What do you think?
Rate this book
The Diddakoi
Rumer Godden's The Diddakoi won the 1972 Whitbread Children's Book Award.
Everyone in Kizzy's town hates her because she's half-gypsy – a diddakoi. But Kizzy doesn't care. All she needs is Gran and her horse, Joe. But when Gran dies and their wagon burns down, Kizzy is all alone. No one wants to look after her and her beloved Joe might get sent to the knacker's yard. Can Kizzy survive in a hostile world – and save Joe?
Everyone in Kizzy's town hates her because she's half-gypsy – a diddakoi. But Kizzy doesn't care. All she needs is Gran and her horse, Joe. But when Gran dies and their wagon burns down, Kizzy is all alone. No one wants to look after her and her beloved Joe might get sent to the knacker's yard. Can Kizzy survive in a hostile world – and save Joe?
180 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1972
About the author
Rumer Godden
176 books587 followersMargaret Rumer Godden was an English author of more than 60 fiction and non-fiction books. Nine of her works have been made into films, most notably Black Narcissus in 1947 and The River in 1951.
A few of her works were co-written with her elder sister, novelist Jon Godden, including Two Under the Indian Sun, a memoir of the Goddens' childhood in a region of India now part of Bangladesh.
A few of her works were co-written with her elder sister, novelist Jon Godden, including Two Under the Indian Sun, a memoir of the Goddens' childhood in a region of India now part of Bangladesh.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 184 reviews
September 25, 2019
This is the story of a gypsy girl Kizzy Lovell who lost almost everything and had to go through many sufferings in her life. It was also published in another name, Gypsy girl. This is an inspiring book that you can give your children to read.
April 19, 2015
A read aloud of a childhood favourite.
Kizzy is from a traveller family, she lives with her Gran in a wagon parked in the orchard of Admiral Twiss' country estate.
She goes to the local school and is taunted and bullied. When the time comes Kizzy can't live with Gran anymore some disreputable family members come to take her.
The rest of the story follows Kizzy through the following year and her problems with the so called respectable children. The story has a wonderful conclusion, perhaps some might find it a bit too fairytale but as a child I absolutely loved this. The end is a dream come true.
There are a few things that haven't aged well in this book. Physical violence to children from adults is commonplace and the despite the actions of many of the children to Kizzy, she is told she needs to be friends with them, invite them to her house. After such violent treatment I would never insist a seven year old invite the perpetrators to her home. It all ends well though and shows a realistic portrayal of the travelling community, the book shows that some are good and honest and some are not, just like any other group of human beings.
I liked the way the book began with a song about gypsies used as a taunt and ended with the same song sung in admiration of Kizzy's interesting life.
Kizzy is from a traveller family, she lives with her Gran in a wagon parked in the orchard of Admiral Twiss' country estate.
She goes to the local school and is taunted and bullied. When the time comes Kizzy can't live with Gran anymore some disreputable family members come to take her.
The rest of the story follows Kizzy through the following year and her problems with the so called respectable children. The story has a wonderful conclusion, perhaps some might find it a bit too fairytale but as a child I absolutely loved this. The end is a dream come true.
There are a few things that haven't aged well in this book. Physical violence to children from adults is commonplace and the despite the actions of many of the children to Kizzy, she is told she needs to be friends with them, invite them to her house. After such violent treatment I would never insist a seven year old invite the perpetrators to her home. It all ends well though and shows a realistic portrayal of the travelling community, the book shows that some are good and honest and some are not, just like any other group of human beings.
I liked the way the book began with a song about gypsies used as a taunt and ended with the same song sung in admiration of Kizzy's interesting life.
