Rereading: SMELLER MARTIN by Robert Lawson

As in many of Lawson’s fantasy novels for children, the main character, Davey Martin, has a special ability: a remarkable sense of smell that allows him to identify a variety of scents even at a great distance. He impresses his boarding school friends by being able to tell them exactly what’s for dinner each night, even though the kitchen is on the other side of the school, for instance. They give him the nickname Smeller.

When not in school in summer, Davey lives in a country house with his Aunt Agatha. His parents are famous actors, and always traveling. They own the house, but are seldom there. Life at “Lavender Hill” is idyllic, and Davey’s unusual ability is accepted as nothing remarkable by his aunt, the cook Rose, and the gardener McKinley. Only the local hay cutters, the Carter family, give him trouble when the youngest, Sonny Boy, steals from both Davey and McKinley, though they have no proof other than the evidence Davey can smell, which no one would believe.

Later, a new neighbor, Professor Benton, becomes a good friend to Davey, and is interested in his smelling powers. The two begin to experiment, even while Davey is helping the professor with his antique gun collection. But only when Sonny Boy also steals from that collection do Davey and the professor get the police involved, leading to several showdowns with the Carters.

One thing I like about this book is that, unlike others by Lawson, the unusual ability of the main character does not become the driving force of the plot, it’s just one element in a good human interest story with plenty of suspense. Recommended.

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