The Demon Headmaster

The Demon Headmaster #1

by Gillian Cross

When Dinah is fostered by the Hunters she thinks her biggest problem will be fitting in with her foster-brothers, Lloyd and Harvey. However, once she starts at her new school it's clear that there's more to worry about. All the children, apart from a handful including Lloyd and Harvey, are too well-behaved-robotic almost-and oddly keen to please the creepy headmaster. The three children set out to discover the nature of his influence over everyone . . . but then Dinah finds herself saying and doing things she has no power over. Soon they uncover the headmaster's wicked plan. Controlling the school is just a practice run. He has set his sights on dominating the entire nation! The children must foil him before he succeeds . . . but with Dinah under his spell they've got a challenge on their hands.

Genres: Childrens, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, School, Young Adult, Middle Grade

164 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

Gillian Cross was born Gillian Arnold in 1945. She was educated at North London Collegiate School, Somerville College, Oxford and the University of Sussex. Although now a full-time writer who often travels and gives talks in connection with her work, she has had a number of informal jobs including being an assistant to a Member of Parliament. For eight years she also sat on the committee which advises ministers about public libraries.

She is married to Martin Cross and they have four grown-up children, two sons and two daughters.

Reviews

[Mir · Rating 3 out of 5]

...and by Demon Cross really means Mean and Scary. There are no actual demonic entities, and no souls are eternally damned in the making of this book.

In fact, it isn't even very scary -- rather unrealistically so, given the premise. I mean, imagine you are little kid at a new school. Your new foster brothers drop ominous hints and are clearly afraid of the headmaster and other students. On your first day, all the other kids are strangely regimented and won't speak to you. You get physically manhandled by the precepts, and then dragged to the head's office. Afterward you can't remember what happened. Likewise, think about life for the two boys: every day they go to a school where they are shut in a room while all the other zombie-like children conduct some secret activities. The slightest misbehavior leads to physical abuse, such as being forced out into the snow for an extended period with no coat or gloves. Their parents absolutely refuse to listen and insist the school is wonderful.

The scenario is nightmarish. In execution, it comes across as merely stressful and slightly scary. In real life a child in these conditions would probably have a break-down or at least display some weird behavioral disorders. But I guess they are English or something so they are keeping their chins up or whatever. There isn't enough character development to be certain.

Anyway, it is a very short and slight book, an entertaining quick read that doesn't contain anything graphic or too frightening for younger kids. If you found this title looking for something actually demonic or scary related to school, try The Dead Boy Detectives, The Dreaming, or Evil Librarian. (The last is the most infernal but the least scary.)

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another nostalgic favourite where tge CBBC series led me to the books.
Anyone who's familiar with the show will testify how sinister Terrence Hardiman was as the titular Headmaster.

The reason why the story resonated so much with us kids in the mid-90's was the everyday location of a High School and the strange peculiar behaviour of the pupils - the fact that there wasn't any rowdy behaviour at all as every child followed the rules!

We follow Dinah Glass who's been fostered by the Hunter family and attends school with Lloyd and Harvey and instantly notices something is completely off.

The Headmaster's grand scheme is so ludicrous contrived that it's perfect for the target audience to enjoy.

This edition also included the second book in the series (which made up the second half of the first series) might not be as strong, but still has the Demon Headmaster at his calculating best as the use of computers takes center stage.

[Csy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first picked up The Demon Headmaster when I was in Grade 2, and of course, my grade 2 self loved it. It contained everything... suspense, supernatural, action, and most importantly, an evil villian that was easy to relate to. I mean, it's not uncommon for a 7/8 year-old to have dreams of world domination.

It’s been quite a few years, and this book has been imposed onto me as a compulsory reader. The following is written from my current perspective.

Firstly, I have to say that I didn’t enjoy this book as much the second time round. The plot was rather well developed, and I credit Gillian Cross that, but various characters lacked dimension. I couldn’t really justify their actions, and to a certain extent, it contradicts with the initial image presented.

