Book Review |
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Flour Babies |
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I had this book for a long time before I actually read it. I kept putting it to the bottom of the pile and reading others before it. I think the title put me off - it seemed soppy and uninteresting - but, as they say, never judge a book by its cover! The story tells of a class of boys in school. It does not tell us the name of the school or the age of the boys. I would guess they are in secondary school. It does tell us that they are all poorly behaved and get terrible marks in their school work; a sort of bottom set with special needs. The school is having a science fair and because these boys are not trusted to do anything else, they are given a range of boring tasks to choose from. A misunderstanding and a series of chance happenings lead them to be lumbered with the FLOUR BABY project. This involves them each being given a small sack of flour - the baby - and carrying it about with them for 3 weeks! They have to treat the sack as a child and write their thoughts and feelings in a diary. Now the focus of the book moves from the whole class to just one boy - Simon Martin . His Dad left them when he was just 6 weeks old and he has many mixed up thoughts and feelings about him. His work on the project makes him think more and more about his Dad and he begins to change. I found this a very thoughtful book on the whole which is surprising because it was also tremendously funny and if you had asked me after the first chapter I would have said it was a comedy but it is more than that. It is not a long book but it is very entertaining, very funny at times and a little sad. Read it - it did not get the Carnegie Medal and Whitbread Award for nothing! - and don't let the cover or title put you off. Iestyn Evans Jan 2002 |
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