Be ready for some adventures!
This is story about a gullible and fun-loving scarecrow, known as Lord Scarecrow, who employs the services of a poor, quick-witted boy as his servant to help him on his journey of adventure. Together they stumble upon many obstacles while the scarecrow searches for his fortune and tries to find his birthplace.
Both characters are hugely engaging and I really liked the descriptions, for example, Pullman described the scarecrow's voice as "rich and sonorous" and went on to say "his head was made of a great knobbly turnip, with a broad crack for a mouth and a long thin sprout for a nose…"
The book is spiked with humour. At one point, Lord Scarecrow falls madly in love with a broom and at another, he joins the army simply because he likes the military uniform! My favourite part when there's a battle with bullets whizzing everywhere, cannonballs smashing into tents, soldiers running in all directions and suddenly the scarecrow calmly stops, reaches into a bush, lifts out a nest containing a terrified robin and says, "This is quite intolerable… Madam, I offer my apologies on behalf of the regiment. It is no part of a soldier's duty to terrify a mother and her eggs." Unfortunately his leg gets shot off as a result of his crazy kindness!
This is certainly a book I'd recommend for children who like adventurous, witty stories. A solid five star rating!
• Buy this book at the Guardian Bookshop.
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