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Just William #2
Just William - More William
Features fourteen stories including: 'A Busy Day', 'Rice-Mould', 'William's Burglar', 'The Knight at Arms', 'William's Hobby', 'The Rivals', 'The Ghost', 'The May King', 'The Revenge', 'The Helper', 'William and the Smuggler', 'The Reform of William', 'William and the Ancient Souls', and 'William and Christmas Eve'.
Audio CD
First published January 1, 1922
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372 people want to read
About the author
Richmal Crompton
474 books172 followersRichmal Crompton Lamburn was initially trained as a schoolmistress but later became a popular English writer, best known for her Just William series of books, humorous short stories, and to a lesser extent adult fiction books.
Crompton's fiction centres around family and social life, dwelling on the constraints that they place on individuals while also nurturing them. This is best seen in her depiction of children as puzzled onlookers of society's ways. Nevertheless, the children, particularly William and his Outlaws, almost always emerge triumphant.
Crompton's fiction centres around family and social life, dwelling on the constraints that they place on individuals while also nurturing them. This is best seen in her depiction of children as puzzled onlookers of society's ways. Nevertheless, the children, particularly William and his Outlaws, almost always emerge triumphant.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
May 20, 2025
Was only able to read half this book to my Dad after reading him Just William. So in his memory I finished this myself. He loved these stories as a child. I hope to read to my Grandsons later…hopefully.
William is a boisterous misunderstood lad always getting into trouble. He is the bain of his families lives. But Richmal Crompton paints a great picture of the time. Of morals, values and class.
I don’t think I will read anymore for a while.
William is a boisterous misunderstood lad always getting into trouble. He is the bain of his families lives. But Richmal Crompton paints a great picture of the time. Of morals, values and class.
I don’t think I will read anymore for a while.
June 20, 2015
Still on the nostalgia trail... moving on to another childhood favourite. I made my first acquaintance with William, the boy with the outsize imagination, grandiose schemes and total disregard for social consequences through this book. I fell instantly in love with this "outlaw among outlaws.
January 25, 2019
“Honk. Yonk. Ponk.”
William, dressed in a bed sheet and obliging a visiting relative who yearns for an experience of the supernatural. Because William Brown, eleven years old and the scourge of the village, the eternal thorn in the side of his long-suffering family, is not completely devoid of finer feelings. He can feel for the little girl who wants to be May Queen but has no chance. He can understand the plight of a meek and mild-mannered bachelor neighbour who is being preyed upon by another bossy neighbour. He can set out to help, to catch smugglers, to even take it upon himself to reform.
But, all said and done, William is William. A boy who paints a cat green, steals supper for twenty, wants to be apprentice to a burglar, and is constantly driving his family batty. (I began reading More William with the thought that I’d pass it on, a few years down the line, to my rambunctious five year old daughter, but gave up the thought later, fearing it would give her ideas. The very thought of being parent to someone like William gives me the shivers).
Utterly delightful little stories. William is an unforgettable character, and the plots are clever (even if predictable at times, though perhaps the predictability is part of their charm). The other characters, especially William’s family and Joan, the girl next door, are well-etched, and the writing is witty, entertaining, lots of fun.
Plus, there is the little tidbit now and then that an adult will perhaps appreciate more than a child would: “School always bored him. He disliked facts, and he disliked being tied down to detail, and he disliked answering questions. As a politician a great future would have lain before him.”
Highly recommended for anyone who wants a good wholesome laugh. Plus, of course, there’s that old-fashioned feel to the series that often puts me in mind of Wodehouse’s books: vintage Britain in all its countryside glory.
William, dressed in a bed sheet and obliging a visiting relative who yearns for an experience of the supernatural. Because William Brown, eleven years old and the scourge of the village, the eternal thorn in the side of his long-suffering family, is not completely devoid of finer feelings. He can feel for the little girl who wants to be May Queen but has no chance. He can understand the plight of a meek and mild-mannered bachelor neighbour who is being preyed upon by another bossy neighbour. He can set out to help, to catch smugglers, to even take it upon himself to reform.
But, all said and done, William is William. A boy who paints a cat green, steals supper for twenty, wants to be apprentice to a burglar, and is constantly driving his family batty. (I began reading More William with the thought that I’d pass it on, a few years down the line, to my rambunctious five year old daughter, but gave up the thought later, fearing it would give her ideas. The very thought of being parent to someone like William gives me the shivers).
