The Mennyms - Softcover

WAUGH, Sylvia

4.06

1,212 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0099301679 ISBN 13: 9780099301677

Publisher: Red Fox Books, 1994

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The Mennyms are a family of life sized rag dolls who live in a modest British town. Their forty year long secret threatens to be exposed when a distant relative of their landlord visits from Australia. "Good old-fashioned fantasy at its finest."-Publishers Weekly

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About the Author:

Sylvia Waugh was for twenty years a teacher of English literature. She always wanted to write, but The Mennyms, her first book, was not written until after her retirement. It was received with acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic. Subsequent books were received with equal enthusiasm. She lives in England with her husband and three grown children.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 4-8-After Kate Penshaw's death, the family of rag dolls she created came to life and took over her house. They keep to themselves and venture outside only when well disguised. A threat to their existence comes in the form of a letter-an Australian relative has inherited Kate's house, and he plans to visit. However, all their worrying and preparations are for naught, as he turns out to be an invention of Appleby, a bored and rebellious teenaged Mennym. The family's routine is further rocked when Soobie, 16, finds an unassembled doll in the attic who turns out to be his twin sister. The characters are complex; Waugh does a fine job of bringing out not only their individual personalities, but also their collective traits. Through the pleasant screen of their daily life, readers will see the tragic side of their existence-their isolation, fear of discovery, struggle to balance the real and the pretend, and their inability to grow. They have memories of the past, but are frozen at a particular age-the baby will never turn one; Appleby will always be 15 and struggling with adolescence. This novel provides an opportunity to think about what it must be like to be an alien creature trying to blend into a human world.
Jane Gardner Connor, South Carolina State Library, Columbia
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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