July 20, 2019
While I in particular have appreciated the happy ending of Rumer Godden's The Diddakoi (albeit that I do find it almost a bit too fairytale like and magical to be a totally realistic conclusion, kind of like a happily-ever-after tale with Kizzy basically getting the best of both the Romany and the non Romany worlds), I do have to admit that the lack of official consequences for the bullying group of village schoolgirls who not only were viciously harassing Kizzy but also were so physically rough and violent towards her on one occasion that they knocked her unconscious and might even have killed her had there not been adults who interfered, this does leave me seeing a bit of the proverbial red. For what Kizzy has to endure for much of The Diddakoi, that is in no way just children playing rough-house or children having differences of opinion etc., but a clear case of dangerously active, nasty group bullying and harassment (and indeed, in my opinion, those girls and especially ringleader Prudence Cuthbert should have faced serious and perhaps even criminal consequences and indeed, at the very least, the parents of the participating bullies should all have been publicly and officially notified about what had transpired and not to have had the entire sorry episode rather hushed up and swept under the carpet by the school principal Mr. Fraser). Combined with the fact that I also have found it rather problematic at best that after the horrible level of bullying which Kizzy experiences at school is clearly shown in full horror and colour, that even always oh so empathetic and sympathetic Miss Brooks seems to actually think and believe that Kizzy should be inviting her tormentors over for tea and for company, that somehow Kizzy should be making the first moves towards reconciliation even though, even when it clearly is presented by Rumer Godden that Kizzy is ONLY being harassed and mercilessly picked on and bullied by the village girls because of her ethnicity (because she is part Gipsy) and her Romany culture and beliefs, I really cannot consider more than three stars for The Diddakoi as yes, that type of belief and suggestions about how to deal with bullying and the fact that there is in my opinion also rather a bit of both overt and sly victim blaming in The Diddakoi, this does quite infuriate me and rub me the wrong proverbial way.
June 23, 2012
I first read this book when I was 9 or so and its memory has never left my mind. liked Kizzy, the little Diddakoi (Traveller) girl perhaps because I could subconsciously relate to some of her struggles, especially those of perceived foreignness when one is the only dark-skinned kid in the class. Now that I'm reading this book again as an adult, with all the experience I have regarding culture and such, I am quite amazed that this book which is a kids book would have so much social commentary, also it's now as an adult that I can understand the initial appeal the book held for me. Funny how that works.
It was also interesting to see what I had missed as a child, or couldn't possibly have known with my limited education or worldly experience. The foster care system for example, especially how harmful it has been for children of colour and Native Canadian kids, is something that I now know and something that I thought about while reading this book.
The social commentary in this book is great and I liked the way Godden introduced a different culture in her book. She shows that not much has changed since the 70s (when this book was written): there are still the ignorant people who don't understand that there are different ways of being, and there are also the people who realize that different doesn't have to mean bad.
I will love Kizzy forever.
It was also interesting to see what I had missed as a child, or couldn't possibly have known with my limited education or worldly experience. The foster care system for example, especially how harmful it has been for children of colour and Native Canadian kids, is something that I now know and something that I thought about while reading this book.
The social commentary in this book is great and I liked the way Godden introduced a different culture in her book. She shows that not much has changed since the 70s (when this book was written): there are still the ignorant people who don't understand that there are different ways of being, and there are also the people who realize that different doesn't have to mean bad.
I will love Kizzy forever.
June 28, 2017
I have never been disappointed reading a piece of children's literature.
After reading it, I have always grown fond of characters and have come out enriched and with warm heart.
This is no exception.
It is a story about a girl who never gave up being herself. In spite of the taunts and bullying by the normal people (her own class mates) she remained what she is. She was not ready to give up anything of her own. She knew how to fight back and she fought back. That is the message of the book. But the execution is simple and moving with many sentimental episodes.
SPOILERS AHEAD
It is about Diddakoi (half gypsy and half 'normal'). She is like a muggle in Harry Potter's language. She is neither accepted in her own family nor is she accepted by the 'normal' people. She is an orphan and she lives with her great great great grandmother (a gypsy). The welfare authority wants that a small girl should not waste her life and so they make arrangements that she goes to the village school. She is a gypsy in her blood and she hates going to school. Moreover it is a shock for both the 'muggle' and the other students in the school as they both have different understandings of different behaviours. Example: Eating - The muggle taking on the blood of the gypsy side loves to eat with her hands and wiping the hand later on her hair. How she fights back in spite of the loss of her grand mother and being left alone in the normal world forms the rest of the plot. It is a kind of rags to riches story.
An excellent story for small children.
After reading it, I have always grown fond of characters and have come out enriched and with warm heart.
This is no exception.
It is a story about a girl who never gave up being herself. In spite of the taunts and bullying by the normal people (her own class mates) she remained what she is. She was not ready to give up anything of her own. She knew how to fight back and she fought back. That is the message of the book. But the execution is simple and moving with many sentimental episodes.
