If you like Tim Burton you will probably really like this little book, especially the illustrations by Eric Von Schmidt. In fact, it was the cover of the book which made me pick it up and look at in a St Vinnies Store in the first place. The story is really quirky. The main character, Opie, lives in a western-style old America and meets a pair of madcap ‘ghost-raising’ magicians. Opie and his aunt know there is some funny business going on when Professor Pepper announces that he is going to raise the ghost of a dead robber, Crookneck John, live on stage. However, the unseen ghost escapes from his coffin during the presentation, and on top of this, the town bank is robbed! What is going on? This little book is filled with hyperbole, piquant phrasing and bravura and it is a lot of fun to read. Unfortunately Sid, the author, passed away last year at the grand age of ninety, but his website lives on and is a real tribute to him and well worth a look. http://sidfleischman.com/index.html
Here is a video clip of Sid so you can have some idea about him:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRkYO-L1gjs
The ghost on saturday is a brilliant book! I loved the little ink drawings! The character professor pepper was really cool and quirky, as was Opie's aunt!
ReplyDeleteElizabeth