Utterly delightful little stories. William is an unforgettable character, and the plots are clever (even if predictable at times, though perhaps the predictability is part of their charm). The other characters, especially William’s family and Joan, the girl next door, are well-etched, and the writing is witty, entertaining, lots of fun.
Plus, there is the little tidbit now and then that an adult will perhaps appreciate more than a child would: “School always bored him. He disliked facts, and he disliked being tied down to detail, and he disliked answering questions. As a politician a great future would have lain before him.”
Highly recommended for anyone who wants a good wholesome laugh. Plus, of course, there’s that old-fashioned feel to the series that often puts me in mind of Wodehouse’s books: vintage Britain in all its countryside glory.
August 29, 2025
More William by Richmal Crompton – Just William is included on the 1,000 Novels Everyone Must Read list https://www.theguardian.com/books/200...
Nine out of 10
When there is a war going on near you and it might engulf your own land, there would be a few options – you could join in and try to stop the Mad Man in the Kremlin, get involved in volunteering of another, peaceful kind (incidentally, positive psychology studies have shown that this is one of best the things one can do is to offer help, not just for the moral, virtuous, ethical, altruistic side, but because in the words of Harvard Professor Tal Ben-Shahar, ‘doing good is one of the most selfish acts, because it comes back and then you have a virtuous spiral, where you offer and then the other does the same, positive feelings are increased and so on’) you could also lament over what is going on, which is clearly a catastrophe and makes humans wonder about ‘civilization, the progress we have made’
You could also feel like escaping the downward spiral of watching the news, hearing about more bombings, atrocities committed by the Soviets – is it the place to edit and say sorry, the Russians or are they the same thing, at least those who support their new czar…there have been interviews in which citizens expressed not one hundred percent, but two hundred percent support for the Vile Judoka and we keep finding that families are torn apart, because young ones, or relatives in Ukraine tell adepts of Putin about what is going on and the brainwashed, or just vile reject the truth and embrace the ideology of the New Stalin, who is accusing the other side of what he has been doing or is planning…
Indeed, there is talk now about his intentions to use biological, chemical or even tactical nuclear weapons, and that sounds farfetched, impossible to many, but hold on one second, hasn’t it looked ludicrous to have someone start a war in Europe in 2022, or to have opponents killed with Polonium (poor Litvinenko in Britain) or nearly murdered, as was the case for Navalny (the ghouls that surround the regime said that the leader of the present opposition has tried to kill…himself, with military grade chemical gas no less) they have murdered Boris Nemtsov near the Kremlin, and the list also includes that lawyer – there is a law in America that has his name and we can google it, something like Magnitsky, is it – that had signaled there are unlawful, corrupt acts, only to be sent to jail, killed inside and furthermore, prosecuted after he will have died, to signal that once you crossed the Russian Mafia aka State, they will track and hunt you down beyond the grave, going further than villains in horror movies
It is also ludicrous and laughable, which brings us to the option of taking some laughs at the Kremlin, Lavrov, Shoigun – again, this is not the name of the Defense minister, but The Economist has a piece on him recently, telling readers that when he was a kid, he was called Satan (talk of prophecies) and used to cross a river by jumping on floating ice, which he needs to do again, if metaphorically, well, wait, maybe he will have to jump or do more difficult tricks literally, if the czar gets even worse, crazier and upset with the war in Ukraine…
So we could and should take books like those in the long series of Just William (apparently, they would be more than forty, as seen on goodreads) and enjoy the jest, and we could and should also laugh at Putin and his cronies, for they are calamitous and they may well blow the world up – the lunatic mentioned nuclear weapons three times recently and they have shown before they do not care about civilian populations, indeed, they are only interested in themselves, their power and paranoia – but there is also a jocular side to all this…look at the pretense of the short clown, a man with a Napoleon complex.