The idea of supernatural abilities such as hypnosis in order to achieve the aspiration of world domination isn't that original and having been exposed to many more similar books, I would say that the motives of the villain (The headmaster) are rather bland and honestly, making a speech in a TV show probably wouldn’t be the best way of achieving it. If the SPLAT members couldn’t be hypnotized, wouldn’t there be much more people around the world who were immune? Not all citizens would be watching the show – would this method really be that effective? And if it’s not, then how smart is the Headmaster, exactly?

I would rate this a 3, however it bears certain significance to me as a 2nd grader. I guess I was intrigued by the series and completed it, and would recommend this for younger readers. Taking the target audience and everything else into account, I guess a 4 would be a justified rating.

[Merwa1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

The demon headmaster is a very spooky book that will captivate children from the start. Dinah Glass starts at a new school and finds it to be very out of the ordinary. None of the children play typical games in the playground; they just stand around in circles, memorising multiplication tables and dates of kings and queens of England. Her two new foster brothers seem very nervous of the Headmaster and she soon finds out why when she meets him herself. Tall and thin in his black gown, with white hair and black glasses, he isn't a very comfortable character to spend any time with. This unnatural and odd atmosphere is enough to allow children to explore a very strange setting where their imagination will truly unravel. Suitable for children aged 9-10, this magical and mystique adventure will allow them to explore the world of hypnotism and investigation-something that will really get them thinking. The descriptive language is effective for increasing vocabulary as well as creating a very intriguing scene where children can pick up on various emotions. This book would be great for learning about the tone and atmosphere a book can create. The sinister feel will surely open up a new world of writing for children.

[Abigail · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lloyd and Harry Harvey worry that their new foster-sister Dinah will become one of "them" - the oddly well-behaved children at their school. Children who act in a strangely robotic fashion, and who when asked, will invariably respond "He (the headmaster) is a marvellous man and this is the best school I've ever been to". Their concern seems warranted at first, as Dinah appears to fall into step with the majority. But no one, not Lloyd and Harvey, not their small group of misfit friends, and certainly not the headmaster, counted on Dinah's stubborn streak, and it soon emerges that the headmaster is using hypnotism to control the students and teachers. But to what end?

This is an interesting exploration, in school-story format, of the conflict between order and freedom. The headmaster's motto: "The man who can keep order can rule the world," is as succinct an expression of this polar antagonism as the novel achieves. Despite its philosophical underpinnings however, I found that I didn't really enjoy The Demon Headmaster as a story. The characters felt a little flat, and I couldn't work up any sense of excitement or suspense. This may be one of those titles that doesn't translate well for adults.

[Amber Scaife · Rating 4 out of 5]

A middle grade adventure about a girl with above-average smarts moving into a foster home with two boys who can't seem to stay out of trouble at their school. She's skeptical at first at their seemingly wild stories about how wicked the headmaster is, but she soon discovers the truth of it. They finally work together to discover what the evil man is up to and then try to come up with a plan to stop his insane plans.
A fun story with equally fun characters and a plot that would keep even reluctant young readers engaged. I'd definitely recommend this one to all sorts of kiddos.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dinah Glass starts a new school where things are very strange. The children act in a robotic and unnerving way, seemingly lead by the strange, fierce and intimidating headmaster. Dinah begins to suspect that something is not quite right in the school, particularly surrounding the headmaster. When she voices her concern to her peers they all reply with exactly the same phrase, 'the headmaster is a wonderful man...'The story unfolds and Dinah finds that her suspicions were correct, this is no ordinary school.

I read this story when I was in Year 6, and found the book equally compelling and unnerving. Now I can see how social injustices are brought up in a way that is accessible to children. For example, the 'perfect' prefects are bullies and kick over Dinah's sickly step brother in the snow; it arises deep hatred and knowing for right and wrong in a child. The underlying story was also quite original at the time, the idea of hypnotism to create a 'perfect' school is creative and interesting to an upper key stage 2 child.

[Quinkling · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of my favourite books (and television programmes!) when I was growing up. I found a copy in a charity shop and couldn't resist rereading it. It's just as good as I remember, if a little dated in places. The children are wonderfully idiosyncratic and real, and the Demon Headmaster fabulously scary.

[praiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in 2005/06 over and over again! I just stumbled onto it on my TL. Damn, this is so nostalgic...

[Aravena · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Saya rasa Pak Kepala Sekolah menarik sekali dan ini adalah sekolah terhebat yang pernah saya ikuti."

Pada periode 1980-an hingga 1990-an, penerbit Dian Rakyat banyak mengalihbahasakan novel menarik untuk anak/pra-remaja, termasuk karyanya Gillian Cross. Buku ini (dan sekuelnya, Otak Para Jenius) menampillkan sosok Dinah Glass sebagai tokoh utama; gadis pendiam nan kaku yang harus beradaptasi dengan keluarga serta sekolah baru setelah sebelumnya dibesarkan di panti asuhan. Bersama kedua saudara angkatnya, Lloyd dan Harvey Hunter, Dinah harus mengarungi kehidupan sekolah super aneh dengan murid-murid yang kelewat tertib (bukannya main kejar-kejaran atau bercanda haha hihi sewaktu istirahat, semuanya malah menghafal pelajaran!), di bawah tatapan mata hijau menghanyutkan Pak Kepsek....

Kalau disuruh memberi perbandingan, Kepala Sekolah Sinting terasa buat saya seperti campuran Lima Sekawan dan 1984. Lima Sekawan dari segi kelompok anak-anak cerdik yang menyelidiki suatu keganjilan, dan 1984 dari penggambaran nuansa latarnya. Dinah sendiri terang-terangan mengumpamakan dirinya sebagai Winston Smith (protagonis 1984), dan sekolah di cerita ini memang terasa seperti versi miniatur dari rezim totalitarian yang digambarkan di novel distopia klasik tersebut.

Walaupun hawa di dalam kelas cukup hangat, tahu-tahu ia menggigil. Semua anak sibuk menulis, dan tiba-tiba ia yakin bahwa mereka semua baru saja menuliskan, "Besaran matahari adalah - 29,6." Tiga puluh robot cilik, semuanya menuliskan hal yang sama, hal yang sudah ditanamkan ke dalam kepala mereka.

Kunci dan penyelesaian misterinya memang kekanak-kanakan si pak kepsek ternyata adalah tukang hipnotis yang ingin menguasai negeri, tapi berhasil dihentikan berkat... botol merica, tapi ada nuansa tekanan yang cukup mencekam untuk ukuran novel anak/pra-remaja. Ada refleksi dari ketakutan terhadap rezim totalitarian yang mengekang kebebasan individual, dan si Pak Kepsek sendiri jelas merupakan simbolisme dari tokoh-tokoh dunia nyata yang berhasil memikat begitu banyak orang dengan kharisma mengerikannya.

Nah, terlepas dari plot maupun temanya, yang paling saya suka sebenarnya adalah karakternya. Walau tergolong pendek (hanya sepanjang 120-an halaman), kepribadian tokoh-tokoh di sini mampu bersinar terang. Saya menyukai karakter Dinah sebagai heroine yang kaku dan tegas, sekaligus berhati lembut dan selalu berupaya untuk tidak menonjolkan kelebihannya. Perkembangan hubungannya dengan kakak beradik Lloyd dan Harvey amat menyenangkan untuk diikuti, begitu pun dengan perkembangan karakter dan sudut pandang Lloyd yang sempat merasa 'terancam' dengan kehadiran dan kecerdasan Dinah. Gambaran para karakternya terasa autentik dan punya keunikan tersendiri, tidak sekedar meniru tipe-tipe karakter yang sudah sering dipakai.

Ini buku yang menarik dibaca bagi saya saat masih kanak-kanak, dan kini pun masih begitu. Pesan moral: (1) pakai jam istirahat untuk main sepuasnya, (2) pelajaran itu dimengerti bukannya dihafal, dan (3) jangan mau jadi robot yang bisanya cuma manut sama bapak-bapak aneh!

