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Jump to navigationJump to searchTales from Schwartzgarten: Osbert the Avenger by Christopher William Hill (view source)
Revision as of 10:53, 9 October 2020
, 10:53, 9 October 2020no edit summary
The history of children's books is no stranger to dark and vicious deeds. [[:Category:Roald Dahl|Roald Dahl]] and Hillaire Belloc are obvious examples of the type, and more recently the series entitled ''A Series of Unfortunate Events'' by [[:Category:Lemony Snicket|Lemony Snicket]] has proved extremely popular. In these books three young orphans find that various adults are constantly trying to kill them in the most terrifying and unusual ways. Osbert is a clear descendant of this tradition, but what is not so clear is whether he is a villain or a hero. The people he punishes are vicious crooks and murderers who have destroyed his own family's happiness and who hold the city in thrall. They steal, beat, bully and corrupt with impunity, and it could be said that Osbert, like some latter-day Robin Hood, is only redressing the balance. The fact that he is barely eleven years old is incidental.
Truth be told, the sinister occurrences in this book are related with such panache that they seem more funny than macabre. Young children enjoy a generous helping of blood and guts in their reading, and many of them are never happier than when they are squealing in disgust at some new and inventive means of annihilating one's enemies. Yes, this book is dark, but it is also comic, and it has a clear moral message. In fact, it's one of those rare books children will happily read aloud to each other, which is one of the highest accolades a story can have. We have more [[Tales from Schwartzgarten: Marius and the Band of Blood by Christopher William Hill|Tales from Schwartzgarten]].
The Raven Mysteries by the inspired Marcus Sedgwick don't contain as much violence as this book, but they do have that same wonderful mix of comic quirkiness and gothic gloom. Bookbag really enjoyed [[Lunatics and Luck (Raven Mysteries) by Marcus Sedgwick|Lunatics and Luck]] and [[Raven Mysteries: Vampires and Volts by Marcus Sedgwick|Vampires and Volts]].
