The Scarecrow and His Servant - Softcover

Pullman, Philip

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0440421306 ISBN 13: 9780440421306

Publisher: Yearling, 2007

Synopsis

A tattered scarecrow stands in the middle of a muddy field, taking no notice of the violent thunderstorm around him. But when a bolt of lightning strikes him, fizzing its way through his turnip head and down his broomstick, the Scarecrow blinks with surprise–and comes to life.
So begins the story of the Scarecrow, a courteous but pea-brained fellow with grand ideas. He meets a boy, Jack, who becomes his faithful servant. Leaving behind his bird-scaring duties, the Scarecrow sets out for Spring Valley, with Jack at his side. As the valiant Scarecrow plunges them into terrifying dangers–battles, brigands, broken hearts, and treasure islands–he never realizes he’s being followed by the one family who desperately wishes he’d never sprung to life. Will the Scarecrow discover the secret to his past before the crooked Buffalonis close in on him?

About this title

About the Author

PHILIP PULLMAN is one of the most acclaimed writers working today. He is best known for the His Dark Materials trilogy (The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass), which has been named one of the top 100 novels of all time by Newsweek and one of the all-time greatest novels by Entertainment Weekly. He has also won many distinguished prizes, including the Carnegie Medal for The Golden Compass (and the reader-voted "Carnegie of Carnegies" for the best children's book of the past seventy years); the Whitbread (now Costa) Award for The Amber Spyglass; a Booker Prize long-list nomination (The Amber Spyglass); Parents' Choice Gold Awards (The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass); and the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, in honor of his body of work. In 2004, he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
 
It has recently been announced that The Book of Dust, the much anticipated new book from Mr. Pullman, also set in the world of His Dark Materials, will be published as a major work in three parts, with the first part to arrive in October 2017.  
 
Philip Pullman is the author of many other much-lauded novels. Other volumes related to His Dark Materials: Lyra’s Oxford, Once Upon a Time in the North, and The Collectors. For younger readers: I Was a Rat!; Count Karlstein; Two Crafty Criminals; Spring-Heeled Jack, and The Scarecrow and His Servant. For older readers: the Sally Lockhart quartet: The Ruby in the Smoke, The Shadow in the North, The Tiger in the Well, and The Tin Princess; The White Mercedes; and The Broken Bridge.
 
Philip Pullman lives in Oxford, England. To learn more, please visit philip-pullman.com and hisdarkmaterials.com. Or follow him on Twitter at @PhilipPullman.

From AudioFile

The fairy tale quality of Philip Pullman's latest is enhanced by Graeme Malcolm's gentle, almost singsong, narration. A scarecrow, brought to life by a freak lightning strike, and an orphan boy, Jack, embark on a quest to reclaim Spring Valley from the corrupt Buffaloni family. They drift from disaster to disaster, dogged by an oily lawyer working for the Buffalonis, but the overall tone remains silly enough that none of it ever feels truly threatening. Malcolm has plenty of opportunities to exercise a variety of accents (although why people with Italian surnames all sound British is an unresolved mystery). The fantastic Grand Congress of Birds allows Malcolm the chance for more vocal acrobatics. Younger listeners will be intrigued by the talking birds and the subtle central conflict of industry versus conservation. J.M.D. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

About this edition

• Publisher: Yearling
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0440421306
• ISBN 13: 9780440421306
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 240
• Illustrator: Bailey Peter