The habit he had – is he still doing that by the way, I have not checked the latest photo albums, to see if he has embraced some bears recently, or showed his chest – to show off his manhood does not project strength – indeed the measure of self-esteem is not given by boasting, on the contrary, those who have self-esteem are ‘cool’, they are relaxed, walk without an intention to show off, they do not feel the need to show the world pictures with their biceps, because they feel comfortable with who they are, without being overzealous, exaggerating their stance, they are balanced, without being scared of or for their image, or over selling it, in the manner of Putin and Trump, insecure, or just plain crazy men, suffering from delusions of grandeur, Narcissistic Personality Disorder and maybe other afflictions…
You can find much more in the quintessential The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem by the iconic Nathaniel Branden (lover of Ayn Rand incidentally and friends with Alan Greenspan, former Federal Reserve boss) http://realini.blogspot.com/2013/06/s... and trying to squeeze in some words about Just William – which is hard in the context of a war going on, when there may soon be bombs falling down near us…well, better near you, if does come to that, albeit in that stage, it might not matter anymore, for nuclear Armageddon will have arrived and we will all leave the final laugh to some aliens on other planets, looking at this stupid species and the leaders it allowed or even voted for.
William paints a strange tableau and it lands in a journal, where it is appreciated, then he wants more dogs for his birthday – for his own is not available to entertain him, he is with the mechanic aka vet – and that sounds like Putin, Trump and other adults that act like fucking brats, spoiled progenitors which ask for more…always, in the case of little, fictional William, there are a couple of dogs tied up outside his home and he assumes that his expressed desire has been met by his parents, only they have been there as presents intended by an admirer for his sister…one of them is a sheep dog and when he sees some sheep, he brings them over to the house, where the man had just invited the girl to look for her present outside, where she is shocked to see hundreds, thousands of sheep and wonders what are they for…
William declares he will talk for a living and a friend tells him that would be a ‘lecturer’ and then he is assigned the subject of ‘civilization’ to talk about and he defines it as being in contrast with the ‘savages’, which brings me – and yes, this has moved in circles and then cancel me – to the issue of civilization today…will it still be there in some years’ time, for it could be more than pessimistic, outright apocalyptic to talk like that, but invading a country isn’t, and then we have climate Change to deal with and one way or another, we are making efforts to end it all…but hey, read from the Just William series as an antidote to PTSD
Nine out of 10
When there is a war going on near you and it might engulf your own land, there would be a few options – you could join in and try to stop the Mad Man in the Kremlin, get involved in volunteering of another, peaceful kind (incidentally, positive psychology studies have shown that this is one of best the things one can do is to offer help, not just for the moral, virtuous, ethical, altruistic side, but because in the words of Harvard Professor Tal Ben-Shahar, ‘doing good is one of the most selfish acts, because it comes back and then you have a virtuous spiral, where you offer and then the other does the same, positive feelings are increased and so on’) you could also lament over what is going on, which is clearly a catastrophe and makes humans wonder about ‘civilization, the progress we have made’
You could also feel like escaping the downward spiral of watching the news, hearing about more bombings, atrocities committed by the Soviets – is it the place to edit and say sorry, the Russians or are they the same thing, at least those who support their new czar…there have been interviews in which citizens expressed not one hundred percent, but two hundred percent support for the Vile Judoka and we keep finding that families are torn apart, because young ones, or relatives in Ukraine tell adepts of Putin about what is going on and the brainwashed, or just vile reject the truth and embrace the ideology of the New Stalin, who is accusing the other side of what he has been doing or is planning…
Indeed, there is talk now about his intentions to use biological, chemical or even tactical nuclear weapons, and that sounds farfetched, impossible to many, but hold on one second, hasn’t it looked ludicrous to have someone start a war in Europe in 2022, or to have opponents killed with Polonium (poor Litvinenko in Britain) or nearly murdered, as was the case for Navalny (the ghouls that surround the regime said that the leader of the present opposition has tried to kill…himself, with military grade chemical gas no less) they have murdered Boris Nemtsov near the Kremlin, and the list also includes that lawyer – there is a law in America that has his name and we can google it, something like Magnitsky, is it – that had signaled there are unlawful, corrupt acts, only to be sent to jail, killed inside and furthermore, prosecuted after he will have died, to signal that once you crossed the Russian Mafia aka State, they will track and hunt you down beyond the grave, going further than villains in horror movies
It is also ludicrous and laughable, which brings us to the option of taking some laughs at the Kremlin, Lavrov, Shoigun – again, this is not the name of the Defense minister, but The Economist has a piece on him recently, telling readers that when he was a kid, he was called Satan (talk of prophecies) and used to cross a river by jumping on floating ice, which he needs to do again, if metaphorically, well, wait, maybe he will have to jump or do more difficult tricks literally, if the czar gets even worse, crazier and upset with the war in Ukraine…
So we could and should take books like those in the long series of Just William (apparently, they would be more than forty, as seen on goodreads) and enjoy the jest, and we could and should also laugh at Putin and his cronies, for they are calamitous and they may well blow the world up – the lunatic mentioned nuclear weapons three times recently and they have shown before they do not care about civilian populations, indeed, they are only interested in themselves, their power and paranoia – but there is also a jocular side to all this…look at the pretense of the short clown, a man with a Napoleon complex.
