William and the Tramp

Just William #28

by Richmal Crompton, Thomas Henry (Illustrator)

Holidays have always been William's favourite days of the year, and when he spots a tramp at the side of the road, William feels sure the old man needs a holiday too. Mrs Bott is not pleased to discover her home has become a luxury holiday spot, and as ever William's best intentions go awry.

Genres: Childrens, Humor, Classics, Fiction

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1952

About the author

Richmal Crompton Lamburn was initially trained as a schoolmistress but later became a popular English writer, best known for her Just William series of books, humorous short stories, and to a lesser extent adult fiction books.

Crompton's fiction centres around family and social life, dwelling on the constraints that they place on individuals while also nurturing them. This is best seen in her depiction of children as puzzled onlookers of society's ways. Nevertheless, the children, particularly William and his Outlaws, almost always emerge triumphant.

Reviews

[Martyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another enjoyable collection of stories about Just William. I've not given it five stars though, maybe because it doesn't stand out from any of the other volumes in the series. Personally I prefer earlier titles in their pre-war bindings - rough red cloth and very thick paper. The binding in itself can add charm to a book, and the earlier volumes take you back to a different era to these post-war stories. The stories in this volume are all good, typical William, but they are just going over the same kinds of scenarios that we have gone over many times before, so are rather predictable. Thomas Henry's illustrations perhaps lack some of the charm and detail and character of his illustrations for the earlier books.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

A entertaining collection of William stories, of a slightly higher quality than the last few books I have read, which date from a slightly later era.

I throughly enjoyed most of these stories, but here are a selection of some of my personal favourites.

"William and the Tramp"
"William Meets the Professor"
"William and the Haunted Cottage"
"William and the Pets Club"

[Vf · Rating 5 out of 5]

William and herbert lane - zindabad, lol.

[Diva · Rating 5 out of 5]

hilariously William-y, as usual, but two stories are particularly more so!

[Raphael Ngailut · Rating 5 out of 5]

William is so adorable, full of good intentions, with a penchant for getting into troubles with hilarious results. I grew up loving this guy.