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Plot Night
On the first day in his new house, a boy receives a message signed "L" for Leader which gives the time and place for a mysterious meeting.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1963
7 people want to read
About the author
William Mayne
136 books16 followersWilliam Mayne was a British writer of children's fiction. Born in Hull, he was educated at the choir school attached to Canterbury Cathedral and his memories of that time contributed to his early books. He lived most of his life in North Yorkshire.
He was described as one of the outstanding children's authors of the 20th Century by the Oxford Companion to Children's Literature, and won the Carnegie Medal in 1957 for A Grass Rope and the Guardian Award in 1993 for Low Tide. He has written more than a hundred books, and is best known for his Choir School quartet comprising A Swarm in May, Choristers' Cake, Cathedral Wednesday and Words and Music, and his Earthfasts trilogy comprising Earthfasts, Cradlefasts and Candlefasts, an unusual evocation of the King Arthur legend.
A Swarm in May was filmed by the Children's Film Unit in 1983 and a five-part television series of Earthfasts was broadcast by the BBC in 1994.
William Mayne was imprisoned for two and a half years in 2004 after admitting to charges of child sexual abuse and was placed on the British sex offenders' register. His books were largely removed from shelves, and he died in disgrace in 2010.
He was described as one of the outstanding children's authors of the 20th Century by the Oxford Companion to Children's Literature, and won the Carnegie Medal in 1957 for A Grass Rope and the Guardian Award in 1993 for Low Tide. He has written more than a hundred books, and is best known for his Choir School quartet comprising A Swarm in May, Choristers' Cake, Cathedral Wednesday and Words and Music, and his Earthfasts trilogy comprising Earthfasts, Cradlefasts and Candlefasts, an unusual evocation of the King Arthur legend.
A Swarm in May was filmed by the Children's Film Unit in 1983 and a five-part television series of Earthfasts was broadcast by the BBC in 1994.
William Mayne was imprisoned for two and a half years in 2004 after admitting to charges of child sexual abuse and was placed on the British sex offenders' register. His books were largely removed from shelves, and he died in disgrace in 2010.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 28, 2021
So this has been on my bookshelf, like, forever. Sitting unread. I received it in a pile of second hand books my older brother gave to me one birthday when I was very young. So we're talking about 40 years ago. Not sure why I've never read it - it's not exactly all that long. Just so many books to read I guess.
Annnnnnyway. I've never read anything by William Mayne. I must say, he does a pretty admirable job of describing things from the perspective of a child. Kids doing random things like being curious about the smell of different pieces of wood in a new house. And misunderstanding things the grown-ups say. I love it!
The book also feels real in the way the plot develops. It's very real-world, not necessarily following a typical story structure. What happens to "L for Leader" is rather funny.
In the end though, it's just so-so. Almost 4 stars but not quite.
Oh, and there were a couple of obscure references. On page 81, they play a game of touch (we'd call it Chasings or Tip here in Aus) and when they start, everyone except the main character says "Baggy not on", so he gets to be first in. Doing a google of this comes up with nothing. I assume it's some Yorkshire or English thing that means what we'd day as "Bags not in".
The other is "catamouse" which funnily enough, a character in the book thinks is something other than what it is. Which of course was lost on me, because I don't even know what it actually is! As far as I can tell from googling, it's a welsh name for a bat?
Annnnnnyway. I've never read anything by William Mayne. I must say, he does a pretty admirable job of describing things from the perspective of a child. Kids doing random things like being curious about the smell of different pieces of wood in a new house. And misunderstanding things the grown-ups say. I love it!
The book also feels real in the way the plot develops. It's very real-world, not necessarily following a typical story structure. What happens to "L for Leader" is rather funny.
In the end though, it's just so-so. Almost 4 stars but not quite.
Oh, and there were a couple of obscure references. On page 81, they play a game of touch (we'd call it Chasings or Tip here in Aus) and when they start, everyone except the main character says "Baggy not on", so he gets to be first in. Doing a google of this comes up with nothing. I assume it's some Yorkshire or English thing that means what we'd day as "Bags not in".
The other is "catamouse" which funnily enough, a character in the book thinks is something other than what it is. Which of course was lost on me, because I don't even know what it actually is! As far as I can tell from googling, it's a welsh name for a bat?
April 9, 2021
A very quick read, but enjoyable. Interesting to see how much space the author devotes to the preamble. We get a lot of detail about essentially nothing, but it makes the world seem real. Much of this is about kids and their dealings, though there are parents and grown-ups who interfere and steer sometimes. Mayne does a good job of presenting the curious logic of the child. Plenty of things described would be frowned upon today - threats of (and a bit of actual) violence between kids, fireworks, unaccompanied excursions, etc. There is even a little bit of the frowning within the book itself. The characters are extremely well done - wish some of them would reappear in other books so I could spend more time with them and learn more. In terms of story, there isn't a great deal. I was concerned that things might veer to an Ivan Southall-type of catastrophe, but this never happened.
Of course, non-UK readers will probably need to have the briefest of history lessons to know about Plot Night and Guy Fawkes, but it's more a cultural thing - to be aware of the tradition of bonfires and a "guy" (effigy). Mayne refers to such things without explanation or instruction (and rightly so). BTW, I daresay that there are people who are unaware that the oft-seen V for Vendetta mask is related to this.
Of course, non-UK readers will probably need to have the briefest of history lessons to know about Plot Night and Guy Fawkes, but it's more a cultural thing - to be aware of the tradition of bonfires and a "guy" (effigy). Mayne refers to such things without explanation or instruction (and rightly so). BTW, I daresay that there are people who are unaware that the oft-seen V for Vendetta mask is related to this.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews