Down With Skool!   by Geoffrey Willans Penguin, 2000, 104 pages, ISBN 0 14 118600 3

How easy was it to get stuck into this book?
Very easy. It was funny from the first page.

Who are the main characters?
The main character is Nigel Molesworth, a 1950s public schoolboy, he thinks school is 'uterly wet and weedy'. He is 'the curse of st custard's' (his school) and the 'gorriller of 3B'. He's good at missing lessons, charming masters, being bad at all subjects and saying 'Down With Skool!', he is pretty pompous. His brother is Molesworth 2, noisy, badly behaved, and according to Molesworth 'uterly wet and a weed, it panes me to think i am of the same blud.' There's also Peason, Molesworth's 'grate friend', and Fotherington-Tomas, who is 'uterly wet and a sissy'. He is a teachers pet, a nature lover, a goody-goody, and as Molesworth perfectly puts it, summing up his character 'when i sa he hav a face like a tomato he repli i forgive you molesworth for those uncouth words.' Molesworth hates Fotherington-Tomas.

What's the storyline?
The book is written as if it was written by Molesworth (full name Nigel Molesworth). It's his guide to public school life, telling us about everything from masters, to headmasters, to canes, to school dinners, to advice on how to avoid lessons. It's very funny and full of character, especially with the illustrations by Ronald Searle which really make the book.

How's it written?
It's written in Molesworth language, which means terrible spelling and grammar, and unusual terms such as 'chiz' which basically means a swindle, or unfair. It takes a little while to get used to the language but I adapted pretty quickly and it really does make it feel like Molesworth wrote it.

Other books by the same author that Alex Varley-Winter knows about?
I have got the four Molesworth books in one volume called Molesworth. The other three are How to be Topp, Whizz for Atomms and Back in the Jug Agane. I have read How to be Topp and it's good, but after that things start to get repetitive and I lost interest in Whizz for Atomms. However Molesworth is worth having as it's easier to get hold of on Amazon than any of the books are individually, and you might want to return to it and read the last two when you want some light entertainment.

The overall verdict is
A cool-read

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