I was having a bit of a difficult time deciding which book to read a couple of weeks ago, nothing seemed to fit my mood. Then it dawned on me that I hadn’t read a ‘Just William’ book for ages. I galumph past my boxed set umpteen times every day as it’s in a bookcase half-way up the stairs – or on the mezzanine level if you’re an estate agent.
Anyway, it turned out that William was just what I needed to give me a guaranteed good laugh. Richmal Crompton (a woman) was born in Lancashire in 1890. The first story about William Brown appeared in 1919 in the Home magazine, 38 William books were written with the last one being published in 1970, after Richmal Crompton’s death. The Sunday Times said that the Just William series was “probably the funniest, toughest children’s books ever written.”
I don’t know what they meant by toughest but the books are a hoot and in this one William is 11 years old but he’s as anarchic as ever and gets up to all sorts of crazy high jinks much to the horror of his poor parents.
I think even modern day kids would love these stories although I’m quite glad that I didn’t give them to my own boys to read when they were wee. Life was chaotic enough without giving them more ideas!
It all reminds me so much of my own childhood with my older brother William who wasn’t much better than William Brown when it came to pea shooters, practical jokes and general mayhem. He always got off with it too! I’m not bitter, honestly!
And there was Violet Elizabeth in those books too, wasn’t there? “I’ll scream and I’ll scream till I make myself sick!” was her catchphrase. Great books!
Evee,
Violet Elizabeth was the reason I was never into Just William as a child, what with my brother being William and me having red hair and a lisp it was all too much! I did not thcream and thcream until I was thick! She didn’t appear in this book though similar girls did, I think Crompton must have developed the character later on.
Violet Elizabeth first appears in #5 Still William, in a story called The Sweet Little girl in White. If I ever make it to Mastermind, my specialized subject is going to be William Brown.
And strangely enough, my Williams are on a shelf on the staircase too…
Niranjana,
Ah, I wondered when she would make her entrance, I must get on with the series. The stairs seem to be an apt place for William to be inhabiting somehow – loitering! I’m looking forward to your Mastermind appearance – but wait until I’ve read them all!
I looked her up online and she was quite a prolific writer. I will try to find some of her books.
Peggy,
The Just William books were wildly popular in the UK for years and there have been a few TV adaptations, most recently by the BBC in 2010 which is definitely worth viewing if you get a chance – if you enjoy a daft laugh that is!
I still have that 2010 version to watch it is all recorded on the digital thingy. But I have never read any, not even when I was small, not sure why will have to ask my mum.
Thanks for the reminder of them,
Jo,
I think you’ll enjoy it if you ever do get around to watching it. You sound like our boys who have about 80 hours of stuff stacked up on their digital thingies. We aren’t that hi-tech yet!