SPOILERS AHEAD
It is about Diddakoi (half gypsy and half 'normal'). She is like a muggle in Harry Potter's language. She is neither accepted in her own family nor is she accepted by the 'normal' people. She is an orphan and she lives with her great great great grandmother (a gypsy). The welfare authority wants that a small girl should not waste her life and so they make arrangements that she goes to the village school. She is a gypsy in her blood and she hates going to school. Moreover it is a shock for both the 'muggle' and the other students in the school as they both have different understandings of different behaviours. Example: Eating - The muggle taking on the blood of the gypsy side loves to eat with her hands and wiping the hand later on her hair. How she fights back in spite of the loss of her grand mother and being left alone in the normal world forms the rest of the plot. It is a kind of rags to riches story.
An excellent story for small children.
June 24, 2019
I find a restfulness in Rumer Godden’s work that is peaceful, but not a stuck-in-amber sort of way that sometimes the brit-ish style imposes on me. I so enjoyed this YA story. The other thing this author does so well is tell a cultural story, one diverse from her own English POV, but with a context that is respectful. In this case the culture is that of the Romany / Gypsies. . . a diddakoi is a gypsy person who is living outside of the Romany tribes and who is of mixed blood. In the case of Kizzy, her father was Irish, and her mother of Romany blood. At the opening of the story, Kizzy lives with her great-great granny, all other directly related family members having passed.
This is a lovely tale of pride of culture, collaborative community battling prejudice, love of horses and home, revealing the danger of ignorance and choosing to see only what you want to see. Bullying (mean girls for once rather than blaming all on boys!) is a core problem and how it is dealt with the main issue, with changing stubborn minds and reconciliation closely following. A sweet story, full of nature and the world from a child’s mind.
Highly recommended. As a grandmother, this one works well for reading-out-loud to grandkids. However, I wish I would have first read this as an 8 - 12 year old girl. It would have helped me deal with the mean girls in my life. . . .
This is a lovely tale of pride of culture, collaborative community battling prejudice, love of horses and home, revealing the danger of ignorance and choosing to see only what you want to see. Bullying (mean girls for once rather than blaming all on boys!) is a core problem and how it is dealt with the main issue, with changing stubborn minds and reconciliation closely following. A sweet story, full of nature and the world from a child’s mind.
Highly recommended. As a grandmother, this one works well for reading-out-loud to grandkids. However, I wish I would have first read this as an 8 - 12 year old girl. It would have helped me deal with the mean girls in my life. . . .
December 15, 2016
Cute story about a gypsy girl who lives with her great great great grandmother in a little covered wagon with Joe, the horse. They live contentedly enough til the school board gets involved and makes Kizzy attend public school where she is mercilessly bullied.
Enter a kindly benefactor who takes her in when she is sick and orphaned and teaches her that not all humans are the enemy, and even those who are, can change.
So it's a short, pleasant read, one I would have enjoyed more while I was in the target age range, around 10-14. But I didn't know Rumer Godden then, mores the pity.
Enter a kindly benefactor who takes her in when she is sick and orphaned and teaches her that not all humans are the enemy, and even those who are, can change.
So it's a short, pleasant read, one I would have enjoyed more while I was in the target age range, around 10-14. But I didn't know Rumer Godden then, mores the pity.
March 5, 2024
I stumbled on this book while searching for I can't remember what, and remembered the television dramatisation of it, and borrowed it. I think I might even have read some as a child too 🤔
🌳🌿🐴🌿🌳
I liked hearing about Kizzy and her great grandmother living happily in the orchard, with Joe the horse 🙂 including how it links to times where stopping on land by agreement was more common.
and how Kizzy later needs to navigate life without her gran. I liked the sense of a girl/young woman striving for autonomy (against ideas of those who don't really know her)... and protecting the life of her horse!
"the court was not used to defiance from a seven year old" 😉
🌳🌿🐴🌿🌳
it felt abit unrealistic to say the least that the admiral puts himself out to accommodate Kizzy while she's unwell, and nurses her at the manor! I found that hard to believe, even considering some of the backstory the admiral gets, that might speak to some of his potential motivations.
it also felt abit weird that a girl child was attended by adult men 🤔 tho I guess an interesting role reversal.
🌳🌿🐴🌿🌳
I had mixed feelings about the character of Miss Brook... presented as odd in her habits for a woman, not doing what other women do 🙄 she likes gardening, is generally friendly, and is a magistrate!
