Catch as Catch Can

by Josephine Poole, Kiyo Komoda (Illustrator)

Piers and Virginia are on their way to the country when it happens. A man, rushing from his compartment, pushes past Piers and makes a fatal leap from the moving train. But not before he has slipped a note into Piers' pocket. A note so strange it makes little sense to Piers and Virginia.

The warm summer days become filled with danger and intrigue for the cousins. Bizarre figures, desperate for the untranslatable note, make Piers and Virginia the unwitting victims in a grim race against time.

The heat of summer, the smell of the moor, the haunting desolation of a lighthouse, and the terror of being kidnapped make this a compelling story of suspense by Josephine Poole. The mysterious reality is heightened in the illustrations by Kiyo Komoda.

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1969

About the author

Jane Penelope Josephine Helyar known by her nom de plume Josephine Poole is the renowned author of several books for children and young adults. Her first book was published in 1961, and she has also written extensively for television. She lives in Somerset.

https://whistlesinthewind.wordpress.c...

Reviews

[Capn · Rating 2 out of 5]

$3.95
Ages 10 and up
Catch as Catch Can
by Josephine Poole
Illustrated by Kiyo Komoda

Piers and Virginia are on their way to the country when it happens. A man, rushing from his compartment, pushes past Piers and makes a fatal leap from the moving train. But not beforehe has slipped a note into Piers' pocket. A note so strange it makes little sense to Piers and Virginia.
The warm summer days become filled with danger and intrigue for the cousins. Bizarre figures, desperate for the untranslatable note, make Piers and Virginia the unwitting victims in a grim race against time.
The heat of summer, the smell of the moor, the haunting desolation of a lighthouse, and the terror of being kidnapped make this a compelling story of suspense by Josephine Poole. The mysterious reality is heightened in the illustrations by Kiyo Komoda.
A Story of Suspense

And the back flap:

JOSEPHINE POOLE was born in London and attended school in Cumberland and London. She is now married, with four daughters, and lives in the country in Somerset. Much of her time is spent reading or writing; her previous book for young people, published in this country, is Moon Eyes. Mrs. Poole also enjoys traveling, and the deserted buildings which set the scene for much of Catch as Catch Can were explored by the whole family while they were on holiday one summer.

KIYO KOMODA grew up in a farm village in Japan and used chopsticks and tea to draw his first pictures. In the United States, he worked as a house-boy, gardener, and truck driver while he went to school. He met his wife, Beverly, also a children's book illustrator, while both were attending the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles. Mr. Komoda and his family now live in New Jersey.

Harper & Row, Publishers

"And they all fell to playing the game of catch-as-catch-can, till the gunpowder ran out at the heels of their boots."
The Great Panjandrum Himself-R. Caldecott

CONTENTS
1. M. P. - 1
2. Ritchie - 25
3. Miss Hood - 50
4. Ossie Gorges - 73
5. Pigletina - 112
6. Catch - 130

And now my review: Disappointing. I love Poole for Billy Buck/The Visitor, and for Moon Eyes. But this...

I wasn't alive in the '60s, but I've read a fair bit of kid's lit from this era. Today, we have "diverse protagonist Harry Potter-inspired urban fantasy". The '90s had Goosebumps and its knock-offs. And the '50s-'70s seems to have had a bumper crop of "adventurous kids become amateur detectives and foil a smuggling ring".

I just want to correct reviewer Patrice's comments, because they were so specific and yet incorrect: Piers and Virginia are crossing through a First Class carriage on the way to purchase onboard refreshments when the tragedy occurs. They weren't being mischevious - these characters are very (arguably too) well-behaved on their way to Fylingfield, near Northbridge, in Lancs. for their holiday, and remain awfully lilywhite throughout the story.

I don't want to spoil the plot entirely, but I will say it is slightly more violent and a shade darker than many of its contemporaries. It's just not better, however. And though it all comes together at the end, I was still left with the feeling that the "who" and "why" of the whole operation was glossed over, and there are a few things that didn't add up (ALL of the police activity, throughout the entire story, and especially retroactively at the end. I'm no expert in police procedurals in 1969 rural Lancashire, but if you're shelling out for aerial surveillance, you'd expect a more coordinated take-down and familiarity with the identities and movements of the criminals, surely).

I have many unanswered questions. About Miss Hood's pills. About Gorges' methodology. About Ritchie. About MP... And Lines... and his motivation and the whole WHY of this plot..!!!

Don't go out of your way to track down this book.

Also, a word of advice - if you suspect someone of being an accomplice to murder or big-time drug lord, give them what they want, play dumb, say nothing, and then go to the cops afterwards. I mean, crap, have SOME sense of self-preservation.

[Patrice · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book as part of my lifetime of books challenge. It is a story of suspense that has as the main characters, 2 cousins, Piers and Virginia, aged 14. They are spending the summer together in northern England. The story begins with them on a train from London to Lancashire. The trip is the first time they’ve traveled on their own. Full of excitement and a little mischief, they slip into the first class compartment and try to stay unnoticed. A conductor sees them though, and tells them to return to their ticketed seats. On the way back, a man pushes between them, forces open a door, and jumps off the moving train. They don't know if the man is okay or not and it bothers Virginia terribly. An older woman comes out of first class and begins to question them about all that transpired. She is rather callous in her questioning and Piers immediately dislikes her. She brings them to her compartment and offers them tea and snacks. Thus begins an adventure and mystery that the teens never thought they would become involved in. This was a very good young teen story. I really like the time that this story took place in during the early to mid 1960's. It was such a different time then, when no one worried if their children were gone all day, and simply expected them home at supper time. The innocence of such a time is unknown to the majority of children in this day and age.

[Caden · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I had read this book when it first came out in the late 1960s, when I was the same age as the two teen protagonists, I would have loved it for its escapist glimpse into an idyllic childhood I never had. Plus a cool little mystery. But as an aging adult, it was just too juvenile & unrealistic for me. So my today self would give it a 2.5 rating, but my 14 yr old self would have given it a 5. I'm nudging it up to an overall 4 rating. Great for younger readers who aren't freaked out by the lack of technology that was the norm back then!