction to the Malt Shop Book genre, and I am looking forward to reading the second book in this series.

RATING:  8 yards of glimmering brocade in the palest shade out of 10 for terrific tale of teen angst, romance, mystery, parties, theater, elections, and everything else that would make for an enjoyable read! 

The Manor House School - a "Book for Girls" from Blackie's List

This was a book purchased for me by a friend who was at Half Price Books in Marietta, Georgia earlier this year.  He was browsing through the vintage book section, showing me (via FaceTime) what books they had on their shelves, and I happened to notice the spine of the dust jacket, so I asked him to pull it out.  He showed me the book, and for only $5, I thought, "Why not?"  The cover depicted a rather odd scene of two girls being turned out of their canoe into the water, and the title seemed to hint at something a bit unusual (after all, how many schools are actually in a manor house?).  I finally decided to the give the book a read, and I was pleasantly surprised that the story offered up a rather good mystery!

 

The Manor House School was written by Angela Brazil (1969 - 1947), who was considered "one of the first British writers of 'modern schoolgirls' stories' ... intended primarily as entertainment rather than moral instruction" (Angela Brazil).  She authored more than fifty books for girls between the years of 1899 and 1946, with this particular book first being published in 1911 - Brazil's twelfth published novel.  While the story involves all of the girls at Winterburn Lodge and their temporary relocation from the boarding school in London  to the country manor owned by the Courtenay family for their summer term, the author does narrow down the focus to two particular girls - Lindsay Hepburn and Cicely Chalmers.  These two make an interesting pair - while the set up seems similar to the Stratemeyer Syndicate's Dana Girls mysteries, the title characters could not be more different (and, remember, this book came out twenty-some years before the Dana Girls ever appeared on the scene!).

 

Lindsay Hepburn is described as "a short, plump, fair, jolly-looking girl of twelve, with a very energetic disposition" (p. 22).  I found this rather unique, since I cannot recall any American children's books which featured a "plump" lead character - normally the overweight characters are regulated to the main protagonist's cohorts and friends.  Cicely Chalmers, who is said to be six months younger than her friend, is described as "much more quiet and steady on the surface, though her twinkling brown eyes belied her demurer manners, and proclaimed he ready for anything in the shape of fun" (p. 22).  Lindsay definitely has the stronger personality, with Cicely, more or less, being her "toady" (similar to Ina Mason's relationship with Lettie Briggs in the Dana Girls' series).  While Lindsay and Cicely are not troublemakers by any means, they do certainly wind up in some precarious situations and find themselves being scolded or punished time and time again for their rather rambunctious adventures.

 

The first few chapters of the book give it the feel of a typical British schoolgirls' story, as the thirty girls under Miss Russell's tutelage are forced to relocate from their city school due to problems with the drains throughout the school and must take up residence in a country manor home rented from one Mrs. Courtenay, who takes her daughter to stay in a nearby town.  The daughter, Monica, makes her appearance at the manor house, as she will be taking some classes while dividing time in town taking care of her ailing mother.  There is also Mrs. Wilson, the overly gruff housekeeper who remained at the manor house to help cook and clean for the girls, and her disagreeable nature earns her the nickname "The Griffin" by the girls.  In addition, there is a groundskeeper named Scott, who seems very secretive and who appears to be in cahoots with Mrs. Wilson about something.  The girls explore the great house and learn some of the history regarding its ownership, and along the way discover that Monica's great-uncle, Sir Giles Courtenay, supposedly had a fortune when he did, all of which was left to Monica in a will - the only problem is, no one has ever been able to find the fortune!  And this is where the mystery a/k/a treasure hunt begins.

 

Brazil (pronounced "brazzle," by the way) provides some rather tense moments for the two girls as they search for Monica's missing inheritance.  At one point they are trapped in a church and must climb a steep staircase to the top of the bell tower in order to ring the bell for aid; another time, they explore the attics to discover a small staircase (there seem to be staircases everywhere they turn!) that leads to an empty room above the attic - a room where Mrs. Wilson disappears, where they hear strange groaning sounds, and where they uncover a secret door that hides a dark, ominous chamber beyond!  There is also the moment near the end when they are playing hide and seek, and the two girls hide inside a settle (which is a long wooden bench, which, in this case, has a storage box beneath it) and unwittingly discover it has a false floor that drops them into a hidden room beneath the house!  There are also a number of mishaps, such as the overturned canoe (which is their own fault for "borrowing" a boat that was not their own!); the unfortunate cloud that descends and leave the girls and their friends unable to find their way off the hilltop where they are picnicking; the small island they discover that turns out to be just a growth of plants above the water, nearly plunging them into the muck of the river; and the moment when one of them nearly falls throw the floor of the attic into the floor below!

