What do you think?
Rate this book
The Mad Misadventures of Emmaline and Rubberbones
The Strictest School in the World: Being the Tale of a Clever Girl, a Rubber Boy and a Collection of Flying Machines, Mostly Broken
In the kick-off novel in the Mad Misadventures series, 14-year-old pioneering aviatrix Emmaline Cayley is afraid of one thing: plummeting to her doom. Fortunately, 12-year-old Robert Burns, an indestructible village boy, is not. Absurdly unafraid of bodily harm, "Rubberbones" is the ideal pilot for Emmaline's experiments with flight. But before Emmaline can perfect a flying machine with the aid of her new friend, she is sent off to St. Grimelda's School for Young Ladies -- to be cured of her decidedly unladylike ways. It is a school so strict, so severe, so forbidding that it makes the brutal misery in the tales of Charles Dickens look cheery by comparison. With a horrifying headmistress, terrifying teachers and food that is even worse than Aunt Lucy's, this medieval stronghold also houses a terrible secret and a mysterious way of keeping its prisoners, er, its students in line. All Emmaline can think of is escape. But no one has ever escaped from St. Grimelda's. And our heroine soon realizes that the only way out is to face her greatest fear.
256 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2006
8 people are currently reading
278 people want to read
About the author
Howard Whitehouse
17 books17 followersHoward Whitehouse lives in Hudson Valley, New York, US, with his wife, Lori Whitehouse, a pastor.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
did-not-finish
November 21, 2025DNF @ 57 pages
I made it about 57 pages in and then skipped to the end to see if I cared to continue. Between the Lord’s name being taken in vain, a rebellious retiring vicar, a scene with a fortune teller, and then random pterodactyl attacks at the end (yes, this book is set in 1894. I’m as confused as you are), I decided this book wasn’t my cup of tea and I wasn’t curious enough to continue it. The writing style was like a quirky version of “The Secret Garden” in a way, but I prefer that book more.
Main Content:
Spiritual-
For the flying machine project, Emmaline goes with her aunt to get permission from the vicar to use the church’s bell tower; Because the vicar is retiring next month and tired of all the people in the congregation that tell him what to do, he allows it (much to the infuriation of the bell keeper, which the vicar thought was perfect because he had been annoyed with the man for thirty years); While preparing for the launch, it’s noted “After so many years at St. Cuthberts, always doing the right thing and following the rules, the vicar was thrilled to behave like a schoolboy”; Also a mention of when the vicar was so excited when a woman brought brandy to a church event.
Flipping through the end, I noticed about a comment about a woman considering another woman’s actions to be “the work of Satan” (due to realizing the woman is a bully).
Emmaline’s aunt’s butler is Indian and it’s noted that “that his religion forbade him to eat the food made by an unbeliever” (though this was said when her aunt made him a “special earwig curry” as a surprise).
Robert runaway to the Gypsies camp outside of town to join them; There’s a chapter of both Emmaline and Robert having their hands read by the future teller (which seems to be accurate for the most part based on what the reader knows about the characters).
Emmaline tells Robert about Daedalus and Icarus.
Language- 2 “Good Lord!” (One by Emmaline), 1 “what the—“, and 1 “gosh”; A bit of lying.
Negative- Robert’s father ran away from home and it’s added “(This is a good thing to do when you are young and independent; it's not so good when you are thirty-four and have a wife and five children, like Mr. Burns.)”
Mentions of deaths, near deaths, & injuries; A couple mentions of beer & ale; A mention of a girl who died after “accidentally swallowed poison three days in a row”.
I made it about 57 pages in and then skipped to the end to see if I cared to continue. Between the Lord’s name being taken in vain, a rebellious retiring vicar, a scene with a fortune teller, and then random pterodactyl attacks at the end (yes, this book is set in 1894. I’m as confused as you are), I decided this book wasn’t my cup of tea and I wasn’t curious enough to continue it. The writing style was like a quirky version of “The Secret Garden” in a way, but I prefer that book more.