The habit he had – is he still doing that by the way, I have not checked the latest photo albums, to see if he has embraced some bears recently, or showed his chest – to show off his manhood does not project strength – indeed the measure of self-esteem is not given by boasting, on the contrary, those who have self-esteem are ‘cool’, they are relaxed, walk without an intention to show off, they do not feel the need to show the world pictures with their biceps, because they feel comfortable with who they are, without being overzealous, exaggerating their stance, they are balanced, without being scared of or for their image, or over selling it, in the manner of Putin and Trump, insecure, or just plain crazy men, suffering from delusions of grandeur, Narcissistic Personality Disorder and maybe other afflictions…
You can find much more in the quintessential The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem by the iconic Nathaniel Branden (lover of Ayn Rand incidentally and friends with Alan Greenspan, former Federal Reserve boss) http://realini.blogspot.com/2013/06/s... and trying to squeeze in some words about Just William – which is hard in the context of a war going on, when there may soon be bombs falling down near us…well, better near you, if does come to that, albeit in that stage, it might not matter anymore, for nuclear Armageddon will have arrived and we will all leave the final laugh to some aliens on other planets, looking at this stupid species and the leaders it allowed or even voted for.
William paints a strange tableau and it lands in a journal, where it is appreciated, then he wants more dogs for his birthday – for his own is not available to entertain him, he is with the mechanic aka vet – and that sounds like Putin, Trump and other adults that act like fucking brats, spoiled progenitors which ask for more…always, in the case of little, fictional William, there are a couple of dogs tied up outside his home and he assumes that his expressed desire has been met by his parents, only they have been there as presents intended by an admirer for his sister…one of them is a sheep dog and when he sees some sheep, he brings them over to the house, where the man had just invited the girl to look for her present outside, where she is shocked to see hundreds, thousands of sheep and wonders what are they for…
William declares he will talk for a living and a friend tells him that would be a ‘lecturer’ and then he is assigned the subject of ‘civilization’ to talk about and he defines it as being in contrast with the ‘savages’, which brings me – and yes, this has moved in circles and then cancel me – to the issue of civilization today…will it still be there in some years’ time, for it could be more than pessimistic, outright apocalyptic to talk like that, but invading a country isn’t, and then we have climate Change to deal with and one way or another, we are making efforts to end it all…but hey, read from the Just William series as an antidote to PTSD
February 25, 2012
Currently a free download on Kindle! A really wonderful collection. The combination of child-friendly mischievous adventures of William, Joan and the Outlaws and Crompton's E. F. Benson-like satirical touch when it comes to the social pretensions of William's elders just doesn't have its like in any other series. "More William" is early, classic 1920s William, as he causes havoc everywhere - and even ends up with a genuinely heartwarming Christmas story.
May 17, 2013
Being a mummy you have to read plenty of stories and this is one we originally found in audio form. Luckily I managed to find a copy for bedtime and other times I am demanded from my 4yr old to read to him. These wonderful stories, while dated are full of adventure and mischief but truely lovely.
February 21, 2023
Prostě další Jirka. Tentokrát jsem četla českou knihu Jirkův perný den.
Trochu slabší výběr než Jirka v ráži nebo Jirka postrach rodiny, ale pořád dost vtipné. Pár povídek se tam opakovalo z minulých knih.
Trochu slabší výběr než Jirka v ráži nebo Jirka postrach rodiny, ale pořád dost vtipné. Pár povídek se tam opakovalo z minulých knih.
April 23, 2016
This is another entertaining William book.
For Christmas William gets a book called “Portraits of our Kings and Queens”, which he understandably casts aside, and one entitled “Things a Boy can do” which he finds extremely promising.
