Review: The Scarecrow and His Servant

The Scarecrow and His Servant
by Philip Pullman

Plot Summary:

A tattered scarecrow stands in the middle of a muddy field, taking no notice of the violent thunderstorm around him. But when a bolt of lightning strikes him, fizzing its way through his turnip head and down his broomstick, the Scarecrow blinks with surprise–and comes to life.

So begins the story of the Scarecrow, a courteous but pea-brained fellow with grand ideas. He meets a boy, Jack, who becomes his faithful servant. Leaving behind his bird-scaring duties, the Scarecrow sets out for Spring Valley, with Jack at his side. As the valiant Scarecrow plunges them into terrifying dangers–battles, brigands, broken hearts, and treasure islands–he never realizes he’s being followed by the one family who desperately wishes he’d never sprung to life. Will the Scarecrow discover the secret to his past before the crooked Buffalonis close in on him?

Review:
This is a very entertaining Middle Grade read.  I really enjoyed Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" series and "Sally Lockhart" books, so I do like his writing style and his inventive storytelling.  The Scarecrow and His Servant is a mix of a fairy tale and an homage to Don Quixote with a sinister streak in the unknown motivations of the powerful Buffaloni family.  Although the adventures the Scarecrow takes Jack on are rather sedate and sometimes just silly, Jack and the Scarecrow's schemes are very entertaining and unexpected.  The characterizations of the main characters are pretty broad and easy, and while the action in the story moves along at a comfortable pace, it does come together nicely in the climax scenes in the courtroom.  And in the final scenes I saw that philosophical edge that Philip Pullman likes to add to his novels and which I always find very interesting.  In this case it was the nature of identity.

Although the story seems to focus on the Scarecrow, I found his simple minded sincerity a little tiring after awhile, and thought that earnest and sensible Jack was  a great counterpoint, and much more sympathetic.  The other standout character was crusty Granny Raven who has some great scenes near the end of the story.  This book is a witty, light, easy read - perfect for children or adults who love whimsical reads.

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Review: Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm

Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm
by Philip Pullman

Plot Summary:

Two hundred years ago, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm published the first volume of Children’s and Household Tales. Now, at a veritable fairy-tale moment—witness the popular television shows Grimm and Once Upon a Time and this year’s two movie adaptations of “Snow White”—Philip Pullman, one of the most popular authors of our time, makes us fall in love all over again with the immortal tales of the Brothers Grimm.

From much-loved stories like “Cinderella” and “Rumpelstiltskin,” “Rapunzel” and “Hansel and Gretel” to lesser-known treasures like “Briar-Rose,” “Thousandfurs,” and “The Girl with No Hands,” Pullman retells his fifty favorites, paying homage to the tales that inspired his unique creative vision—and that continue to cast their spell on the Western imagination.

Review:

Philip Pullman's compilation of fifty Brothers Grimm fairy tales, includes many of the popular tales, but more interesting to me, includes a few that I was not at all familiar with.  And some of those tales were very different from what I think of as the traditional fairy tale.  Some were moral tales or ghost stories which made me interested in what other types of stories the Brothers Grimm collected.  Because Philip Pullman also includes commentary and annotations after each fairy tale in this book, the reader can understand the background and influence of the text, as well as the author's opinions of it.  This was probably the best part of reading this book, because I enjoyed getting a perspective on each story and how and why it was changed or altered from it's original version.

Philip Pullman makes each tale more accessible by modernizing the speech and sometimes giving a little more back story or shades of character to each tale.  And from his commentary, he also takes a little from different versions of the tale to give the story more depth.  I liked Philip Pullman's storytelling, but I did miss the old world speech of usual fairy tale translations. This book is certainly a great gift for children, but I relish the archaic language and speech because it gives the tale more of an atmosphere, and I missed that in this book.  For fans of the genre, I'd recommend picking up Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm as an addition to your collection for the interesting comments and annotations, and the inclusion of several lesser known tales.

a review copy was kindly provided through NetGalley

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