Main Content:
Spiritual-
For the flying machine project, Emmaline goes with her aunt to get permission from the vicar to use the church’s bell tower; Because the vicar is retiring next month and tired of all the people in the congregation that tell him what to do, he allows it (much to the infuriation of the bell keeper, which the vicar thought was perfect because he had been annoyed with the man for thirty years); While preparing for the launch, it’s noted “After so many years at St. Cuthberts, always doing the right thing and following the rules, the vicar was thrilled to behave like a schoolboy”; Also a mention of when the vicar was so excited when a woman brought brandy to a church event.
Flipping through the end, I noticed about a comment about a woman considering another woman’s actions to be “the work of Satan” (due to realizing the woman is a bully).
Emmaline’s aunt’s butler is Indian and it’s noted that “that his religion forbade him to eat the food made by an unbeliever” (though this was said when her aunt made him a “special earwig curry” as a surprise).
Robert runaway to the Gypsies camp outside of town to join them; There’s a chapter of both Emmaline and Robert having their hands read by the future teller (which seems to be accurate for the most part based on what the reader knows about the characters).
Emmaline tells Robert about Daedalus and Icarus.
Language- 2 “Good Lord!” (One by Emmaline), 1 “what the—“, and 1 “gosh”; A bit of lying.
Negative- Robert’s father ran away from home and it’s added “(This is a good thing to do when you are young and independent; it's not so good when you are thirty-four and have a wife and five children, like Mr. Burns.)”
Mentions of deaths, near deaths, & injuries; A couple mentions of beer & ale; A mention of a girl who died after “accidentally swallowed poison three days in a row”.
March 7, 2019
Pretty good for a kids book. A fast-paced story, whimsical, brought with humor, and with some reflections on courage and uniqueness. The mean characters are just predictably mean and not creepy evil, the good ones are very unusual and diverse.
April 22, 2020
This book is like Wodehouse for kids. That's the best way I know of describing it. Utterly charming, humorous and lovable characters. I read this book aloud to my kids who all laughed and enjoyed it. Highly recommended for a good time!
November 30, 2017
A hilarious adventure with deliciously weird characters, impossible plot twists, and delightfully sassy writing! I love every book in this series!
May 17, 2012
Fourteen year old Emmaline Cayley is an aviation pioneering expert--after all her great grandfather was one so why shouldn't she be as well. Emmaline is destined to design the best flying contraption known to mankind--she just doesn't want to fly it. When she meets Robert "Rubberbones" Burns, known to be quite frankly indestructible, she knows that she has her flyer (after all she is scared of flying and someone must document the flight from the ground). But when Emmaline's mother decides that Emmaline must attend a proper finishing school, Emmaline is forced to show up at St. Grimelda's School for Girls--which just so happens to be known as the Strictest School in the World. Emmaline is devastated and must figure out a way to escape so she can live her dreams.
The book started with quite a bit of promise, but I found it to start dragging a bit as it continued. I liked the author's writing style--that of a narrator who puts their own little aside comments into the text--it was quite entertaining. The story was clever and fun with some interesting twists that weren't always quite explained (but could be in subsequent novels). I enjoyed the eccentric characters and their different personalities. Overall I think this one is good for its audience but doesn't necessarily translate well to other ages. I would recommend 8-12 on this one.
The book started with quite a bit of promise, but I found it to start dragging a bit as it continued. I liked the author's writing style--that of a narrator who puts their own little aside comments into the text--it was quite entertaining. The story was clever and fun with some interesting twists that weren't always quite explained (but could be in subsequent novels). I enjoyed the eccentric characters and their different personalities. Overall I think this one is good for its audience but doesn't necessarily translate well to other ages. I would recommend 8-12 on this one.
July 25, 2009
This book started off really, really well. I was very much enjoying it...and then came the part where Emmaline was sent off to (you guessed it) the strictest school in the world. The rest of the book was predictable, and the school was nothing original (except for the school's "birds," which never received adequate explanation). Imagine every book, particularly one of Dickens', that you've read that has a bleak, strict, despairing school/orphan population combined with cruel matrons/masters. It was pretty much like that. Only not as good. It is part of a series, and I might have given the next one a chance just to see if Emmaline and Rubberbones would be entertaining since there's no strict school involved, but the plot follows a character I didn't care for.
