Details
Synopsis
A scarecrow and his boy servant, Jack, set off on a dangerous adventure as they try to outwit the crooked Buffaloni family and stake their claim to valuable Spring Valley., Best known for the stunning His Dark Materials trilogy, Philip Pullman is also the author of this humorous tale of the wild countryside adventures of nutty, optimistic Lord Scarecrow and his servant, Jack, a seven-year-old boy--a story with a wonderful Land of Oz quality. With a giant turnip head and a straw-filled suit, Lord Scarecrow cuts quite a figure, whether he's fighting brigands, playing a prop on stage, freeing birds, or about to be marooned. In search of Spring Valley, a place he instinctively knows is home, Scarecrow and his orphaned assistant are pursued by the evil Buffaloni family, who are poisoning the land with their factories. But with the help of Granny Raven and the Grand Congress of Birds, they might be able to save the land, and themselves. Named one of Publishers Weekly's Best Children's Books of 2005.
| Size | | Length: | 229 pages | | Height: | 8.5 in | | Width: | 5.8 in | | Thickness: | 0.8 in | | Weight: | 12.0 oz |
Publisher's Notes
First Line: "One day old Mr. Pandolfo, who hadn't been feeling at all well, decided that it was time to make a scarecrow. The birds had been very troublesome."
Industry Reviews
"[W]itty, affectionate and fun."
Kirkus (07/01/2005)
"Like the classic tales from which it draws inspiration, this story has a sense of always having been there, just waiting to be told. Bailey's delicate line drawings complement the winning characterizations and assured pacing."
Publishers Weekly (08/01/2005)
"Pullman seems equally at home whether creating high fantasy, Victorian mysteries, or old-fashioned stories in the fairy-tale fashion. Here he excels in the latter mode, creating unique characters to charm young readers."
Booklist (09/01/2005)
"Pullman's clever employment of fairy-tale conventions, his superb use of language, and his engaging dialogue make it a wholly satisfying yarn of ridiculous proportions, and Bailey's line drawings provide just the right feeling of long ago that every good fairy tale deserves."
School Library Journal (09/01/2005)
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