This unfortunate book suggests and gives precise instructions as to how to take a clock apart and, hopefully, reassemble it. There are also instructions for examining the insides of a mincing machine, which William finds one of in the kitchen, He doesn´t stop to consider that Cook may need it in order to make the Christmas dinner.
Regrettably, they miss the church service because the library clock fails to strike ten, which would have been the signal that it was time to depart. On investigating, the family finds William and his little cousin Jimmy in the library with the inner bits of the clock spread out on the floor.
Someone has put up a sign in William´s room conveying the message “A Busy Day is a Happy Day”. Jimmy had collected numerous snails to use as presents, but they had escaped leaving slimy trails all over the house. William and Jimmy decide to make a busy day of it by thoroughly washing and scrubbing the snail trails away. This leads to a thoroughly enjoyable water fight, however, which results in a flooded hall.
In a further chapter William engages in various exploits together with his Outlaw gang, which includes Ginger, Henry and Douglas. William is the head of the Outlaws, of course.
He is also friendly with Joan, a little girl who lives next door, who quite admires him. At the instigation of Mrs de Vere Carter, they both take part in a play about Red Riding Hood; William has a star part as the Wolf, and does justice to the role.
The William books are not just about a mischievous boy but also in part a parody of the times. The author is particularly partial to making fun of snobbish, pretentious, gushing females such as Mrs de Vere Carter.
One of the passages in the book that made me laugh out loud was this one about the Society of Ancient Souls, whose female President moves in next door to the Browns. Here Richman Crompton does not hold back:
“The Society of Ancient Souls was a society of people who remembered their previous existence. The memory usually came in a flash. For instance, you might remember in a flash when you were looking at a box of matches that you had been Guy Fawkes. Or you might look at a cow and remember in a flash that you had been Nebuchadnezzar. Then you joined the Society of Ancient Souls, and paid a large subscription and attended meetings at the house of its President in costume.”
In short, this is another hilarious book in the author´s rich style, and I look forward to reading or re-reading many more of these books.
For Christmas William gets a book called “Portraits of our Kings and Queens”, which he understandably casts aside, and one entitled “Things a Boy can do” which he finds extremely promising.
This unfortunate book suggests and gives precise instructions as to how to take a clock apart and, hopefully, reassemble it. There are also instructions for examining the insides of a mincing machine, which William finds one of in the kitchen, He doesn´t stop to consider that Cook may need it in order to make the Christmas dinner.
Regrettably, they miss the church service because the library clock fails to strike ten, which would have been the signal that it was time to depart. On investigating, the family finds William and his little cousin Jimmy in the library with the inner bits of the clock spread out on the floor.
Someone has put up a sign in William´s room conveying the message “A Busy Day is a Happy Day”. Jimmy had collected numerous snails to use as presents, but they had escaped leaving slimy trails all over the house. William and Jimmy decide to make a busy day of it by thoroughly washing and scrubbing the snail trails away. This leads to a thoroughly enjoyable water fight, however, which results in a flooded hall.
In a further chapter William engages in various exploits together with his Outlaw gang, which includes Ginger, Henry and Douglas. William is the head of the Outlaws, of course.
He is also friendly with Joan, a little girl who lives next door, who quite admires him. At the instigation of Mrs de Vere Carter, they both take part in a play about Red Riding Hood; William has a star part as the Wolf, and does justice to the role.
The William books are not just about a mischievous boy but also in part a parody of the times. The author is particularly partial to making fun of snobbish, pretentious, gushing females such as Mrs de Vere Carter.
One of the passages in the book that made me laugh out loud was this one about the Society of Ancient Souls, whose female President moves in next door to the Browns. Here Richman Crompton does not hold back:
“The Society of Ancient Souls was a society of people who remembered their previous existence. The memory usually came in a flash. For instance, you might remember in a flash when you were looking at a box of matches that you had been Guy Fawkes. Or you might look at a cow and remember in a flash that you had been Nebuchadnezzar. Then you joined the Society of Ancient Souls, and paid a large subscription and attended meetings at the house of its President in costume.”
In short, this is another hilarious book in the author´s rich style, and I look forward to reading or re-reading many more of these books.
May 1, 2024
"William, I think you ought to reform. I'll help you" said the girl sweetly.