March 5, 2008
This is a very creative book with some surprising plot pieces, much like A Series of Unfortuante Events, but with out all the sad undertones. It is a less complicated book, more straightforward relationships, surprises in relationships and offers some illumination in the distinction between stereotyping people and who those people really are.
It is an adventure that has kept us on the edge of our seats!
It is an adventure that has kept us on the edge of our seats!
August 10, 2018
What a fun series. This is the quirky style of writing that writers sometimes try but few can pull off. Whitehouse does it to perfection while also having a fun plot and interesting characters.
March 13, 2025
Emmaline dreams of making a flying machine, and her new friend Robert "Rubberbones" would love to be its pilot - but when she ends up trapped in a disturbingly strict private school, they must team up with a host of odd allies, from scientist to foreign princess, to gain her freedom! Whitehouse and Slavin offer readers a decently witty story with some colourful characters and interesting touches of science fiction, though its drab setting and startlingly immature racial imagery greatly hamper its charming tones. Will Emmaline be free of this prison of a school and follow her dreams of aviation?
March 24, 2025
I think I checked out this book at least 5 times as a child at the local library. One day I twas told it had been liquidated when I couldn’t find it where it was on the shelf. I tearfully went home and spent years bemoaning its loss. All I could remember was the girl with the wings. I actually made wings like Emmalines for a costume in high school and chaotically tried explaining the origins to no avail.
After almost a decade of searching on an off chance I meandered into a Reddit forum for helping find forgotten books and lo and behold within and hour someone gave me the name of this book!
And yes it’s as lovely as I remember! Quirky, funny, odd and heartfelt. Love it!
After almost a decade of searching on an off chance I meandered into a Reddit forum for helping find forgotten books and lo and behold within and hour someone gave me the name of this book!
And yes it’s as lovely as I remember! Quirky, funny, odd and heartfelt. Love it!
April 20, 2011
This book had an excellent premise, but terrible execution. Premise: girl who wants to build flying machine escapes from strictest school in Victorian England with help of bouncing boy, mad scientist, bumbling colonel, and sweet aunt who makes tea out of insects. Excellent, right?
And the author is clearly a fairly gifted individual, who has very nearly mastered the absurdism captured in such books as Matilda or Harry Potter. The problem is, those books were written by geniuses, and absurdism alone isn't enough to propel you into their circle. You also need depth. And, say, character development. Both of these elements were missing altogether from this book.
Take, for example, this passage from The Strictest School in the World:
Mrs. Wackett was going on and on. Most of which was bluster, threats and general noisiness. "Disrespectful chit of a gel--raised by dolts--don't you dare have the nerve to--I'll teach you a lesson, missy!" Emmaline ignored it all. But then the headmistress struck a new note.
"Don't think anyone is impressed that you are spending all your time playing the Ball Game with that hopeless oaf of a girl Josie Pinner."
That phrase smashed through Emmaline's silence. She jumped up and jabbed her finger straight into Mrs. Wackett's wobbling jowls.
"Don't you insult my friend, you ridiculous old battle-ax! You bullying bag of bluster! You nasty, malevolent, ill-natured bag of wind!"
You can clearly see he's borrowing his insult styles from the master, the great Roald Dahl. But let's see how Mr. Dahl mastered the interactions between innocent, intrepid schoolgirl and evil, conniving headmistress. From Matilda:
"You are a vile, repulsive, repellent, malicious little brute!" the Trunchbull was shouting. "You are not fit to be in this school!...I shall make absolutely sure you are sent to a reformatory for delinquent girls for the minimum of forty years!"
