The Otterbury Incident

by Cecil Day-Lewis

Book Overview

A reissue of a much-loved adventure which has stood the test of time and is as exciting today as when it was first published nearly 70 years ago. It all begins when Nick breaks the classroom window with his football, and the Headmaster says Nick has to pay for the damage. Nick has no more hope of raising the money than of going to the Moon, so that's when rivalling Ted's and Toppy's gangs decide to sign a truce and plan Operation Glazier to get the...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 014137988X
• ISBN13: 9780141379883
• Release Date: October 2017
• Publisher: Puffin Books
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.0" x 7.8"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

Suspense at every page turn... well, nearly.

The Otterbury Incident is an insight into what life was likein the post- war Era for children our age.Toppy, Ted and their gangs are just having a good time. But when one member, Nick, smashes the window of their school, they are faced with the task of rasing Five Pounds- the equivalent of about Five Hundred Pounds in that time. So it's fine- except that the money is stolen. The gangs, with good reaon, suspect Ted, but it turns out that it was probably the town... well, two very shady characters named Johnny Sharp and The Wart. After chasing them for a day, they get a confession out of The Prune, a previous gang member, and then get themselves locked up the Abbey Tower. They use The Prune's confession to break into a workshop, where Ted and Toppy are threatened by Little Slasher, NB Johnny's razor. The book reaches its climax when there is a battle in the workshop. What they see their leads to the arrest of Sharp, The Wart, Skinner (who owned the workshop) and a Fourth accomplice for Smuggling goods on the Black Market and trying to murder the children. In the end of the book they are congratulated by the Head of Police and the School Headmaster. The window is replaced by the school and so everybody ends up happy... except the criminals. DO NOT be decieved by the review- this book is not only for boys. If you stick at it, everybody shall enjoy it. A great read.

DONT GROW UP

It remains to this day one of the more memorable English Literature lessons i remember from school.At the time i was almost 14yrs old. I can still recall how we raced through the chapters with almost breakneck speed as the action in the book gathered pace to its shattering conclusion. Several years later i was lucky enough to obtain a copy of this book,and its still great. PS....if you dont know what a stickle-brick grenade is ask your dad.

Great boys adventure.

I was around 12 or 13 when I read an exerpt from this book in an english lit class. I was so taken by the battle scene described as young boys rolled their home made tank into the middle of an ambush, the finale of which was a football through a school window, I had to know what happened next. I was delighted that the book lived up to the early promise. Good developmental reading as well as a cracking good story!

Classic mystery adventure for 8-11 year olds.

This is a charming and exciting book for children in upper primary or intermediate grades. Special appeal to boys particularly those in that " soldier" stage of development. This was read to me as a child and I have read it to my children ages 6 and 8 . Full of action, suspense and humor. Frankly, one of my all-time favorite books. Would make a wonderful movie!

A Masterclass in Ingenuity

Is this one of the great children's books of all time? It's certainly a contender. How many stories can centre upon 'children solve the mystery' while remaining at all times credible to even the most critical teenager? Even now, most teenagers will recognise the range of different personalities which make up any successful gang. Ted, Toppy and the others truly give a masterclass in ingenuity; C Day Lewis a masterclass in writing for the young and adventurous.