Nurse Matilda Goes to Town

Nurse Matilda #2

by Christianna Brand, E. Ardizzone (Illustrator)

Mr and Mrs Brown have a huge family of incredibly naughty children. They had once been fortunate enough to acquire the services of Nurse Matilda, who had transformed the children into models of good behaviour. But now the children have slipped back into their wicked Tora has put glue in the sandwiches - Emma has made a chocolate cake out of mud - David has put a toad in the milk jug - and Tim is tying Nanny's shoelaces to her chair! Their stay in London with their Great Aunt Adelaide seems set for disaster - until the arrival of Nurse Matilda

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Classics, Childrens, British Literature, Fiction

128 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1967

About the author

Christianna Brand (December 17, 1907 - March 11, 1988) was a crime writer and children's author. Brand also wrote under the pseudonyms Mary Ann Ashe, Annabel Jones, Mary Roland, and China Thomson.

She was born Mary Christianna Milne in 1907 in Malaya and spent her early years in India. She had a number of different occupations, including model, dancer, shop assistant and governess.

Her first novel, Death in High Heels, was written while Brand was working as a salesgirl. In 1941, one of her best-loved characters, Inspector Cockrill of the Kent County Police, made his debut in the book Heads You Lose. The character would go on to appear in seven of her novels. Green for Danger is Brand’s most famous novel. The whodunit, set in a World War 2 hospital, was adapted for film by Eagle-Lion Films in 1946, starring Alastair Sim as the Inspector. She dropped the series in the late 1950s and concentrated on various genres as well as short stories. She was nominated three times for Edgar Awards: for the short stories "Poison in the Cup" (EQMM, Feb. 1969) and "Twist for Twist" (EQMM, May 1967) and for a nonfiction work about a Scottish murder case, Heaven Knows Who (1960). She is the author of the children's series Nurse Matilda, which Emma Thompson adapted to film as Nanny McPhee (2005).

Her Inspector Cockrill short stories and a previously unpublished Cockrill stage play were collected as The Spotted Cat and Other Mysteries from inspector Cockrill's Casebook, edited by Tony Medawar (2002).

Series:
* Nurse Matilda
* Inspector Charlesworth
* Inspector Chucky
* Inspector Cockrill

Reviews

[Luisa Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

I recently read several stories with magical nannies coming to the rescue of families in need. I thought it would be fun to compare each of their pros and cons and see how they lined up ...

Nurse Matilda:
-Likable nanny.
-The children are naughtier in this book; doing things sometimes just for naughtiness’ sake (like throwing their porridge on the walls) but they always end up regretting their decisions and learning their lesson (I think the author was trying to be a little tongue-in-cheek with the kid’s actions).
-The book is really funny.
-I loved the writing style and the illustrations were great!
-The first book has a satisfying ending (books #2 and #3 are essentially repeats, but with different circumstances, so I would have rather liked to see the author use a different family to show that the children really had changed and weren’t back to their old antics again – still fun reads though).


Mrs. Piggle Wiggle:
-Likable “nanny.”
-The children have some common bad habits and learn their lessons nicely (actually, these stories are pretty practical and applicable, so if you have kids who are slow eaters, don’t pick up their toys, etc. there’s some good, fun lessons here).
-The book is pretty funny.
-I loved the writing style and the illustrations were great!
-I was satisfied with the ending.


Mary Poppins:
-I did not like the nanny (watch the movie instead, if you want to like Mary Poppins; Julie Andrews did a great job enhancing and making the character likable).
-There’s actually FOUR children and they all need some help with their behaviors and perspectives, but in the end, they learn too. (There’s one chapter in the book, Bad Tuesday, they I don’t recommend reading to your kids).
-I don’t remember thinking it was all that funny.
-I loved the writing style and the illustrations were great!
-I was not satisfied with the ending (Mary Poppins leaves, and rather than the family coming together (like in the movie), the mother calls for the cook to put the children to bed so she can be off to her dinner party).

**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!

So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! You’ll see my updates as I’m reading and know which books I’m liking and what I’m not finishing and why. You’ll also be able to utilize my library for looking up titles to see whether the book you’re thinking about reading next has any objectionable content or not. From swear words, to romance, to bad attitudes (in children’s books), I cover it all!

[Abigail · Rating 2 out of 5]

The magical nanny Nurse Matilda returns in this, her second adventure. The story-line is essentially a repetition of that found in Nurse Matilda : the Brown children - who have conveniently forgotten all about Nurse Matilda’s magical big black stick - are back to their naughty ways, and stand in dire need of correction. The only appreciable difference between this and the first in the series is the fact that the action occurs at the home of Great-Aunt Adelaide Stitch, where the Brown children are staying.