The Trunchbull was in such a rage that her face had taken on a boiled colour and little flecks of froth were gathering at the corners of her mouth. But she was not the only one who was losing her cool. Matilda was also beginning to see red. She didn't in the least mind being accused of having done something she had actually done. She could see the justice of that. It was, however, a totally new experience for her to be accused of a crime that she definitely had not committed. She had had absolutely nothing to do with that beastly creature in the glass. By golly, she thought, that rotten Trunchbull isn't going to pin this one on me!
"I did not do it!" she screamed.
We can see into Matilda's head, understand the world as she understands it, relate to her interactions with these characters, wildly improbable though some of the characters are. (See: all adults who are not Miss Honey.) We want Matilda to succeed.
By contrast, I can certainly understand why Emmaline's school is not a pleasant place to be. But why do I care whether Emmaline stays there or not? Answer: I don't.
There is no character in this story who is developed more than two dimensions. Emmaline wants to build a flying machine; her friend Rubberbones can bounce, and likes cake; her Aunt Lucy is quite silly, and likes to eat insects. None of these people have any depth whatsoever.
You may say, but Becky, this is just a children's book. Surely our standards about things like character development and emotional depth can be a little lower. I will say, YOU BLASPHEME! The fact that a book is written for children should not mean that it is any lesser in quality. Besides, I've just compared with some of the masters of the form, J.K. Rowling and Roald Dahl, and explained the ways in which this one comes up lacking. There is no reason that children should have to settle for anything less than great books.
All of these things would have led to a two-star review, but I downgraded because of its fairly blatant racism. One of the characters, Princess Purnah, comes from an imaginary kingdom somewhere on the Indian subcontinent and is portrayed as, well, a bloodthirsty savage. As you may be aware, it is not okay to portray brown people like that--especially in a book full of white people.
Purnah also talks like this: "You was throwed out through the roof--making a bigling hole in roof than was previously to your passage. Ha! Porok! Then you hits a most substantial oak tree and fulls in a puddle. How I laughs! Tringg!"
It's one thing for a writer to carefully portray the dialect of an actual people. It's another thing to invent a brown people whose dialect deliberately is constructed to sound ridiculous. Especially when you've also made them bloodthirsty savages.
There was a brief moment in this book when I thought it was about to redeem itself, on page 116. Here we learn that one of the reasons that the school is so strict is that they keep pterodactyls for purposes of terrifying. Now, that's creative. I was highly amused. But, it wasn't enough to propel me through the rest of the book.
I bothered to finish this book only because I am trying to be a scholar of both the good and bad of children's books, to see what works and what doesn't, to apply for my own writing. If you are not writing a children's novel, don't bother with this one. I guarantee you have better things to do.
And the author is clearly a fairly gifted individual, who has very nearly mastered the absurdism captured in such books as Matilda or Harry Potter. The problem is, those books were written by geniuses, and absurdism alone isn't enough to propel you into their circle. You also need depth. And, say, character development. Both of these elements were missing altogether from this book.
Take, for example, this passage from The Strictest School in the World:
Mrs. Wackett was going on and on. Most of which was bluster, threats and general noisiness. "Disrespectful chit of a gel--raised by dolts--don't you dare have the nerve to--I'll teach you a lesson, missy!" Emmaline ignored it all. But then the headmistress struck a new note.
"Don't think anyone is impressed that you are spending all your time playing the Ball Game with that hopeless oaf of a girl Josie Pinner."
That phrase smashed through Emmaline's silence. She jumped up and jabbed her finger straight into Mrs. Wackett's wobbling jowls.
"Don't you insult my friend, you ridiculous old battle-ax! You bullying bag of bluster! You nasty, malevolent, ill-natured bag of wind!"
You can clearly see he's borrowing his insult styles from the master, the great Roald Dahl. But let's see how Mr. Dahl mastered the interactions between innocent, intrepid schoolgirl and evil, conniving headmistress. From Matilda:
"You are a vile, repulsive, repellent, malicious little brute!" the Trunchbull was shouting. "You are not fit to be in this school!...I shall make absolutely sure you are sent to a reformatory for delinquent girls for the minimum of forty years!"