William drew a deep breath. "All right, I will"
"You'll begin now, won't you?" she said earnestly.
William considered. There were several things that he had wanted to do for some time, but hadn't managed to do yet. He had not tried turning off the water at the main and hiding the key and seeing what would happen; he hadn't tried shutting the cat in the hen-house; he hadn't tried paining his long suffering dog Jumble with the pot of green paint that was in the tool shed; he hadn't tried pouring water into the receiver of the telephone; he hadn't tried locking the cook in the larder. There were, in short, whole fields of crime entirely unexplored. All these things -and others- must be done before the reformation."
William drew a deep breath. "All right, I will"
"You'll begin now, won't you?" she said earnestly.
William considered. There were several things that he had wanted to do for some time, but hadn't managed to do yet. He had not tried turning off the water at the main and hiding the key and seeing what would happen; he hadn't tried shutting the cat in the hen-house; he hadn't tried paining his long suffering dog Jumble with the pot of green paint that was in the tool shed; he hadn't tried pouring water into the receiver of the telephone; he hadn't tried locking the cook in the larder. There were, in short, whole fields of crime entirely unexplored. All these things -and others- must be done before the reformation."
May 15, 2022
Was given this book as a child, this character is hard to hate.....
August 18, 2024
A little something to bridge the gap between books, I always enjoy revisiting William. Something so reassuring about his confidence that things will work out.
November 30, 2025
A hundred years old but feels like it was written yesterday. The most fun and true book about and for children you can ever find.
April 1, 2012
What made this re-visit of a book I read as a boy a 5-star rating was listening today - on BBC Radio 4 Extra - to a recording of Martin Jarvis reading this live to a BBC audience.
Jarvis is one of the finest audio book story tellers and rightly so his talents has seen him amass a huge body of work.
The adventures of William and his friends Ginger, Henry and Douglas: The Outlaws are still fun and enjoyable 90 years after first being published, as they are simply about young ...moreWhat made this re-visit of a book I read as a boy a 5-star rating was listening today - on BBC Radio 4 Extra - to a recording of Martin Jarvis reading this live to a BBC audience.
Jarvis is one of the finest audio book story tellers and rightly so his talents has seen him amass a huge body of work.
The adventures of William and his friends Ginger, Henry and Douglas: The Outlaws are still fun and enjoyable 90 years after first being published, as they are simply about young boys being young boys: bored, dismissive, argumentative, disruptive and selfish but also kind, funny, ingenious, inventive and loyal.
If you have the chance to hear Jarvis's version then grab it and enjoy it (whilst one's own children were playing quietly upstairs). Happy days.
Jarvis is one of the finest audio book story tellers and rightly so his talents has seen him amass a huge body of work.
The adventures of William and his friends Ginger, Henry and Douglas: The Outlaws are still fun and enjoyable 90 years after first being published, as they are simply about young ...moreWhat made this re-visit of a book I read as a boy a 5-star rating was listening today - on BBC Radio 4 Extra - to a recording of Martin Jarvis reading this live to a BBC audience.
Jarvis is one of the finest audio book story tellers and rightly so his talents has seen him amass a huge body of work.
The adventures of William and his friends Ginger, Henry and Douglas: The Outlaws are still fun and enjoyable 90 years after first being published, as they are simply about young boys being young boys: bored, dismissive, argumentative, disruptive and selfish but also kind, funny, ingenious, inventive and loyal.
If you have the chance to hear Jarvis's version then grab it and enjoy it (whilst one's own children were playing quietly upstairs). Happy days.
January 3, 2016
And my first book of the New Year was first published in 19-bloody-22! Must've read this first as a schoolkid, and I definitely remember this series of Armada paperbacks with "William" written in script. Hilarious, nostalgic, and refreshing. If you need a breath of fresh air in your reading, or just want to cleanse your palate for the year ahead -- dip right in.
November 3, 2017
This is the second book in the 'William' series. Written 95 years ago. Gives an insight into 1920's living of middle class households. I think this book is funnier than the first book, 'Just William'. Really enjoyable book. Though classed as a childrens' book, all ages would have read it in the day, so why not read it now. Really looking forward to the next book, in the series.
September 17, 2021
Yes, I'm going to keep reading these books! William is such a fun little man to read about! He's adorable, and continues to figure out ways to keep getting in trouble while thinking he's totally in the right.