I liked her as a more independent woman within the novel, and her character expresses some more informed and less biassed perspectives on Travellers as a gorgio.
but she also fairly swiftly becomes 'love interest', with, of course, pretty much everyone falling for her - the Admiral, Peters... well, I probably would too 😉😆
I was abit sad too that by the end of the novel her position as an independent woman was kinda undermined 😕
🌳🌿🐴🌿🌳
there was some disturbing pressure on Kizzy to be the one who makes things up/right, after 14 of the girls set on her and beat her up badly.
but fortunately this was eventually redeemed by her friend Clem who persuades his sister Elizabeth to make things up with Kizzy.
🌳🌿🐴🌿🌳
there's much drama on bonfire night!!!!!!
and abit of a happily ever after ending... for pretty much the whole village 😆
all abit convenient and unbelievable... and rather reinforces a conventional family unit in ways abit at odds with the initial parts of the novel... but kinda cute all the same 😉
🌳🌿🐴🌿🌳
I think the novel contains ALOT of romanticising, but also ALOT of attempts at education and validation wrt the different cultures (Gorgio/Gadje/Gage and Rom/Gypsy/Roma/Traveller), and has a sense of attempts at preservation of some aspects of Rom life/lives past. the bullying Kizzy receives is authentically (and at times graphically) portrayed, tho there's also at least one village child who's a genuine friend, showing this is both a minority and also a possibility. stereotypes and prejudices against Travellers are voiced by some villagers, and clearly countered by others. and there is also some critique of both stereotyping, and of romanticising, GRT folk. there's a few threads that pull both cultures/groups close too, countering the sense of being mutually exclusive, and I especially appreciated these.
🌟
accessed as an RNIB talking book, well enough read by Elizabeth Proud 🙂
🌳🌿🐴🌿🌳
I liked hearing about Kizzy and her great grandmother living happily in the orchard, with Joe the horse 🙂 including how it links to times where stopping on land by agreement was more common.
and how Kizzy later needs to navigate life without her gran. I liked the sense of a girl/young woman striving for autonomy (against ideas of those who don't really know her)... and protecting the life of her horse!
"the court was not used to defiance from a seven year old" 😉
🌳🌿🐴🌿🌳
it felt abit unrealistic to say the least that the admiral puts himself out to accommodate Kizzy while she's unwell, and nurses her at the manor! I found that hard to believe, even considering some of the backstory the admiral gets, that might speak to some of his potential motivations.
it also felt abit weird that a girl child was attended by adult men 🤔 tho I guess an interesting role reversal.
🌳🌿🐴🌿🌳
I had mixed feelings about the character of Miss Brook... presented as odd in her habits for a woman, not doing what other women do 🙄 she likes gardening, is generally friendly, and is a magistrate!
I liked her as a more independent woman within the novel, and her character expresses some more informed and less biassed perspectives on Travellers as a gorgio.
but she also fairly swiftly becomes 'love interest', with, of course, pretty much everyone falling for her - the Admiral, Peters... well, I probably would too 😉😆
I was abit sad too that by the end of the novel her position as an independent woman was kinda undermined 😕
🌳🌿🐴🌿🌳
there was some disturbing pressure on Kizzy to be the one who makes things up/right, after 14 of the girls set on her and beat her up badly.
but fortunately this was eventually redeemed by her friend Clem who persuades his sister Elizabeth to make things up with Kizzy.
🌳🌿🐴🌿🌳
there's much drama on bonfire night!!!!!!
and abit of a happily ever after ending... for pretty much the whole village 😆
all abit convenient and unbelievable... and rather reinforces a conventional family unit in ways abit at odds with the initial parts of the novel... but kinda cute all the same 😉
🌳🌿🐴🌿🌳
I think the novel contains ALOT of romanticising, but also ALOT of attempts at education and validation wrt the different cultures (Gorgio/Gadje/Gage and Rom/Gypsy/Roma/Traveller), and has a sense of attempts at preservation of some aspects of Rom life/lives past. the bullying Kizzy receives is authentically (and at times graphically) portrayed, tho there's also at least one village child who's a genuine friend, showing this is both a minority and also a possibility. stereotypes and prejudices against Travellers are voiced by some villagers, and clearly countered by others. and there is also some critique of both stereotyping, and of romanticising, GRT folk. there's a few threads that pull both cultures/groups close too, countering the sense of being mutually exclusive, and I especially appreciated these.
