The Flying Classroom
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
Martin's school is no ordinary school. There are snowball fights, kidnappings, cakes, a parachute jump, a mysterious man called 'No-Smoking' who lives in a railway carriage and a play about a flying classroom.
As the Christmas holidays draw near, Martin and his friends - nervous Uli, cynical Sebastian, Johnny, who was rescued by a sea captain, and Matthias, who is always hungry (particularly after a meal) - are preparing for the end of term festivities. But there are surprises, sadness and trouble on the way - and a secret that changes everything.
The Flying Classroom is a magical, thrilling and bittersweet story about friendship, fun and being brave when you are at your most scared. (It also features a calf called Eduard, but you will have to read it to find out why).
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Originally published in 1935 and charmingly illustrated by Trier, K stner's (Emil and the Detectives) pleasingly sentimental tale of early 20th-century boarding-school life gets the opportunity to reach a new audience, courtesy of Bell's new translation. A varied group of boys cowardly Uli, ever-starving future boxer Matthias, gentle Martin, and writerly orphan Jonathan Trotz come together in the final days before Christmas break to present a play, "The Flying Classroom," to their schoolmates. The heart of the novel centers on the boys' intricate layers of friendship and deep admiration for their housemaster. During a string of vignettes infused with sweet nostalgia, secrets are discovered, books are burned, bones are broken, and Christmas is almost spoiled. Still, the story shows its age, at times along with somewhat old-fashioned language ("Now then, off you go, you bandits!"), fighting, bullying, and tobacco use are present. While the narrative frame and ensemble cast might prove a challenge to less mature readers, the rewards of meaningful and lasting emotion, portrayed throughout, is worth the effort. Ages 9 12.