 

As can be expected from a book such as this, Lindsay and Cicely manage to find the missing treasure and enable Monica to get the help her mother needs to save her life.  The book has gone through a number of editions throughout the years, offering a variety of covers - from the very simple girl sitting in a chair holding a book to a scene of Lindsay and Cicely looking up at the great house to the girls getting ready to hide in the settle to the unfortunate overturning of their boat on the water, and even one with the scene of the girls trapped in the bell tower.  It seems most of the editions were published by Blackie & Son Ltd., although at least one edition (paperback) was published by Armada.

 

One odd tidbit I noticed while reading the book was the notation that appeared at the bottom of certain pages:

 

            Page 11 at the bottom had "1*            (c 191)"

            Page 35 at the bottom had "2              (c 191)"

            Page 43 at the bottom had "2*            (c 191)"

            Page 67 at the bottom had "3              (c 191)"

 

and so on.  The final notation is found on page 235, which has "8*          (c 191)" at the bottom. From what I can gather, these were some form of marks or codes used in bookbinding to indicate where certain sections of the book began - "signature marks," is what I was able to find they are called.  It is interesting the publishers would leave these marks on the final product which is to be sold to the public.

 

While this is by no means a piece of great literature, it is a fun little story with an enjoyable mystery - worth the purchase!

 

RATING:  8 paintings of a young woman holding a bunch of red roses out of 10 for a quirky little girls' school story with two very likable protagonists! 

Tom Brown's School Days - a Classics Illustrated comic adaptation

Sometimes I stumble across the most unusual finds while browsing antique malls, flea markets, and used book stores.  I've come across a number of book series that I have never heard of before, or found some rather off-beat comic books that pique my interest.  Well, on a recent trip to Kentucky to visit my father, I was wandering through Peddler's Mall (a chain of flea markets) when I happened upon an old issue of Classics Illustrated that gave me pause.  For those who may not know (since the series is not exactly as popular as it once was), Classics Illustrated was a series of comic books that gave readers some of the "greatest stories by the World's Great Authors" (or so the by-line said) in abridged, comic book form.  You can find pretty much any true classic published in this series - from Moby Dick to Rip Van Winkle to Alice in Wonderland to The Red Badge of Courage, and even a large number of lesser known books, such as The Spy, Lord Jim, The Hurricane, Kit Carson, and so many more.  Now, as a kid, I was never really interested in these comics, as I much preferred to read the actual book and get the whole story.  Even as an adult, the only Classics Illustrated comic I own (at least, up until I bought this one) is The Time Machine by H.G. Wells, which I purchased when I was doing a paper in college on the various comic book adaptations of that particular book.  Well, while I was combing through a box of comics at the Peddler Mall, I came across this particular book - and based on the title and the cover art, I knew I could not pass it up.

Prior to this, I had never heard of Tom Brown's School Days by Thomas Hughes.  The title alone was similar enough to any number of children's series books from back in the early part of the 20th century to catch my eye, but the cover, sporting a group of young men playing football, only clinched the deal.  I was pretty confident that this had to be an adaptation of yet another children's series book of which I had no knowledge.  So, I splurged the $2.00 to buy the comic and brought it home to read.  

Tom Brown's School Days tells the story of - you guessed it! - young Tom Brown, who was a spirited boy from the very beginning, and when the local school could not seem to give young Tom what he needed, his father decides to send him to a Rugby school for boys.  Once there, Tom quickly makes friends with an upper class boy named Harry East, who shows Tom the ropes.  He proves his worth at playing football and doesn't flinch when he's "initiated" by some of the older boys, and ultimately puts a bully in his place, freeing himself and some of the other younger boys from the oppression of some of the upperclassmen.  However, Tom was not exactly the picture of good behavior.  He and his friends caused their fare share of trouble, to the point where the headmasters decided something needed to be done to put Tom back on the right track.  Enter: George Arthur - a poor little fellow whose father had died, has no siblings, and is a pale, thin young boy.  Tom takes George under his wing and protects him from the antics of the older boys.  As the years pass, George grows stronger, Tom grows more stable and confident, and by the end of the tale, Tom has ended his term at Rugby and is preparing to return to London and begin his new life as an adult.

While there is no "mystery" at all in this story, which is what I normally enjoy in a children's book, the story definitely reads very much like the type of children's books that were written back in the early part of the 1900s.  It turns out, though, that Hughes actually wrote the book in 1857, and the story is set in the 1830s (which I did realize while reading the comic, as it does not indicate anywhere in the story what year it is).  The story is apparently based on the author's own experiences, with Tom being based on the author's brother and George Arthur believed to be based on Arthur Penrhyn Stanley.  The book has had both film and television adaptations (as well as this comic book adaptation), and it also had one sequel, Tom Brown at Oxford.  Thus, while it turns out Tom Brown's School Days was not actually a children's "series" book (unless you count two books as a "series"), it did turn out to be a quaint little read, and interested me enough that I am now hunting down the book version and its sequel so I can read the full story.

RATING:  7 bowls of curds out of 10 for opening my eyes to an even older children's "series" that I never knew existed!