The fun seems a little stale this time around, with a plot that is almost identical to the first - a series of naughty pranks continuing long past the time the pranksters wish they had stopped. The final lesson concerning running away is even repeated, in precisely the same format as the original. First published in 1967, Nurse Matilda Goes to Town was illustrated by the author's cousin, Edward Ardizzone, and was reprinted in 2005 to coincide with the release of the movie Nanny McPhee, which is based loosely upon the series.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Revisiting another childhood favourite. (I never had the first book, but apparently it's very like this one - only, if the children learnt their lesson the first time round, it shouldn't have been necessary for Nurse Matilda to return!) The story is of a magical nanny who appears to deal with a large household of very naughty children who play some dreadful practical jokes on everyone around them, in this case while they are staying with a rich great aunt in London while their parents have gone on holiday without them. I liked this as a child, and from my careful inscription in the front I seem to have had it when I was 8 or 9. It's a cautionary tale, really, about kindness and consideration to others: each time they get the point Nurse Matilda becomes a little less ugly, and glows mysteriously, and the only problem is that once the lesson has been learnt the magical nanny will disappear (or perhaps not, as it seems there was a further book!). It's quite funny, and the illustrations are wonderful - very atmospheric, you might be in Edwardian London.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

2021 - read aloud with W age 6.

Not as good as the first Nurse Matilda story. Still fun, but would have been better with a different family.

[Tirzah Eleora · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only differences between this book and the first one are that the children are in town with their Great-Aunt Adelaide and that the pranks they pull are a little different. Other than that, it's a carbon copy of its predecessor, and now has the added disadvantage of being even more dull due to repetitiveness. I'm afraid the author had no business writing more books if she was merely going to copy the one she already wrote.

[Lillian Elliott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nurse Matilda Goes to Town has the same fun, simple, & light-hearted story and writing style as the first book in the series Nurse Matilda. It's just as enjoyable as the first one, except that they essentially have the same plot. This one takes place in a different setting (Great-Aunt Adelaide's house), so it has slightly different side characters, situations, and pranks, but the basic plot is the same. The children are naughty, Nurse Matilda comes and teaches them not to be naughty by forcing them to be as naughty as possible. There were some fun new adventures in this book and creative pranks, so it was fun and entertaining to read, but it felt rather repetitive because the overall story is the same as the first book.

This is a decent and entertaining story and good for a light-hearted read, but I wouldn't recommend it because I think you get the same experience by just reading the first one, this is just the same story with slightly different details. I am, personally, going to finish the trilogy, simply because I have the third one on hand and they came in a collection, so we'll see how that one is, but right now I'd say read the first book for some light, fun entertainment and stop there.

[Mark Wilkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Upon reading some of the reviews here my wife and I were initially worried but we really shouldn't have been. After getting through the first chapter or so the book goes its own way and many of the escapades are quite clever. We can definitely see ourselves reading this to the grandkids which is, after all, who it is for. Not snobby old people who can forgive the sameness of the initial Harry Potter books but not the silliness of Nurse Matilda.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. and Mrs. Brown decides to take a holiday, and while away, send their brood of misbehaving children to London to stay with their Great-Aunt Adelaide. Upon arrival, the children's mischief is too much to bear, but who shows up to assit, none other than Nurse Matilda with her brown luggage and big stick.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was curious to see how similar the book was to the Movie. I definitely enjoyed the movie more. The book was choppy and a bit vague. The characters were less likeable, even Nanny Matilda.
Worse than the first Nanny Matilda. Definitely NOT a read-out-loud to the children book.

[TickleThyElmo · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was basically the same book as Nurse Matilda, but they get into new kinds of trouble, but, like in the first book, they run away because something they don't like is going to happen. Make up something new!

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

These are okay, but not my favorites.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

These are cute, old-fashioned stories, but I more highly recommend the movie based on the series, Nanny McPhee>.

[Janna · Rating 2 out of 5]

2nd Nurse Matilda book. More of the same -- naughty children have forgotten all that Nurse Matilda taught them, so she must return and reteach. Some funny antics but very similar to the first book.

[Mckinley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun - very much like first one, even same family. (Which would seem to go against the Nurse Matilda code.)
See Mary Poppins - nanny for troubled/troublesome families and children.

[Sem · Rating 3 out of 5]

5 stars for the illustrations.

[Josephine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite as good as the first, but then what sequel ever is?

[Emilia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very repetitive of the first book just with more children.