The Trunchbull was in such a rage that her face had taken on a boiled colour and little flecks of froth were gathering at the corners of her mouth. But she was not the only one who was losing her cool. Matilda was also beginning to see red. She didn't in the least mind being accused of having done something she had actually done. She could see the justice of that. It was, however, a totally new experience for her to be accused of a crime that she definitely had not committed. She had had absolutely nothing to do with that beastly creature in the glass. By golly, she thought, that rotten Trunchbull isn't going to pin this one on me!
"I did not do it!" she screamed.
We can see into Matilda's head, understand the world as she understands it, relate to her interactions with these characters, wildly improbable though some of the characters are. (See: all adults who are not Miss Honey.) We want Matilda to succeed.
By contrast, I can certainly understand why Emmaline's school is not a pleasant place to be. But why do I care whether Emmaline stays there or not? Answer: I don't.
There is no character in this story who is developed more than two dimensions. Emmaline wants to build a flying machine; her friend Rubberbones can bounce, and likes cake; her Aunt Lucy is quite silly, and likes to eat insects. None of these people have any depth whatsoever.
You may say, but Becky, this is just a children's book. Surely our standards about things like character development and emotional depth can be a little lower. I will say, YOU BLASPHEME! The fact that a book is written for children should not mean that it is any lesser in quality. Besides, I've just compared with some of the masters of the form, J.K. Rowling and Roald Dahl, and explained the ways in which this one comes up lacking. There is no reason that children should have to settle for anything less than great books.
All of these things would have led to a two-star review, but I downgraded because of its fairly blatant racism. One of the characters, Princess Purnah, comes from an imaginary kingdom somewhere on the Indian subcontinent and is portrayed as, well, a bloodthirsty savage. As you may be aware, it is not okay to portray brown people like that--especially in a book full of white people.
Purnah also talks like this: "You was throwed out through the roof--making a bigling hole in roof than was previously to your passage. Ha! Porok! Then you hits a most substantial oak tree and fulls in a puddle. How I laughs! Tringg!"
It's one thing for a writer to carefully portray the dialect of an actual people. It's another thing to invent a brown people whose dialect deliberately is constructed to sound ridiculous. Especially when you've also made them bloodthirsty savages.
There was a brief moment in this book when I thought it was about to redeem itself, on page 116. Here we learn that one of the reasons that the school is so strict is that they keep pterodactyls for purposes of terrifying. Now, that's creative. I was highly amused. But, it wasn't enough to propel me through the rest of the book.
I bothered to finish this book only because I am trying to be a scholar of both the good and bad of children's books, to see what works and what doesn't, to apply for my own writing. If you are not writing a children's novel, don't bother with this one. I guarantee you have better things to do.
May 13, 2023
set in 1890s England, this fantastical tale of a young teenage girl (Emmaline) and her friend Rubberbones (so named because he can fall and not get hurt) is absolutely delightful. Emmeline is sent to a horrible boarding school and her aunt Lucy, Rubberbones, and an assortment of others try to help her escape. i LOVE this girl's determination and gumption!
strictly speaking this is a young adult book but i thoroughly enjoyed it. :)
strictly speaking this is a young adult book but i thoroughly enjoyed it. :)
September 7, 2017
An interesting story. It was rather slow to start and somewhat confusing in parts, but overall I liked Emmaline and Rab. Still, I don't think I'm interested enough to read any further in the series.
June 2, 2022
Actually far more entertaining than I thought it would be. Probably best for younger children but I still loved it. It is hilarious and witty with a fun and creative story line. There was more than a few times that I laughed out-loud while reading this book.
4.5 stars
4.5 stars
July 27, 2022
This is such a great 'young people' book!! I read it before passing it to a grandchild..and have the next two in the series on order.
Fun, magical and adventurous..a little like the Lemony Snickett stories.
Thankx Howard Whitehouse.
Fun, magical and adventurous..a little like the Lemony Snickett stories.
Thankx Howard Whitehouse.
June 13, 2019
Hilarious 😂.
December 30, 2022
Zany. In the best way, this book is zany- I wish I had read it when we were homeschooling because the kids would have loved it.