[Karen M · Rating 4 out of 5]

A school where children’s heads are filled with empty worthless information they can recite at will but not understand , where learning isn’t as important as being seen to obey , where there are violent older students enjoying keeping the fear going , and asking questions is against the rules as everyone has to go along to get along… scary indeed.
This is my third book of this year aimed at KS2 readers and it was a good read. Cross has a great grasp of dialogue and the book is short and fast moving , with a school setting which will be recognisable to readers. There’s a positive message here about loyalty, bravery, friendship, and intelligence which the reader is encouraged to work out for themselves.
All this and it’s book one of a series!

[Suzanne Dia · Rating 3 out of 5]

It IS for children, which is probably why I didn't like it much, the main idea -about an evil headmaster..etc- is nice, but in general, it wasn't to my liking.

But I think kids would enjoy it, I like the questions in the school contest thingy, although I couldn't get any of them, lol.

And Black banana how I like cursing using food instead of other bad words XD

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dinah knows something is wrong as soon as she arrives in her new school. Everything is too orderly, and no one steps out of line. But what is going on?

This novel for early science fiction readers takes on issues of conformity and power and control.

A 1001 Children's Book You Must Read.

[Tom Hubbard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always fun to reread one of my fav children’s books every few years. My battered little 90s copy will stay with me forever 💪

[Soham Kulkarni]

Good

[Livash Ramduth · Rating 4 out of 5]

My second review is of Gillian Cross’s story, The Demon Headmaster. This story is largely set in a school environment which is ideal in allowing students to utilise their imaginations as it’s a setting they are familiar with. The story follows Dinah Glass, a new student at school, and she finds it a very strange place right from the start. The children seem different; the games they play aren’t those that Dinah expected. In fact, the children seem to spend play time just memorising facts and reciting time’s tables.
Her suspicions are only further raised when she meets the headmaster. He is described in great detail as a character that isn’t too comfortable to be around. During her first meeting, Dinah is informed that she fell asleep however she knows and feels that something is not quite right. Dinah begins to get more and more suspicious and begins to ask questions, however her fellow students all answer in the same controlled fashion when prompted, as if under a spell or something. Dinah instincts tell her, undoubtedly, that something is wrong, so she sets out to find out what’s going on. In her attempts to discover the truth she tries to win the confidence of her two step brothers (Lloyd and Harvey) to help her investigate the strange occurrences at the school. Dinah discovers with the help of her friends that the headmaster has set out to hypnotise the school (students and teachers). Helping her were her friends who were the only students who immune to hypnosis like she was. However, she was the driving force they needed actually investigate the weird occurrences. Eventually, Dinah and co discover that the headmaster had bigger plans, plans to hypnotise the entire country via the means of a TV programme.
I think this is a great book aimed at the older primary school students (year 5 or 6) and it is very powerful in getting children to use their imagination and develop a new image of a setting they are so familiar with. The great detail used in describing characters, events and settings is a great example to fall back on when teaching children about descriptive writing.

[Carina · Rating 4 out of 5]

'The Demon Headmaster' by Gillian Cross is an exciting story that both boys and girls would enjoy. It is the first of a series of books based on Dinah's war with the headmaster of her school, who uses his powers of hypnotism to try to take over the whole country through television. Dinah and her gang named 'SPLAT', who are immune to the headmaster's powers of hypnotism, plot to stop him. This book is suitable for children of 9 years and above, because of the theme of hypnotism which may be slightly frightening for younger children and because of its reading level.

As a teacher, this is not the sort of book I would use as the basis of a topic because obviously it would be inappropriate to emphasise the idea of a demon headmaster. However it has a place in the reading area or library of a school, as children can all relate to the school theme and its a story that would excite their imaginations. The third person narrative is subjective, it allows the reader to hear Dinah's (the main protagonist)thoughts and feelings on events and allows them to get closer to the emotions of the main character, whilst still being distant enough to relate to the other characters. This could be why the book appeals to both boys and girls despite the main character being female. This and obviously the fact that the title character is male and quite scary.