February 15, 2021
I loved it! Just as funny as always!
December 4, 2020
How could a simple artistic little moral given as a gift be responsible for such chaos? Well, it was given to William. Starting out Christmas morning and ending Christmas Eve, it packs a year’s worth of disaster chaos and heartwarming moments in between.
Some of them were straight-up hilarious. Usually, those included some of his more energetic attempts at assisting someone. Some were more aggravating than amusing. Those really made you sympathize with the parents of such a terror. There was also a couple that fell rather flat. The heartwarming moments so sparsely scattered throughout are rather of a hallmark style.
There was one chapter that was thoroughly disheartening. It starts out in a Sunday School with William worked up into emotional excitement over conversion. But there are so many things, that he thoroughly knows are wrong, that he still wants to do. So, he decides to put off conversion. It quickly becomes obvious that his and perhaps the author’s understanding of conversion is simply a change of behavior, a cleaning up of one’s act. It is presented as exchanging the pleasures of sin for a dull life of mild drudgery and deadening routine. Is it a small wonder that our active hero chooses his life of sin over that other? I do say sin because while many if not most of his adventures are brought on by thoughtlessness and innocence, some of them are brought on by deliberate disobedience, meanness, and mischief. The author never addresses the difference. The Biblical teaching of sin, even the sin of disobedience, being an offense against God punishable by eternal death is completely absent. So true conversion as completed by faith in Christ’s atoning sacrifice for those sins is also completely missing. It was heartbreaking to read. If you are looking, you can see throughout the book the mild mocking of religious activities.
I would recommend some of the individual stories, but I would be loath to recommend all of them.
Some of them were straight-up hilarious. Usually, those included some of his more energetic attempts at assisting someone. Some were more aggravating than amusing. Those really made you sympathize with the parents of such a terror. There was also a couple that fell rather flat. The heartwarming moments so sparsely scattered throughout are rather of a hallmark style.
There was one chapter that was thoroughly disheartening. It starts out in a Sunday School with William worked up into emotional excitement over conversion. But there are so many things, that he thoroughly knows are wrong, that he still wants to do. So, he decides to put off conversion. It quickly becomes obvious that his and perhaps the author’s understanding of conversion is simply a change of behavior, a cleaning up of one’s act. It is presented as exchanging the pleasures of sin for a dull life of mild drudgery and deadening routine. Is it a small wonder that our active hero chooses his life of sin over that other? I do say sin because while many if not most of his adventures are brought on by thoughtlessness and innocence, some of them are brought on by deliberate disobedience, meanness, and mischief. The author never addresses the difference. The Biblical teaching of sin, even the sin of disobedience, being an offense against God punishable by eternal death is completely absent. So true conversion as completed by faith in Christ’s atoning sacrifice for those sins is also completely missing. It was heartbreaking to read. If you are looking, you can see throughout the book the mild mocking of religious activities.
I would recommend some of the individual stories, but I would be loath to recommend all of them.
August 16, 2025
On this occasion I have been reading all the stories in the order in which they first appeared in print in magazines. What that means is that at some points you are reading four books simulaneously, all the earliest stories appearing in a jumbled order in the first books in the series. While the jumbled up order may work advantageously in setting a precedent for there not being continuity (William remaining a perpetual eleven-year-old while his brother alternates between 17 and 19) there is in fact a degree of continuity in the earliest stories with them following on logically and chronologically from each other. I think it's a worthwhile exercise to read then in chronological order at least once, but at the same time it does make it her to review a single volume when your impressions are inextricably tied up and confused with stories in all the other William books you are reading concurrently. But it's easy to say that it is a good, solid, reliable collection of consistently enjoyable stories.
February 19, 2020
I led a deprived childhood - I never had any William books! In more recent years I've greatly enjoyed the masterful performances by Martin Jarvis of a selection of the stories on Radio 4, although it wasn't until he proposed Richmal Compton as a great life for the BBC Radio 4 programme Great Lives that I decided to try the books for myself. This one, the second in the series, was a cheap Kindle, and I thought it was wonderful, really funny! The last story, set at Christmas, shows a more thoughtful side of William, and had me crying as well as laughing, although his thoroughly middle-class family was still outraged! I shall certainly read more William, now I've read More William, and I would urge all those whose inner ten year old still likes a good laugh to do likewise!
