Amazon.co.uk Review
Amusing and serendipitous memories of Gervase Phinn's first year as County Inspector of Schools in North Yorkshire. The children he meets seem to be little adults, full of the language and prudence of their mostly land-worker parents; able to hold their own on the finer points of animal husbandry and farm management. "Don't yer know yer sheep then?" asks a serious little boy, aged six, whose reading aloud is perfect but whose interest is more in identifying the breed of sheep in the accompanying illustration, which leads to a serious classroom discussion.

Gervase Phinn meets head teachers, checks school curriculums, selects an unpopular winner in a poetry competition, and gains confidence of the shyest and the most stubborn with innate diplomacy. He graciously accepts endless inaccuracies in the spelling and pronunciation of his name--"he's called Mr Grim and he's a spectre"--becomes much sought-after and admired by the county's matrons, and his heart is set a'flutter by a pretty, unmarried headmistress with whom he longs to be more intimately acquainted.

Taking to the Nottingham meet-up on the 27th March for Netstation. and then off on a Ring.

The 'rules':

1. When you receive the book please journal it to let everyone else know how far it has got.
2. PM the next person on the list for their address, ready for when you finish the book.
3. After you've read it please journal again with your comments and let us know that you've posted it on.

Players:

Anfield
MrsBridgewater
decembermum
Lady-Mondegreen
ziggythecat
Perfect-Circle
Jords
ChinaSourcer

Thanks for bringing this to the meet chinasourcer. I wanted to read the titles in the correct order, even though I heard the second one broadcast on BBC Radio 4.

A real 'feel-good' book. Akin to James Heriot's memoirs of working in the Yorkshire dales, but with children instead of animals, though the distinction isn't always clear ;o)

I'm not sure if Gervase Phinn writes the way he speaks, or vice versa. All I know is that I could hear his voice as I was reading, and that fact only added to the charm of the book. The recent series of programmes on BBC Radio 4 had introduced me to the sometimes madcap world of a School Inspector, and I suspect it's no accident that Phinn has now become a much sought after speaker.

He approaches his new job with zeal, and soon realises that his sternest critics will be the primary school-age children in the schools he is required to inspect. The book reads as a series of humourous and heart-warming anecdotes, but through it all one can sense Phinn's real desire to help the children by improving the system by which they learn. His word-pictures of the beauty of the dales, in all seasons, are another very welcome recurring theme. Can't wait to get started on the next one now!

Off on its travels to Anfield, the person, not the home of Liverpool FC ;o)

Received in the post today from Netstation.

I read this on holiday, swallowed it up in a matter of hours as it was such an easy read. It was enjoyable, but not really challenging! It all sounded a bit too idyllic really as just about everyone who came into contact with the author was faultless (even the ones with faults it would seem). It did serve as a reminder that the important players in education are the chlidren and their teachers and that the prime role of a school inspector should be to guide and advise, not criticise.

Passing along to mrsbridgewater a good excuse for lunch I think!

This was hand delivered by Anfield, the person I wasn't near Liverpool FC's football ground, this morning.

I got all the way through this book waiting for it to really get going! More a series of anecdotes than anything else, I think it worked well on the radio because of this, but it seemed to jump around a bit too much for me ever to get engrossed in the book. Seems to me that this is a view of the education system through somewhat rose tinted glasses.

Will pass this on to Decembermum - another good excuse for lunch!

Received this in the post from MrsBridgewater on a day we met for lunch !!!!!!!

I read it very quickly and enjoyed it. I've heard him speak on Radio 4 and had heard some of the anecdotes before but thought it a very sweet book.

Lady Mondegreen has decided not to take part in this ring so I'll be sending it on to Ziggythecat.

Thanks Decembermum it has arrived and is, quite, near the top of Mt TBR.

oh that was a nice book. It all sounds very idyllic. Can't quite equate any of it with the 'real-life' inspectors I've heard of from friends and relatives though ;o) Learnt a lot about sheep too!

Thanks chinasourcer. Will send it on to perfect-circle next.

Arrived this morning

Easy to read and made me laugh out loud in places. It was very much a rose-tinted glasses view of school life, I only wish I could have been taught somewhere like that, but it was a pleasant way to pass a few hours.

Off to Jords in the morning.

Released on Saturday, August 21, 2004 at Postal Release in Controlled release, England United Kingdom.

posted off to Jords today

Sorry I haven't journalled sooner, however I've been away for the past 3 weeks.

Anyway, received with many thanks and will journal when read - along with the other billion that have arrived in my absence - EEEEEK!