Hey kids! My name is Jake and I work at Lewisham Library, but in my spare time I like to write. I have been writing lots of stuff for the grown ups while we have been closed, but seeing as it's Summer Reading Challenge time it got me thinking.
Usually I am not allowed to do the reading challenge because I am too old/I am not allowed the prizes, however seeing as it's all online this year I thought I would give it a try! Even better, I am going to tell you a bit about the books I read so you can decide if you fancy reading them too.
I thought I would start with one of my favourite books, one that I read when I was still small and in primary school. George's Marvellous Medicine by Roald Dahl.
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| From the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography |
George Kranky is eight years old and lives on a farm with his family. There's his Dad, his mum, and his mean old Grandma. It is a bit odd, because usually Grandmas are lovely. But not George's, she's wicked. One morning when Mrs Kranky has to go shopping, while Mr Kranky is working on the farm, poor George gets left with Grandma. He doesn't like being left with Grandma because when it's just the two of them she is a bit of a bully to him.
This morning Grandma complains about the tea George makes for her, or the fact that he is as tall as her. She tells him he wants to stop growing because he is as tall as her. So he shouldn't eat chocolate at all, but cabbage with Caterpillars and Slugs left on or celery with Earwigs and Beetles. Yuk.
That sounds pretty gross, and I once ate a roast cricket. Telling George
to get closer, Grandma says that she knows secrets, magic to twist
creatures into different shapes...... Including George!
George runs away to the kitchen and slams the door shut. Why must he have such a cruel Grandma? He wishes he could get his own back but without firecrackers, snakes or rats he can't see how he can. All she does is pick on him and take her medicine four times a day. Isn't medicine supposed to make people better? It can't be working because she is still just as mean after she takes it.
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| From Press Reader Childrens' Magazines |
Wait. Medicine is supposed to make people better. So George is going to make Grandma a new medicine. A magic medicine to either make her nicer or maybe, possibly blow the top of her head off. What could go wrong? He gets out some pots and pans and gets to work. When a curious Grandma asks what he's up to because she can hear the noise George tells her he is tidying up the kitchen then sneaks upstairs to the bathroom.
Having promised his parents to NEVER go into the forbidden medicine cabinet, and not wanting to break that promise, he works with everything else he can find. A splash of this from the bathroom. A dash of that from his parents bedroom. A pinch of such and such from the basement. A dollop of so and so from the kitchen. A sprinkle of bits and bobs from the shed. Then he sticks it on the stove and gets cooking, while he dances around chanting whatever pops into his head. When it turns out blue, he adds a dollop of brown paint for good measure to make it look like her medicine. Then it is time for her dose.
Does it work? Well that would be a spoiler so you should read it for yourself to find out! But let's just say it might not do what young George hoped for. What I will say is this, if you love the David Walliam's books then you will love Roald Dahl. This book is silly, it's fun, and is a little bit magical so I think you definitely should read it because it's the perfect story if you're part of the Silly Squad!
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| George's Marvellous Medicine |
In fact I love this book so much that I am giving it 10/10 for my Silly Squad Book first book review! If you would like to read George's Marvellous Medicine you can get your grown up to find it here on our E-Library Here
or you can ask them to call us on 020 8314 8430 for our Click and Collect service.
I will be back next week with another book review, see you then!
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Did you know that we have an online Reference Library which can help you do your homework, such as Encyclopedias, Newspapers from as far back as 1710 and magazines and comics too.
Visit www.lewisham.gov.uk/elibrary with your library card to find out more.
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