Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4436 in Books
• Published on: 1999-04-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

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.

A good-natured, entertaining storyteller obviously committed to his calling, Mr Phinn's occasional inaccuracy in rendition in no way detracts from his warm and enjoyable reading. --Running time approx 3 hours --Lynn Took

Synopsis
Gervase Phinn is a school inspector in Yorkshire, including the Yorkshire Dales. He chronicles in this book his appointment to the local school inspectorate and then stories of various visits made, with a background cast of brilliant characters such as the chief school inspector, the dazzling secretary who is always getting things wrong, the local aristrocrat who is head of the school governors, potty schoolteachers who should have gone out to grass years ago, and divine children with superb Yorkshire humour.

Customer Reviews

Out of the mouths of babes
I can wholeheartedly recommend all the five "Dales" books. I discovered Gervase Phinn after my mother who is a deputy head gave me the third book as a present. As a former teacher turned teaching assistant I relate to these situations that Gervase encountered on a daily basis in the primary school environment. I could even add some more tales for his next book if he needs any more material!!! I also enjoy the scenes of friendly banter between Gervase and his colleagues at County Hall. I bet all of us know a Mrs Savage character somewhere in our lives! As other reviewers state, I too could not put the book down until I had completed it. Gervase Phinn is a born storyteller on the page and on the stage. (I saw his show live a couple of years ago and thoroughly enjoyed the performance) He captivates audiences with his humorous anecdotes and experiences. More of the same please, Gervase!

Timeless Classic
To paraphrase a well known saying, some writers have to work hard to find good writing material, others have good writing material thrust upon them.

The story begins, as it should, at the beginning of Phinn's career as a school inspector, as he feels his way into the role of Schools English Inspector. One suspects that, if he had chosen a role anywhere else, this would not have been quite the same. The characters are all there, the battleaxe, the love interest, the comedy sidekicks, but really the book is all about the kids.

I'm so pleased that Phinn continues to write these books, as they make such enjoyable reading.

A really good read
I usually have about three books on the go at once but this one kind of took over. I read in in three evenings - it really is such a lovely book, I'd recommend it to anyone. It will make you smile, laugh out loud (so be careful not to read it in a public place, people might think you are a bit strange). I have a little knowledge of the area so it was fun trying to workout the real names of the places mentioned - I think I spotted Chapel-le-Dale and the Old Hill Inn at the start of the book and a few other places. Looking forward to starting Over Hill and Dale next.