🌟
accessed as an RNIB talking book, well enough read by Elizabeth Proud 🙂
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 15, 2025
I would never have been able to understand how good a book this is if I hadn't read it to my nine-year-old daughter.
The subject matter didn't seem particularly promising -- a gypsy girl failing to assimilate into a prejudiced rural English society sixty years ago or so -- but I thought I'd give it a go, because Rumer Godden (Rumer Godden for children, though?).
My daughter has never been hooked on a book as she was hooked on this one. Never. The plot twists landed in a gasp or an eye-widen or a stare at me. The emotions were child-sized but also complex (take that, Inside Out). A lot of pain, a lot of loneliness, a lot of happiness. Catastrophe and eucatastrophe. The catastrophes we didn't see coming, but the eucatastrophes we did, and it was a delight to see my daughter guess what was coming a sentence or two before it arrived.
She asked me to read her another book EXACTLY like this one. She confided that she thought "me and Kizzy [the gypsy girl] would get along," and explained that she imagined the two teaching each other their trademark sullen glares.
Dunno if any of that's repeatable for a child you know. But reading this book reminded me of what a good children's book can do: draw children into its plot and world, make them think thoughts they hadn't before, make them feel feelings they hadn't before, point them to mystery and wonder they'd never known was possible, help them to grow up (a little) in one of the kindest of all possible ways.
The subject matter didn't seem particularly promising -- a gypsy girl failing to assimilate into a prejudiced rural English society sixty years ago or so -- but I thought I'd give it a go, because Rumer Godden (Rumer Godden for children, though?).
My daughter has never been hooked on a book as she was hooked on this one. Never. The plot twists landed in a gasp or an eye-widen or a stare at me. The emotions were child-sized but also complex (take that, Inside Out). A lot of pain, a lot of loneliness, a lot of happiness. Catastrophe and eucatastrophe. The catastrophes we didn't see coming, but the eucatastrophes we did, and it was a delight to see my daughter guess what was coming a sentence or two before it arrived.
She asked me to read her another book EXACTLY like this one. She confided that she thought "me and Kizzy [the gypsy girl] would get along," and explained that she imagined the two teaching each other their trademark sullen glares.
Dunno if any of that's repeatable for a child you know. But reading this book reminded me of what a good children's book can do: draw children into its plot and world, make them think thoughts they hadn't before, make them feel feelings they hadn't before, point them to mystery and wonder they'd never known was possible, help them to grow up (a little) in one of the kindest of all possible ways.
March 14, 2014
When I found The Diddakoi in a box of books from up in the loft I let out a little sound of excitement. I remember loving this book as a child. It is a 1985 edition and falling apart because it has been read so many times over the years.
At the end of that day of sorting boxes I couldn't resist it, picked it up and started reading it again. In the early hours of the morning and half way through the book already I forced myself to put it down and get some sleep. Getting home the next day it took some restraint to make dinner before I picked it up again to finish.
Kizzy is a diddakoi, a half-gypsy. The other children taunt her and make her time at school miserable. But at home in their wagon with Gran and her horse, Joe, she is happy. But then Gran dies and her life is turned upside down. Their wagon is burned down and Kizzy is all alone. But in fact it is not only Kizzy's life that is turned upside down from this moment on.
The book's characters are at times horribly human and at others give such hope. The Diddakoi is beautiful story which had me in tears throughout as Kizzy faces so much trouble and prejudice in her young life and yet is slowely transformed by love and acceptance from some unexpected places.
This may be a children's book but it was a joy to read and will definitely remain on my shelf ready for future reads (even if the pages are already falling out). I highly recommend it.
At the end of that day of sorting boxes I couldn't resist it, picked it up and started reading it again. In the early hours of the morning and half way through the book already I forced myself to put it down and get some sleep. Getting home the next day it took some restraint to make dinner before I picked it up again to finish.
Kizzy is a diddakoi, a half-gypsy. The other children taunt her and make her time at school miserable. But at home in their wagon with Gran and her horse, Joe, she is happy. But then Gran dies and her life is turned upside down. Their wagon is burned down and Kizzy is all alone. But in fact it is not only Kizzy's life that is turned upside down from this moment on.
