Book Summary and Reviews of The Scarecrow and His Servant by Philip Pullman

The Scarecrow and His Servant by Philip Pullman

The Scarecrow and His Servant

by Philip Pullman

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  • Published:
  • Aug 2005, 240 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

A tattered scarecrow stands in the middle of a muddy field, taking no notice of the violent thunderstorm around him. But when a bolt of lightning strikes him, fizzing its way through his turnip head and down his broomstick, the Scarecrow blinks with surprise – and comes to life.  So begins the story of the Scarecrow, a courteous but pea-brained fellow with grand ideas. He meets a boy, Jack, who becomes his faithful servant. Leaving behind his bird-scaring duties, the Scarecrow sets out for Spring Valley, with Jack at his side. As the valiant Scarecrow plunges them into terrifying dangers – battles, brigands, broken hearts, and treasure islands – he never realizes he's being followed by the one family who desperately wishes he'd never sprung to life. Will the Scarecrow discover the secret to his past before the crooked Buffalonis close in on him?

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Reviews

Media Reviews

'The book is a perfectly made gem, full of fun, fireworks, and wit. We continue to be lucky to have Philip Pullman writing for us.'–1;The Guardian (U.K.)
'Philip Pullman, now acknowledged as one of the greatest children's authors of our time, is also one of the funniest and most accessible.'–The Times (U.K.)

This information about The Scarecrow and His Servant was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

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Author Information

Philip Pullman Author Biography

Philip Pullman was born in Norwich on October 19, 1946 to Audrey and Alfred Pullman. The early part of his childhood was spent traveling from base to base as his father, and later stepfather, were part of the Royal Air Force (RAF). At age seven, following the death of his father, Philip and his younger brother Francis moved back to Britain to live with their grandfather in Norfolk, an Anglican clergyman. Their mother moved to London to find work.

When Pullman was eight, a stepfather - another RAF pilot - entered the Pullman family and once again the family moved from base to base. For a time, they settled in Australia. In Australia, he first discovered the wonders of comic books, a force that would later influence both his writing and illustrating of future stories. The family moved ...

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