'The Demon Headmaster' also includes themes such as fitting in, making friends, foster care and different families which relates to PSHE. This is a story that I read as a child and thoroughly enjoyed, the fact that it stuck in my mind is why I decided to review it. It bridges the gap between children's books and adult novels with its descriptive passages and characterisation, yet is fairly short so the reader will not be too daunted by it. I think this is a story that all children would enjoy and would support children to continue to read for pleasure at a stage where particularly boys sometimes begin to lose interest in reading, looking on it as perhaps a mainly female preoccupation.

[Bryony]

Dinah Glass moves into a new home and starts at a new school where Llyod and Harvey both attend. On arrival to the school Dinah notices something peculiar. No children are running around the playground or shouting at each other, not a single student has their shirt untucked or uniform out of place, but instead, everyone is robot like– almost as if they have been hypnotised by something or someone.
This is a really fun and engaging book to read with a class as it uses lots of descriptive language to bring the characters and book to life. Due to the nature of the book, which involves hypnotism and robotic like characteristics, students enjoy reading the text out loud (during shared reading) as they get to act the lines out using their best robot and hypnotic voices.
This is a great text to study in English, particularly before writing a character description or a short descriptive story. Gillian Cross uses a lot of key features that are typically used in descriptive writing, which include metaphors, similes, personification and expanded noun phrases. During shared reading, it is a great opportunity for students to highlight any descriptive features that they recognise as it encourages and reminds them of what features should be included in their own writing. At the end of each page or chapter the class can discuss any key features found and share their ideas amongst each other.

Some possible activities which students can do following on from reading The Demon Headmaster

• Make a wanted poster of the Demon Headmaster and write a character description of what he looks like
• Draw pictures of individual characters as the story is being read aloud. This is a fun way for students to see how writing can be brought to life through words.
• Create a scenario between the Demon Headmaster, Dinah, Llyod and Harvey and ask students to act it out. This would be a good assessment to see how well the students have understood the characters through Gillian Cross’ descriptions.

[Somerandom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book surmised my feelings of my own Headmaster lol!

The series stars Dinah Glass, later Hunter, as she comes to discover her new school might not be that normal after all. She soon teams up with The Society for the Protection of our Lives Against Them, also known as "S.P.L.A.T." A group of children who, for some reason, are immune to the Headmaster's mysterious powers.

These include the de facto leader and organizer Lloyd Hunter. Who can be a bit arrogant and sometimes jello of anyone stealing his thunder. But is ultimately a capable leader and is not actually as stupid as he first seems.

The laid back Harvey Hunter. Who, despite being the complete opposite of Lloyd, is very close to his brother and often keeps Lloyd off of the Headmaster's radar. He is also the first to accept Dinah and seems to understand her better than most.

Ian, Lloyd's right hand man, although is very much the joker of the group and like Harvey is rather laid back.

The level headed and somewhat Motherly Mandy, who is quick to soothe Lloyd's temper and is the most mature of the group.

And the Youngster Ingrid, who is generally ignored because of her age and is prone to sulking.

Anyway, Dinah happens to be highly intelligent, which catches the attention of her Headmaster, much to her dismay. This means he tends to use her as a pawn in his possibly nefarious schemes. Complicating matters, Dinah is the only one of the group who is not immune to the Headmaster's powers.

Together with her new found friends, Dinah must uncover the secret of her school, defeat her Headmaster (without getting expelled! lol)and hopefully win over her new foster family.

This is an engaging story, with likable characters and a pretty relatable perspective for kids.

I'd recommend it to the kidlings.