December 29, 2024
I enjoyed this crazy and fun story so much! The characters were humorous and the fast paced story was perfect.
October 6, 2013
Book Talk: Emmaline is determined to build a flying machine, and she gets the perfect opportunity to do just that when her parents send her from India to stay with her aunt in England. Her aunt is a widower with the money to support Emmaline in her aviary endeavors and seems to have no qualms with allowing her niece to engage in such a dangerous and unlady-like pastime. When she finds a local town boy nicknamed Rubberbones to pilot her machine it seems like she has everything she needs. But soon her time inventing and running free is cut short by her parent's desire that she get a proper education. The teachers are ruthless and the students are either too terrified to speak or terrifying the others. If anyone steps out of line they are threatened with the sinister punishment of 'cleaning out the birds.' Emmaline is used to using her wit to create inventions, but if she wants to escape she will need to find the courage to put her own neck on the line. Will she be able to do it? Or will she be stuck forever in the strictest school in the world?
Rocks My Socks: I love the setting of the novel and the satirical jabs it takes at English society at the time like the ruthless soccer match between local towns or how the gypsies are fed up with English children running off to join them. Emmaline is a bright, determined character and Rubberbones is a lovable scamp. The details about Emmaline's attempts to make a flying machine are interesting as well.
Rocks In My Socks: Once Emmaline gets to the strictest school etc it becomes very predictable and a bit boring. I realize that it's supposed to be satirizing the whole strict school trope, but this area of the novel just wasn't as strong or engaging. It also takes the hyperbole to the extreme at this point and what was at first a fairly realistic story with embellishments for comedic effect turns it into something that is just completely absurd and seems to follow no rhyme or reason or internal rules. I wish Emmaline had been left to making up flying devices in her small town. There is a thin line between making fun of a genre of fiction and just writing bad genre fiction, and for me this book skirted that line a bit too much.
Every Book Its Reader: Boys and girls aged 9-12 who like silly, light-hearted quick reads. There are similarities to the Lemony Snickett series, but this work is definitely not as dark so for children who liked the series for its humour, I'd recommend this book, but for children who liked Snickett for his darker tendencies I wouldn't. I think the book is a bit too basic and juvenile to be really enjoyed by most adults.
Read more of my reviews at http://auldschoollibrarian.blogspot.com
Rocks My Socks: I love the setting of the novel and the satirical jabs it takes at English society at the time like the ruthless soccer match between local towns or how the gypsies are fed up with English children running off to join them. Emmaline is a bright, determined character and Rubberbones is a lovable scamp. The details about Emmaline's attempts to make a flying machine are interesting as well.
Rocks In My Socks: Once Emmaline gets to the strictest school etc it becomes very predictable and a bit boring. I realize that it's supposed to be satirizing the whole strict school trope, but this area of the novel just wasn't as strong or engaging. It also takes the hyperbole to the extreme at this point and what was at first a fairly realistic story with embellishments for comedic effect turns it into something that is just completely absurd and seems to follow no rhyme or reason or internal rules. I wish Emmaline had been left to making up flying devices in her small town. There is a thin line between making fun of a genre of fiction and just writing bad genre fiction, and for me this book skirted that line a bit too much.
Every Book Its Reader: Boys and girls aged 9-12 who like silly, light-hearted quick reads. There are similarities to the Lemony Snickett series, but this work is definitely not as dark so for children who liked the series for its humour, I'd recommend this book, but for children who liked Snickett for his darker tendencies I wouldn't. I think the book is a bit too basic and juvenile to be really enjoyed by most adults.
Read more of my reviews at http://auldschoollibrarian.blogspot.com
February 6, 2008
This is a fun Victorian romp in the tradition of Joan Aiken's Dido Twite books. It's not as well-written as those books, but there are a lot of laugh-out-loud moments. It concerns one Emmaline Clayley, who wants to be an aviatrix and designer of flying machines, but she is afraid of flying. Enter Robert, a boy with the amazing ability to fall great distances and not be hurt (you can also throw bricks at him and they just bounce off). It seems like a perfect match, but sadly, Emmaline's mother believes Emmaline is not ladylike enough, and sends her to a terribly strict boarding school. It is up to Robert, Aunt Lucy, and Lal Singh (Aunt Lucy's Indian butler) to devise a scheme to rescue her.