May 14, 2017
The William Brown books are meant to be read by young teenagers. But when I was of that age, I merely knew of their existence though I never found the books to read. I find them in the bookstores only now... when I'm firmly in my 30s. But I read a few anyway just to see why my mother and her siblings spoke so highly of William Brown.
While William's antics are a bit predictable now, Richmal Crompton's language is exquisite. Her narration is certainly a treat to read.
Now that I know what William is like, I doubt I will read any more. However I will ensure that my daughter reads the whole series when she reaches the appropriate age. These books are truly too good to miss!
While William's antics are a bit predictable now, Richmal Crompton's language is exquisite. Her narration is certainly a treat to read.
Now that I know what William is like, I doubt I will read any more. However I will ensure that my daughter reads the whole series when she reaches the appropriate age. These books are truly too good to miss!
October 15, 2018
MORE WILLIAM is a fine follow-up to the original book in the series (JUST WILLIAM) and even better than the first. It's another collection of stories that capture William's irrepressible character, yet the stories seem to have more heart and character than ever before. Two are Christmas-themed, with the final story a particularly heartwarming example of the genre, sentimental without overdoing it. Elsewhere, girls play a big part in William's adventures, and much hilarious ensues. Crompton has really got into her stride with this one and I look forward to following it up with the next.
March 12, 2017
Having really enjoyed Just William, I found this book quite frustrating. I stopped reading it for a while over Christmas when I went back to the UK, and didn't really want to pick it up again. Although I got to the end eventually, I didn't finish at least one story because I didn't like the way that one of the characters was mocked for having a stutter. This book felt very dated, and I probably won't read any of the others in the series now.
July 2, 2021
Colección de relatos que se leen de un tirón, aunque el esquema de narración es bastante similar entre ellos. Yo destacaría la historia "El flan de arroz" por el gag en la despensa y el final. "El ladrón de Guillermo" con un personaje, un ladrón sin orejas. Y por último, el mejor de todos, "La nochebuena de Guillermo", un relato totalmente navideño, donde no falta ningún ingrediente. Deja un buen sabor de boca.
July 20, 2024
The writer has a great style, a compelling way of capturing a reader's imagination and crafts intriguing situations. Having read the first book and found it humorous, I thought I'd give William a second chance because he seemed to mean well. Yes, his antics are still amusing--but he has no respect for truth, for other people's property, for animals, and feels himself unjustly treated when punished for doing things he knows are wrong. Sadly, he has no positive parental guidance.
April 7, 2025
“More William” by Richmal Crompton is the second book in the William series that I’ve read, and it’s just as funny as the first. The situations William gets himself into are still hilarious—especially the holiday at the seaside, which had me laughing out loud. I also really liked how he redeemed himself in the final chapter, set at Christmas. It was a great way to end the book after the horrific event that William created.
July 29, 2017
This audio book continues the adventures of William and his family and friend and is just as amusing and lighthearted as the previous books. The narrator, Martin Jarvis, is excellent and his performance adds to the enjoyment of the book. I really enjoyed this book and recommend it,
June 11, 2018
William Brown has been called ‘the bad boy of fiction.’ As he says himself: I don’t WANT to behave like a civilised yman bein’. I’d rather be a savage any day. I bet savages don’t let themselves be dragged off ti ditty ole women when they’d rather go to see blood-curdlin’ an’ nerve-shettering Westerns.’ Or plunge into ditches, climb trees, fight with his enemies and come home a sight to break his mother’s heart. The Just William books have enthralled children for decades but, in fact, they were originally intended for adult readers. If you would like to read about William’s creator,
Richmal Crompton – The woman behind William by Mary Cadogan paints a charming biographical picture of a witty, talented and tolerant writer.
Richmal Crompton – The woman behind William by Mary Cadogan paints a charming biographical picture of a witty, talented and tolerant writer.
July 31, 2018
I very much enjoyed my first taste of Richmal Crompton's William books, Just William, and chose to read its sequel, More William, less than a week later. This is just as amusing and surprising as the first book, and I wish I'd got around to reading it in childhood. Very enjoyable.
January 19, 2024
I have the complete collection of "William" books and read them continuously, in rotation. They have entertained, delighted and amused me immensely since my first trip to the library, some 65 years ago.
I simply love them.
I simply love them.
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