[Geena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gillian Cross' "The Demon Headmaster" is the first novel in the Demon Headmaster series. Dinah Glass is a young, orphaned girl who is taken in by the Hunters, a sweet family with two boys close to Dinah's age. Upon her arrival, Dinah soon learns that the two boys, Lloyd and Harvey Hunter, have strong feelings of discomfort regarding the school in which they attend. Through further conversation, Dinah gathers that the main target of the boy's animosity is directed towards the school's Headmaster. Dinah is enrolled at the same school and quickly comes to understand that something is not quite right; all of the children are prim, proper, and utterly perfect. They do not make mistakes, they do not play, scream, or fight, and they carry out their day-to-day activities as demanded by the omniscient Headmaster, in a very precise, robotic manner. Dinah realizes that there is an insidious underlying reason for the children's pathologically perfect behavior, and sets off determined to find out exactly what it is. Without getting into "spoiler territory", the story examines the cost of individual freedom at the hands of absolute perfectionism. Cross' narrative is insightful, intelligent, and deliciously creepy, perfectly highlighting the evil that lurks behind comfort and conformity. Though marketed as a children's novel, "The Demon Headmaster" can be enjoyed by readers of any age who like their fantastical horror stories sprinkled with bits of poignant existentialism.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Second Review: 4th July - 5th July 2016
So, this is a pretty famous series, but it's also very average. Not too say I didn't enjoy myself or Gillian Cross' crazy tale of hypnosis in an eighties' English comprehensive school, but the characterisation isn't brilliant and the writing middling. However, for its target audience I do recommend and if you wanna check it out too, it's all good!

First Review: August 7th 2014
On the surface, The Demon Headmaster is a ever so slightly depressing, creepy book about a hypnotising, evil headteacher with plans for world domination. However, delve deeper, and you may find Gillian Cross has raised some important issues (social control, about the fact that the music we listen to, the television programmes we worship and the books we read influence our daily lives in more than one way, and about discipline and creativity... Slightly unnerving for a simple, short children's book.) that indeed are influenced by Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, referenced several times within the pages. And as for its quality? It's okay. It's memorable, certainly with its secret messages, but its writing style feels too childish for the subject matter. Maybe another children's author could've have portrayed the ideas better.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book is very good and i see where he gets the name demon headmaster from.I don't have much to say about this book compared to the rest of the books I have reviewed but I have to finish it by saying it is a great book and I hope to be reading the next ones soon.

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember being enthralled by this book as a child (not literally, of course), and the unusual concept of world domination through hypnotism and child automatons. It's held up surprisingly well. I had to reread after seeing a certain Doctor Who episode one too many times...

[Katy W · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oooh, that feeling you have when you know when something is seriously wrong but can't quite put your finger on it...
I must look out for the others in the series (I hadn't known there were more when I read this in 1984).

[Nang Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The headmaster is a neat man who hates mess. His students are all very obedient. Obedient as in speaking only when they are told to, doesnt play when it's break time. Dinah's about to find out.

[Jesse Owen · Rating 4 out of 5]

OMG! This book - it brought back all the memories of watching that TV show and more, loved it so much I bought book 2 the next day, here's my full review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0s44X...

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Starting my pre-PGCE reading list off with a good one.

Basically 1984 for children and a portrait of Michael Gove's ideal school.

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bettie's Books

[Katy Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A reread that stands up to my memories of it - classic horror story for children.

I remembered the TV series so well (still looking for a DVD copy!), and the book was on my childhood shelf. Now I'm parent to a school-aged child, I got the book down and thought we'd try it, dubious as to whether a book of that era would appeal.

He would barely let me leave each evening! More than once, I had to read a second chapter to appease my 7-year-old, and he was desperate to know how Dinah, Lloyd and Harvey coped against the terrifying Head of the story.

Foster child Dinah is hiding a useful secret when she is housed with the brothers, and finds herself puzzled by her new school, by the immaculately turned out and behaved pupils, by the frankly hypnotic Headmaster, and by her new foster brother's treatment of her... just what is going on?

I loved reading this again, I always identified with Dinah Glass, and still feel she's a well-written understated heroine, though Lloyd and his ridiculous sayings made me laugh. My son had eyes as big as saucers at any scene the Head appeared in, and seemed genuinely worried they were all in danger. As a parent, there's a scene involving snow that had me rather tense too! And another that publishers might not print these days that became a little like Lord of the Flies.

Interestingly, my son read a library copy while I read our older one, and we discovered several words throughout had been changed, some exclamations softened for a new and obviously more tender generation. Not sure why any such minor changes were made at all really.

This is a perfect end-of-the-day class read for teachers to scare their students with. And at home, if you don't have a particularly sensitive child, or one prone to nightmares, those aged 7-11 will relish the evil, the friendships, the danger in this.