The Flying Classroom

Description

Five boys are preparing for their school Christmas play: conscientious Martin, too poor to pay for his train fare home at the end of term; Johnny, whose parents have left him and who'll have to stay at school over the holidays; Matthew, strong, thick-skinned and good-natured, looking forward to the punching ball he's been promised for Christmas; sensitive and fearful Uli; and intelligent, complicated Sebastian, who thinks that Christmas is overrated but is happy to play along. Meanwhile, a rival boys' school is threatening their peace and their housemaster's mysterious falling-out with an old friend, who lives in a (non-smoking) railway carriage, demands to be explained and rectified. Both quietly melancholic and very funny, this is a story about the fun, adventure and worries, both small and serious, that are the reality of childhood days.

Erich Kastner, writer, poet and journalist, was born in Dresden in 1899. His first children's book, Emil and the Detectives, was published in 1929 and has since sold millions of copies around the world and been translated into around 60 languages. After the Nazis took power in Germany, Kastner's books were burnt and he was excluded from the writers' guild. He won many awards, including the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Award in 1960. He died in 1974. Walter Trier was born in Prague in 1890, but moved to Berlin in 1910. An acclaimed cartoonist and illustrator, he collaborated with Kastner on more than a dozen children's books and produced covers for Lilliput and The New Yorker, among others. He fled Germany in 1936, and eventually settled in Canada, where he died in 1951.

There are so many books where it's the combination of author and illustrator that makes you love them. In the case of The Flying Classroom and The Parent Trap... it's the combo of author, illustrator and translator. The bold line drawings by Walter Trier are the work of genius... As for the stories, if you're a fan of Emil and the Detectives, then you'll find these just as spirited -- Melanie McDonagh, 'Children's Books of the Year' Spectator A perfect story for Christmas!... The Flying Classroom tells of the friendships and adventures of a group of lively boys... As Christmas gets ever closer, hopes and fears are raised and, in the final pages, beautifully resolved -- Julia Eccleshare, Books of the Year Lovereading4kids A treasure-trove of childhood reading Huffington Post Walter Trier's deceptively innocent drawings are as classic as Kastner's words; I never tire of them -- Quentin Blake Gorgeous Books Are My Bag A marvellous piece of history... This book moved me to a place that few books do. Oh, just buy it! Bookwitch It's not the most famous book by the author of Emil and the Detectives but it's his best. This lovely looking reissue breathes new life into the school story -- Alex O'Connell, Books of the Year The Times Generous and wise -- Julia Eccleshare, Books of the Year Guardian (On both The Parent Trap and The Flying Classroom) I enjoyed every word of both, before reluctantly passing them onto my grandson. They explore childhood with wit and invention while spinning magical yarns interwoven with the erratic and bizarre actions of adults and the independent-mindedness of children -- Amanda Hopkinson PEN Atlas Books of the Year Magical -- Daniel Hahn Independent Children's Books of the Year Warmly recommended, as is The Parent Trap, which, two film versions notwithstanding, survives as an affectionately humorous portrayal of family life Irish Times The Flying Classroom dazzles with its perceptive depiction of schoolboys, schoolmasters and snowballing Irish Times [A] charmingly illustrated... pleasingly sentimental tale of early 20th-century boarding-school life Publishers Weekly Atmospheric... bittersweet... a memorable exploration of bravery, boyhood and friendships Wall Street Journal