The book's characters are at times horribly human and at others give such hope. The Diddakoi is beautiful story which had me in tears throughout as Kizzy faces so much trouble and prejudice in her young life and yet is slowely transformed by love and acceptance from some unexpected places.
This may be a children's book but it was a joy to read and will definitely remain on my shelf ready for future reads (even if the pages are already falling out). I highly recommend it.
February 2, 2023
RHIS BOOK WILL APPESL YP BOTH KIDS AND ADULTS!
I, AN ADULT, ENJOYED UT A LOT!
MY ADVICE? GET WHATEVER YOU CAN BY THE AUTHOR-
******************************
*Black Narcissus 4 stars
*The Diddakoi 4 stars
I, AN ADULT, ENJOYED UT A LOT!
MY ADVICE? GET WHATEVER YOU CAN BY THE AUTHOR-
******************************
*Black Narcissus 4 stars
*The Diddakoi 4 stars
March 25, 2021
I know I read this book once as a child, as it was in the children's library. Today I would classify it as one of Godden's books that appears to be for children (because it has a child protagonist and there's a lot of schoolroom stuff) but really isn't. The bullying scene is rather horrifying, and the reaction is unbelievable in the extreme. In a small town, something like that would not be completely hushed up and ignored when smaller, less important things are gossip fodder in a heartbeat. Also the reaction to the crisis at the end is unbelievable. I know from experience that in the old days you were expected to suck it up and resolve your own problems with bullies the best way you knew how, but the tired old trope of "bullies become your besties" is FALSE, okay? It never happens. And yet people are still writing it into children's fiction today.
September 20, 2013
Wonderful dramatisation by the BBC. A perfect book for young adults (and old ones, too). Who wouldn't want to have bonfires at night and sleep in a little wagon? My thanks to Bettie for recommending this - I now have another book to add to my Gypsy theme.
December 20, 2024
Simply glorious.
More anon.
More anon.
September 25, 2011
See review of Peacock Spring for critique. I did find this enormously satisfying in a lot of ways. I was tremendously invested in the characters, and I liked how Kizzy's trauma and recovery were depicted -- reminded me a lot of Goodnight Mr Tom. I would have loved the book and reread it millions of times as a child, but I'm not really sure about this message in the end that being taken in by Nice White People and having them graciously preserve your ~beautiful culture~ is the answer. Sigh ... it just doesn't seem right.
July 9, 2024
This was a very sweet and heartbreaking story about family, loss, and friendship. It was a perfect one for bulling topic. The story moved me so much, I almost cried. 4,5 rounded down for that "almost".
I will definitely continue reading Rumer GOdden books.
I will definitely continue reading Rumer GOdden books.
June 10, 2012
This charming story was written in 1972 and tells of the life of seven year old Kizzy, a young gypsy girl who finds herself totally alone after the death of her Gran. She has all sorts of difficulties with going to school, interacting with the other children and adults and resists conforming to the standards of the town. This is a remarkable story of how the human spririt survives despite all odds and of the generosity and love given to this young girl from some caring people in the town. It is a struggle for Kizzy to accept the kindness of others.
With all the recent emphasis on "bullying" in the schools, this would be an excellent book for parents to read with their children. Kizzy is a character that will both break your heart and warm it. You will not be disappointed if you decide to read The Diddakoi.
With all the recent emphasis on "bullying" in the schools, this would be an excellent book for parents to read with their children. Kizzy is a character that will both break your heart and warm it. You will not be disappointed if you decide to read The Diddakoi.
March 9, 2016
Oh, how I loved this book when I was small! As an adult, I still remembered fondly this story of a young orphaned traveller child who longs for her caravan and feels a lonely outsider at school and in the village where she is now cared for. Rumer Godden is a lovely writer, but with adult eyes many decades later the story now feels quite dated, including Ah, well. I did still love the descriptions of the food and the smell of woodsmoke, and I can see how the romance of it all would have swept me along as a child.
May 16, 2014
I recently re-read this book 35 years after first discovering it, and it's lost none of its intelligent charm. The story is simple: Kizzy is a young gypsy girl, shoe-horned into a mainstream society riddled with bullies and well-meaning but naive do-gooders, but whose innate determination and pride enables her to survive without losing her dignity or identity.
The book was also adapted into a children's TV series in 1976 (which is how I discovered it), but the tale itself is timeless. In short, I thoroughly recommend it to parents who'd like to introduce their youngsters to such subjects as tolerance and diversity, all wrapped up in an absorbing narrative.