To give you an example of what this book is like, I would like to share one of my favorite exchanges. This is between Aunt Lucy and Professor Bellbuckle:
"Ozymandias, dear, you hit the wing of the flying machine and set it
on fire. The pterodactyl flew away, and a jolly good thing, too. You
can't just kill things at your own convenience!"
"The colonel fella did!"
"Well, perhaps. But the bird was probably just injured. Anyway, I
don't want you firing rockets at living creatures like that again. It
isn't good for your soul."
Professor Bellbuckle was about to retort that ROCKETS were good for
his soul, but just then Rubberbones caught everyone's attention.
"That tower at the school! The black 'un. It's definitely on fire!"
To give you an example of what this book is like, I would like to share one of my favorite exchanges. This is between Aunt Lucy and Professor Bellbuckle:
"Ozymandias, dear, you hit the wing of the flying machine and set it
on fire. The pterodactyl flew away, and a jolly good thing, too. You
can't just kill things at your own convenience!"
"The colonel fella did!"
"Well, perhaps. But the bird was probably just injured. Anyway, I
don't want you firing rockets at living creatures like that again. It
isn't good for your soul."
Professor Bellbuckle was about to retort that ROCKETS were good for
his soul, but just then Rubberbones caught everyone's attention.
"That tower at the school! The black 'un. It's definitely on fire!"
August 1, 2008
I saw this book at the library and thought it looked like it would be fun. It sounded like it would be along the lines of the Series of Unfortunate Events book, and I thought I'd give it a try to see if my sons or their friends would like it. I have my answer---they wouldn't!
The story is basically about a girl who is sent by her parents to an extremely strict and horrible boarding school. The setting is the Victorian era in England. That's all fine, but the characters are overdone to the point of more than cartooniness, there are all kinds of side plots which add little, and the writing is fake Victorian florid, not something that brings in kids. It's also a strange combination of main plots---boarding school story about a girls school and story of attempts to make a working plane. I am probably being sexist here, but I think one would draw in girls and one boys, and each would be bored by the plot that DIDN'T draw them in.
I finished the book, but had taken out the sequel too, and will return that unread for sure!
The story is basically about a girl who is sent by her parents to an extremely strict and horrible boarding school. The setting is the Victorian era in England. That's all fine, but the characters are overdone to the point of more than cartooniness, there are all kinds of side plots which add little, and the writing is fake Victorian florid, not something that brings in kids. It's also a strange combination of main plots---boarding school story about a girls school and story of attempts to make a working plane. I am probably being sexist here, but I think one would draw in girls and one boys, and each would be bored by the plot that DIDN'T draw them in.
I finished the book, but had taken out the sequel too, and will return that unread for sure!
January 15, 2008
Emmeline dreams of building a flying machine, and her new friend “Rubberbones,” who seems to be impervious to pain, eagerly pilots each craft she creates. Their dreams are put on hold, however, when Emmeline is sent to St. Grimelda’s School for Girls, run by a cruel headmistress and faculty. Adventures continue as outside the walls of St. Grimelda’s plans for a rescue are hatched, and inside, Emmeline tries to survive her torturous classmates and teachers. Although the story stretches a bit too long and the school’s prehistoric disciplinary tools are an oddly-placed anachronism, the book has a great sense of fun, and the humor, adventure, and lively pen-and-ink illustrations should hold readers’ attention.
August 3, 2007
An absolutely endearing, silly book! Emmaline is shunted off to a ridiculously strict school in England when her parents (serving the Queen in India) decide she needs a proper education. But Emmaline's dream is to fly -- even if she fears flying! Luckily, a local lad who is incapable of getting hurt is willing to be her test pilot. This unlikely pair form a strong bond, and when Emmaline must be rescued from her scary (and dinosaur-ridden) school, Rubberbones... and her batty aunt... and a mad American professor!... come to the rescue.
