Product Description

This is a wonderful new tale of two friends: a scarecrow made of straw and turnip, and his servant, a clever little boy named Jack. Their journey of discovery takes them into hilarious situations and terrifying dangers, but Jack's common sense always saves the day. This fantastic story of friendship and love is the first book for younger readers from Philip Pullman since "I Was A Rat", and his first full-length book since "The Amber Spyglass".

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #31917 in Books
• Published on: 2005-11-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

Review
It is remarkable skill to make simplicity and even silliness embrace such complexity yet offer children so much wisdom. Somehow, it's not surprising that Pullman can do it. - The Sunday Times. The story ends as confidently as it begins, written for children with utmost respect for and delight in their intelligence, humour and imagination... Genius demands a continual purification and renewal of talent. Pullman has realised that and it's why he is great. - The Times. Pullman is probably incapable of writing a bad book. His touch is so sure, his plotting so flawless that you know a new Pullman means a rare treat.... Ultimately, this book works because, like all the best stories, it somehow reconnects the reader with a sense of humanity. - The Glasgow Herald. The book is a perfectly made gem, full of fun, fireworks and wit. We continue to be lucky to have Pullman writing for us. - The Guardian. Pullman has conjured up something entirely his own: a tale of great charm and wit, told in an easy style which reads as though it all came right in the first draft. It's aimed at a lower age-level than the "Dark Materials" trilogy; a fluent reader of eight would enjoy it and it would be great fun to read aloud to a younger child; but the quality of the ideas and the jokes, and the irresistibly likeable character of the Scarecrow, mean that older children would find themselves enjoying it too. - The Independent on Sunday. Written to be enjoyed at many different levels, this book will appeal to a wide age range. - The Bookseller.

A pair of valiant adventurers outwits a lawyer and his corporate masters in this comic fairy tale. The Scarecrow has been stolen so often that, by the time it comes to life, it's nowhere near its home in Spring Valley. Together with clever orphan Jack, whom he hires as a servant, the Scarecrow quests for his home. Along the way, he becomes an actor, a lover and a soldier. Each time, the Scarecrow's foolishness is nearly their undoing until resourceful Jack saves the day. But unbeknownst to Jack and the Scarecrow, they're being followed by a lawyer for the wicked Buffaloni family, which wants to turn the Scarecrow's beautiful Spring Valley into a rat poison factory. Luckily, Jack's cleverness and the Scarecrow's kindness (for, though he exists to scare birds, he can't bear to scare a baby bird or its parents) help them defeat the Buffalonis in a thoroughly amusing conclusion. Lightweight for Pullman, but witty, affectionate and fun. (Fantasy. 8-12) (Kirkus Reviews)

From the Inside Flap
One night there was a thunderstorm. A tattered scarecrow stood in the wind and rain, taking no notice ... until a bolt of lightning struck his turnip head. The scarecrow blinked with surprise and came 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 usual bird-scaring duties, the Scarecrow sets out for Spring Valley, with Jack at his side. Along the way there's no end of excitement, not least avoiding the many members of the crooked Buffaloni family. As the valiant scarecrow plunges them into terrifying dangers - pirates and treasure islands, brigands and broken hearts - it's up to Jack time after time to save the day.

A dramatic tale full of twists and turns, surprises and silliness - just as one would expect from one of the most consummate storytellers writing today.

From the Back Cover
One night there was a thunderstorm. A tattered scarecrow stood in the wind and rain, taking no notice. . .until a bolt of lightning struck his turnip head. The scarecrow blinked with surprise and came 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, and they set out to journey to Spring Valley together. Along the way there's no end of excitment -- battle and shipwreck, brigands and tricksters -- and it's up to Jack time after time to save the day.
'Written for children with utmost respect for and delight in their intelligence, humor and imagination' The Times
A tale of great charm and wit. . .irresistibly likeable' Independent of Sunday

Customer Reviews

Great read
Philip Pullman is another one of these authors that will always write a great book on any subject. This book is a very good and close to perfect and is worth reading.

Near perfect.
Philip Pullman is quickly becoming the most important children's writer of not only this time, but of all time. With 'His Dark Materials' he helped give critical credibility to the genre and inspired young readers with with his fantasic multiple universes and daemons. But is perhaps his ability to speak to children on their level that Pullman really sets himself apart from the rest.

In 'Scarecrow' Pullman not only deals with friendship and what it means to be a friend but he also brings into question the nature of captilaism. But this is never done in a manner that could be considered preaching. He paints a picture and then lets the audience make up their minds thus giving children the respect they deserve.

On the whole this is a quaint, enjoyable tale. The pce is rip roaring, the prose crisp and to the point while the geography of the text is astounding for such a short work. If it wasn't for the ending 'Scarecrow' would certainly have deserved the full fivestars. As it is the climax is arguably the most stilted part of the book. The element of believability seems to fade slightly - only slightly - but it puts a downer on an otherwise great book that will, no doubt, be read for years. And if I seem like I'm nit picking then Pullman only has himself to blame. If he hadn't set such high standards with his previous work then we wouldn't expect so bloody much, would we?! I look forward to his next release as ever

The kind of story you'd love to have invented yourself
I read this to my two sons age 10 and 8 as a change from their own reading. We all loved it. Everyone reviewing him defaults to Pullman's merits as "a storyteller"- but you just cant avoid admiring the beautiful characterisations, imaginative locations (that dreamlike otherworldliness in just about all his work), and perfect pace. Reading this aloud was a treat- the dialogue is light and flows (in stark contrast to JKR!) and the pace is well judged throughout. The storyline (a scarecrow who comes to life and deems to take on a rootless boy through a series of risky confrontations) places this book firmly for kids who love a good yarn, (and adults who love a good childrens book).