The book was also adapted into a children's TV series in 1976 (which is how I discovered it), but the tale itself is timeless. In short, I thoroughly recommend it to parents who'd like to introduce their youngsters to such subjects as tolerance and diversity, all wrapped up in an absorbing narrative.
April 13, 2013
What a grand little story. Loved how they all learned something.
April 17, 2025
Ci sono libri che si scelgono e altri che ti scelgono. A me è capitato questa mattina in libreria. Mi piaceva il titolo e poi la trama mi ha conquistata.
Questo romanzo racconta la storia di Kizzy una bambina di razza mista, metà rom e metà irlandese, che alla morte della nonna viene sradicata dalla sua quotidianità per vivere in un contesto sociale e abitativo a lei ostile. È una zingara e questo, a piori, è motivo di discriminazione e bullismo (femminile).
Fortunatamente la bambina incontra un ammiraglio e una donna dal cuore d'oro che con pazienza e amore la aiutano ad aprirsi, accettarsi e a farsi apprezzare dagli altri senza dimenticare le proprie origini.
È un libro pieno di messaggi importanti e positivi con una trama coinvolgente e attuale nonostante sia stato pubblicato nel 1972.
Molto bello. Delicato. Assolutamente consigliato.
Questo romanzo racconta la storia di Kizzy una bambina di razza mista, metà rom e metà irlandese, che alla morte della nonna viene sradicata dalla sua quotidianità per vivere in un contesto sociale e abitativo a lei ostile. È una zingara e questo, a piori, è motivo di discriminazione e bullismo (femminile).
Fortunatamente la bambina incontra un ammiraglio e una donna dal cuore d'oro che con pazienza e amore la aiutano ad aprirsi, accettarsi e a farsi apprezzare dagli altri senza dimenticare le proprie origini.
È un libro pieno di messaggi importanti e positivi con una trama coinvolgente e attuale nonostante sia stato pubblicato nel 1972.
Molto bello. Delicato. Assolutamente consigliato.
August 1, 2008
The cover pictured here is in even twee-er than the edition I read. But, really, I haven't enjoyed an actual kid's book this much in a long time. Maybe because it was written a while ago? I read YA all the time, but anything for the tween set and under just seems way way way too young to keep my interest.
But reading this was like going back to when books were not only good, but were magic, and were always going to work out all right.
I could use more of that.
But reading this was like going back to when books were not only good, but were magic, and were always going to work out all right.
I could use more of that.
August 28, 2016
If I had read this book as a child, my hopeless longing for a pony (a fire constantly fed by pony books) could have been joined to a longing for a pony that pulled a gilded red and green wagon, a kind admiral to protect me during a bout of pneumonia, and a little fire in the apple orchard to sit by while I cook my tea. There is no better kind of story than this when you are Kizzy's age, and I wish I could be eight again and find it.
December 23, 2008
Was a young girl (preteen?) when I read this and really loved it. Made me wish I had a tiny, perfect caravan and a pony to pull it. Wished I was exotic. Was not exotic but in books could experience lives unlike mine. I love reading!
August 22, 2009
The most interesting thing about this book is that there adults who know that bullying is going on but wait to see if the kids sort it out themselves. This would never happen in a book written today.
March 3, 2020
This is a children's book, and one I wish I'd read when I was a kid. The book was originally released in 1972 when I was 12, which would have been the perfect age. It's a story of a half-gypsy or Diddakoi called Kizzy, who goes to live with non-Romany people when her grandmother dies.
It does, as others have noted, have a bit of a fairy-tale ending, but it also has some very dark moments such as when Kizzy is beaten up by a group of girls from her school. This is a tale from before the days of political correctness and helicopter parenting, when kids were left to get on with things by themselves, including sorting out their differences by behaving as kids do in the wild, i.e. being cruel, nasty, and inclined to physical bullying when they have the upper hand. I remember it well--sitting in my German class pulling out clumps of hair after being roughed up by another girl with her gang of friends watching to ensure I didn't get away. Fortunately I never had it as bad as Kizzy, and certainly not at the age of eight.
There's a slight air of preachiness in the story that was also fairly common in early- to mid-20th-century children's books, the era in which Godden would have grown up. But it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story; in fact the old-fashionedness of the book was part of its charm for me.
