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Jump to navigationJump to searchThe Tin Snail by Cameron McAllister (view source)
Revision as of 10:49, 4 October 2020
, 10:49, 4 October 2020no edit summary
Truly, I loved this delightful novel. It's intended for middle grade readers but people of all ages will love it. It's based on a true story but McAllister has changed a great deal, creating a book that will entertain and enthuse almost every reader I can think of. My press blurb says that it has ''a dash of CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG, a pinch of HUGO, and a sprinkling of DAD'S ARMY'' and I would say that's about right. It might be set in France but it feels rather British: full of pluck and bravado plus a little bit of slapstick.
The head of Citroen, Pierre-Jules Boulanger, really did order the destruction of all the 2CV prototypes when WWII broke out. And two designers really did hide three of them in a sleepy French village. Boulanger also did move the oil marks on dipsticks so that the cars he was forced to make for the occupying Germans broke down frequently. What a guy! And his is a true story that should be told to a wider audience. Even so, I defy you not to be entranced by McAllister's take on it. Imagine if the 2CV really had been invented by a 13-year-old boy!
Recommended. We also have a review of [[The Demon Undertaker by Cameron McAllister]].
You might also enjoy [[Johnny Swanson by Eleanor Updale]], a super old-fashioned adventure story set in 1929, featuring murder, mayhem, scam adverts and medical malpractice.
