And the reason why they expend all this magical energy and effort to transform Tib and a host of other creatures? Because they can… Stewart’s wonderful description of Tib does more than mark her out as a cat lover – it also highlights the contrast between the lithe, independent creature who befriends Mary and the twisted toadlike thing he becomes thanks to Madam Mumblechook and Doctor Dee. Under the cosy touches – ‘Badness me’ as an exclamation, for instance – there is real menace.
But there are also a strong cast of supporting characters – particularly the wonderfully creepy Madam Mumblechook and her sidekick, Doctor Dee.Įndor College, educational establishment of witches and black magic, is vividly described and until I read this again to Frankie, I’d forgotten just how disturbing it is. Plain Mary Smith is an enjoyable, appealing protagonist who is just the right mix of innocence and quick wittedness. Until she encounters a beautiful black cat called Tib with glowing green eyes, who leads her to a rare flower in the middle of the woods…Īnd from that beginning, the adventure whisks up its young readers and doesn’t let up until the final page. Mary Smith is ten years old and due to an unfortunate illness and bad timing, finds herself parked with Great-Aunt Charlotte in her large house, Red Manor, in the heart of Shropshire right at the end of the summer holidays. I’d forgotten what a little gem it is, with beautifully flowing and evocative prose the whips the story along at a fair clip. Despite the unfashionably long descriptive passages, the narrative was sufficiently engrossing that it held her rapt right through to the end. I dug out my copy and read it to my granddaughter this week. This classic Fantasy tale – knocking around long before Harry Potter was a twinkle in Rowling’s eye – was always a firm favourite with all my classes when I taught.
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