This tale also marks the end of a world in which Romany travelers still used brightly-painted wagons drawn by horses. Kizzy's relatives are moving into council houses so that their children can go to school, and scorn their old traditions and way of life. Kizzy, living with her grandmother, has been protected from these changes
It's a story that will certainly stretch the imaginations of young readers, and I wouldn't hesitate to give it to a 21st century child. I think it would spark some very interesting conversations.
It does, as others have noted, have a bit of a fairy-tale ending, but it also has some very dark moments such as when Kizzy is beaten up by a group of girls from her school. This is a tale from before the days of political correctness and helicopter parenting, when kids were left to get on with things by themselves, including sorting out their differences by behaving as kids do in the wild, i.e. being cruel, nasty, and inclined to physical bullying when they have the upper hand. I remember it well--sitting in my German class pulling out clumps of hair after being roughed up by another girl with her gang of friends watching to ensure I didn't get away. Fortunately I never had it as bad as Kizzy, and certainly not at the age of eight.
There's a slight air of preachiness in the story that was also fairly common in early- to mid-20th-century children's books, the era in which Godden would have grown up. But it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story; in fact the old-fashionedness of the book was part of its charm for me.
This tale also marks the end of a world in which Romany travelers still used brightly-painted wagons drawn by horses. Kizzy's relatives are moving into council houses so that their children can go to school, and scorn their old traditions and way of life. Kizzy, living with her grandmother, has been protected from these changes
It's a story that will certainly stretch the imaginations of young readers, and I wouldn't hesitate to give it to a 21st century child. I think it would spark some very interesting conversations.
May 27, 2020
"Different doesn't mean bad"
Oh, I adored this book! Heidi meets Annie meets Mr Blunden. It was clearly well researched and faithful to the truth of being a Gypsy/Traveller. It didn't glorify or over fantasise but it was also respectful and honoured the heritage.
Oh, I adored this book! Heidi meets Annie meets Mr Blunden. It was clearly well researched and faithful to the truth of being a Gypsy/Traveller. It didn't glorify or over fantasise but it was also respectful and honoured the heritage.
March 30, 2011
Kizzy is a half-romani girl aged 7 or 8 who has been brought up by her great-great-grandmother. She is first discovered by the authorities and made to go to school, which is not a good experience, and then when the old lady dies she finds her distant romani relatives don't want her and she is not going to be allowed to live on her own.
I loved this children's book. There are some great characters - not only Kizzy but the adults too. There are also some well-meaning characters who make mistakes (like Kizzy's teacher). Kizzy herself is not idealized - she doesn't always respond in the best way, and this seemed very realistic. There is a lot of growth in many of the characters and the ending is highly dramatic. I think children aged up to about 10 would love this.
I loved this children's book. There are some great characters - not only Kizzy but the adults too. There are also some well-meaning characters who make mistakes (like Kizzy's teacher). Kizzy herself is not idealized - she doesn't always respond in the best way, and this seemed very realistic. There is a lot of growth in many of the characters and the ending is highly dramatic. I think children aged up to about 10 would love this.
August 23, 2023
I loved this book when I was a child and wanted to read it again to see if I still felt the same. I loved it! I remember loving the descriptions of the traveller lifestyle and wanting to be Kizzy, yet also empathising with her feeling like a misfit and suffering from some shocking bullying. I'd like to think this taught me at an early age not to judge others too quickly...
The writing holds up well, even though written in 1972 - it's generally very sensitive. Although I think nowadays the teachers might have to tackle the bullying in a more direct way!
And the ending is lovely, even if real life might not really be like that - gives us and young readers something to aspire to.
The writing holds up well, even though written in 1972 - it's generally very sensitive. Although I think nowadays the teachers might have to tackle the bullying in a more direct way!
And the ending is lovely, even if real life might not really be like that - gives us and young readers something to aspire to.
March 14, 2011
Having just finished the Maisie Dobbs’ book about gypsies—“An Incomplete Revenge,” I was reminded of this book that I read as an adult back in 1992. It’s about Kizzy, a young half gypsy girl who learns about prejudice when her grandmother dies and she enters the local school where she suffers the taunts and cruelties of her schoolmates. The book, directed at young adults, not only deals with bullying (a topic very much in the news today), but with Romany culture and kindness that reaches across racial barriers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 184 reviews