[Intended audience: 3rd-4th graders, boys and girls.]
[Intended audience: 3rd-4th graders, boys and girls.]
February 28, 2008
This melodramatic book will likely appeal to those who loved Series of Unfortunate Events. Emmaline, the fourteen-year-old heroine, wants to build a flying machine and thus follow in the footsteps of her famous great-great-great uncle. She finds many obstacles in her way and encounters a few helpers too. The obstacles include the horrific school she must attend, St. Grimelda’s School for Young Ladies, where she is a virtual prisoner. Fortunately her Aunt Lucy and her unusual friend Rubberbones, find a way to spring her from prison.
This quirky tale also reminds me of Spring-Heeled Jack by Philip Pullman.
Customers on Amazon rated this book “five stars.”
This quirky tale also reminds me of Spring-Heeled Jack by Philip Pullman.
Customers on Amazon rated this book “five stars.”
March 10, 2010
These books are hysterical. Emmaline is sent to an evil school where the headmistress is a witch and the girls are kept in terror of "the Birds," which are pterodactyls. (Yes, I said pterodactyls) Meanwhile, her aunt, her friend Rubberbones (called that because he doesn't get hurt; he just bounces) and Lal Singh, the India butler are attempting to rescue her, with the help of a couple of gypsies named Syd and Norah. As in happens in most rescue missions, not everything follows the extremely bizarre plan, which involves Rubberbones flying Emmaline out on a giant kite. Needless to say, DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!
December 30, 2008
This was a cute story about a girl who wants to build flying machines, a boy that she meets while living with her aunt who likes to fly her flying machines (who is able to fall from high places and not get hurt) and the horrible school her mother sends her off to (which she has to escape from). Parts in the beginning had me falling over laughing, and there were some good explosions at the end. Not great literature, but quite entertaining and worth a read if you like stories set in the Victorian times.
January 6, 2012
The main character, when learning the school's many school rules for the first time, makes an observation that is PRICELESS: there were rules for absolutely everything. Everything that was not forbidden was compulsory. BA HA HA. I liked rubberbones and the aunt's eccentric attitude and the jokes about the rugby rivalry that dates back to 1346 or something like that. The flying machine stuff, i actually found a bit tiresome, but i do give the author props for giving a female protagonist more interest and talent in a field that is stereotypically reserved for male characters.
October 16, 2013
This book is one of my favourite books ever because it is meant to be funny, there are interesting and unrealistic characters, pterodactyls, and an exciting plot. It is about a girl that wants to fly, and how she is sent to "The Strictest School in the World", and how her odd aunt, bouncy (literally) friend, a mad scientist, and a mysterious butler help her to escape, and a violent princess from a distant land interferes. I recommend this book to everybody because it is at or even under grade seven reading level, and it is extremely funny.
November 8, 2008
Clever Victorian adventures a la The Wolves of Willoughby Chase. I probably would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't read it so soon after Eva Ibbotson's The Star of Kazan, whose horrible parody of a boarding school nearly puts the "Strictest School" to shame.
Hmm . . . I had the same problem with reading The Thief Lord too soon after Megan Whalen Turner's The Thief. Huh.
Hmm . . . I had the same problem with reading The Thief Lord too soon after Megan Whalen Turner's The Thief. Huh.
December 17, 2008
This was a very amusing and quick to read fantasy. I grew quite fond of Rubberbones. It includes a very good lesson in courage and how to deal with bullies.
I'm certainly glad my brothers didn't read this book when they were young, we'd have had a lot more interesting adventures, possibly including broken bones, and we had quite enough interesting adventures as it was. Just ask me about Barbie in Space and the Ken Hostage Crisis.
I'm certainly glad my brothers didn't read this book when they were young, we'd have had a lot more interesting adventures, possibly including broken bones, and we had quite enough interesting adventures as it was. Just ask me about Barbie in Space and the Ken Hostage Crisis.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews