RIP Nanny Tobbins by Lucie Stevens

I don't often read 'ghost' stories because it is one of a very few genres that I do not really enjoy but the author of this book Lucie Stevens spoke at a recent conference held here in Sydney at our State Library and her brief author talk intrigued me (which I am sure was her intention).

Since I am not an expert on middle grade ghost stories I may be generalising but I thought that usually a ghost had a reason for their return. Coming back to right a wrong or assist a person from when they were alive. The young girl in this story Albertine Waldblumen had no concept of death (she is very young and naive). Adults have protected her from this.  We learn her father first off won't take her to Nanny Tobbins funeral and then we also discover she is not allowed to go near the churchyard cemetery. I suspected, correctly, that she had never seen her mother's grave. Poor child believes her mother is flying in the sky with the angels and so she spends a lot of time looking up hoping to see her. So why did Nanny Tobbins return? I guess she may have returned to help Albertine discover the truth about death or to help her in some way to cope with her new Stepmother and changing relationship with her father but that all feels a bit too vague.

Back to Nanny Tobbins (real name Nanette) who was indeed a nanny to Albertine (nick name Bert) we never actually find out about the Great Exhibition of 1851 but alas as Albertine and her new stepmother set off to attend this amazing event the story quite suddenly ends. I was very disappointed not to read about the sights and wonders through Albertine's eyes. Here is some information about The Great Exhibition aimed at youger readers. How did Nanny Tobbins die? It was a horse-riding accident but we are given no further details. I kept wondering if Albertine perhaps saw the accident or worse if she was in some way involved.  One of the gruesome aspects about this ghost is the way her head is not quite attached to her body. She also seems to attract lots of moths but just why this happens is never explained. At night Albertine is locked inside her room - I did find that quite distressing and I desperately hoped the would not be a fire in their house.  

Only Albertine can see the ghost of Nanny Tobbins, but her precious dog named Quiver seems to sense when she is here. There are a number of stereotypes in this story - the evil stepmother; the absent father; the fearful and bumbling servant; and the warm-hearted cook who makes fabulous foods for little Albertine. Of course, the spooky moments happen at midnight. The author Lucie Stevens did say she was thinking of the classic book Mary Poppins when she wrote the short piece as part of an assignment that then led to this longer novel. 

Was there really elephant at The Great Exhibition? Yes and No.  Not a living one but there was a taxidermy one. 

Image source: Victoria and Albert Museum

You can hear Lucie Stevens talk about her book here on the Podcast Your Kids Next Read (start at 15.60). RIP Nanny Tobbins is her debut Middle Grade Novel. RIP Nanny Tobbins will be published tomorrow! And she mentioned there will be a sequel next year and one of the books she lists as recent enjoyable reads was Little Bones. 

Bookseller blurb: When Nanny Tobbins fell off a horse and broke her neck, the grown-ups told nine-year-old Albertine she'd never see her beloved governess again. But it simply isn't true. For every night, when the clock strikes twelve, Nanny returns to the nursery. Yet in her new ghostly state, Nanny Tobbins quickly causes chaos in the household -- and the timing couldn't be more inconvenient. Albertine's stepmother is struggling to settle in, and Papa is much occupied working with Prince Albert on the Great Exhibition. To make matters worse, the grown-ups don't believe in ghosts at all, leaving Albertine to take the blame for Nanny's unruly antics. How will Albertine restore peace to her home before the unthinkable occurs?

RIP Nanny Tobbins is an easy book to read - I think it will appeal to readers aged 10+ but it may not be scary enough for the readers who love to find ghost stories that can tingle your spine. 

About the author: Lucie Stevens is a children’s writer who grew up in a semi-rural area of Dharug Country, north-west of Sydney. After working in Australian publishing houses for many years, she moved to Berlin, where she helped make education outreach programs for the UK and European Space Agencies. Now, having resettled in Gadigal Country, Sydney, Lucie works as a freelance editor for NGOs and not-for-profit organisations. She has authored and co-authored several books for the education market, on topics ranging from mudlarks to Mars. R.I.P. Nanny Tobbins is Lucie’s first novel for children.

I know I said at the start of this post that I don't seek out ghost stories but here are a few I have read and enjoyed (aimed at a similar audience to RIP Nanny Tobbins).

Out of the Wild Night

The Haunting of Charity Delafield

The Ghost of Grosswater

Her Perilous Mansion

Elizabeth and Zenobia

Not a ghost story but this wonderful book has a similar feel or setting

Withering by Sea

Stitch by Padraig Kenny

Stitch and his friend Henry are creations of an old Professor. Stitch is indeed stitched together from various human body parts presumably retrieved from graves. You are right to think of Frankenstein. Please don't be concerned though, because Stitch is such an endearing and kind character, and his naive view of the world is sure to charm you. I think children reading this book are sure to emphasise with the way Stitch has difficulty making sense of the world and of big topics like life and death and betrayal and the human desire for immortality.

Early in the story we are told Stitch has been ordered not to disturb the old Professor. Each day Stitch has his routine. He counts the days he has been 'alive' so we learn the story opens on day five hundred and eighty-five (you will immediately work out that this is not much longer than a year). I did wonder just how long Stitch has tiptoed past the professor's door and then just a few days later two visitors arrive at his castle home. The man is the old Professor's nephew - Professor Hardacre and his 'assistant' Alice. Very quickly Professor Hardacre realises something is wrong. He opens the forbidden door and discovers the old Professor has died. Death is a mysterious concept that Stitch just cannot grasp. Down in the basement of the castle, Henry, another of the late Professors creations is held in a cage. Stitch knows Henry has done something 'wrong' and so the cage is for his protection. Every day, as part of his routine, Stitch feeds his pet named Brown Mouse and he thinks about his other friend, White Rabbit, who is no longer there. Then he visits Henry for a chat. His routine is thrown into disarray with the arrival of these two strangers. There is something slightly disturbing about Professor Hardacre. Alice on the other hand is so kind and speaks gently to Stitch trying to explain the ways humans behave especially in relation to creatures and people perceived as different. She has first-hand experience of this because she has a hump on her back (you might think of another famous story about human reactions to difference The Hunchback of Notre-Dame).

Professor Hardacre has obsessive reasons for want to experiment with Henry. He sets up his equipment and waits for a night of thunder and lightning, but Stitch can feel this is all wrong and he is sure his best friend Henry is in danger. 

Here are some text quotes to give you a flavour of this story. You are sure to enjoy Henry's quirky invented words:

"As if to prove his point to himself, Stitch holds his hands up. One is very definitely smaller than the other. This is his left hand. It has long slim fingers. The other is large, almost bloated in comparison. Its fingers are stubby and fat. Both hands are grey in colour because all of Stitch's skin is grey ... "

"But if you are a monster, Alice, then that should mean you are horrible and cruel, and I haven't known you for very long, but I know for a fact that you are not horrible and cruel. Far from it. To me you seem to be a very nice individual, wise and generous in your insights and behaviour."

"Dead,' says Henry. 'I believe I have heard the word, although I confess I do not fully understand it. This is quite surprising because I have picked up a lot of knowledge in my own studies and assessments of the world."

"Hodgepodge Henry Oaf. A mixture of bits and pieces of different people, which goes some way to explaining some of my more inexplicabubble bouts of mischief."

In her review for Magpies Magazine (Vol 39, issue 2, May 2024) Dr Robin Morrow said:

"This book succeeds as a gripping adventure story, while provoking thought and discussion about topics such as the humanness of these beings, friendship, difference, and responsibility."

Reading Zone: The overriding message is that it does not matter what you may look like. What is important is being a good person, doing the right thing, and standing up for your friends. As Stitch says, "Everybody is different, and this is what makes the world such a curious and interesting place". Padraig Kenny has managed to wrap up a vitally important message in a thrilling adventure story. I believe that this is an important book which will be read and enjoyed - on many different levels - by children and adults alike. Highly recommended.

Moving and powerful, yet delicate, this story celebrates the uniqueness of every individual. It would be a great one for classroom discussion. Books for Keeps

Thanks to Walker Books Australia - I won my copy of Stitch. You can see Padraig Kenny talking about and reading an extract of his book here. This link also includes an interview with Padraig. And here is a teaching guide. 

Your local or school library might have a version of Frankenstein abridged for children such as this one from Usborne books.

I previously talked about this book by Padraig Kenny. When you read Tin I am sure you will see some ways the story has links with Stitch.

Tin

I would follow Stitch with Cogheart which also explores the idea of immortality.

Two books by Udo Weigelt illustrated by Julia Gukova and translated by J. Alison James

I discovered the Russian illustrator Julia (Yulia) Gukova when I was exploring illustrators nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen award for 2022.  My friend has two books illustrated by Julia in her library both by Udo Weigelt and both published by the wonderful North South ad yes they are both wonderful stories. 

Talking about these two books I would like to comment on the brilliant translation by J. Alison James. I do not read German (the original language of these two books) but both contain rich texts which are sure to impress you.

Here are the German titles: Ich wars nicht! and Das sagenhafte Einhorn.

It Wasn't Me is a story about misplaced blame and overcoming prejudice. Ferret is collecting raspberries. He makes a pile and then moves off to collect more. When he returns the pile of delicious red fruit is missing. Up in the tree he spies Raven. Once, long ago, Raven did steal something - he will be forever tarnished by this previous crime but he is not guilty this time.  How can he convince his friends when all of the evidence seems to point to him. The animals gather for a meeting and it is decided they should look for clues. This book was published in 2001 and is long out of print so I am going to (spoiler alert) explain just who took the berries - it was the ants. Now the animals need to apologise to Raven, and work out a way to share the berries with the ants so everyone can be happy. You can see art from this book here. 

Here are a couple of text quotes:

"Mouse told the whole story. The animals were very indignant."

"Carefully they tiptoed after the berries, which were snaking around a little hill and then vanishing."

In The Legendary Unicorn we meet the same forest animals. Little Hedgehog sees a unicorn drinking at the stream. He rushes off to tell all of his friends but of course no one believes him after all unicorns are not real - surely? Their level of disbelief has consequences. When the forest animals gather as usual to share stories they discover they have forgotten every single one. The next day the forest itself feels dim and dull. They realise the problem is the unicorn. The only solution is to try to tell a new story - beginning with : Once upon a time there was a unicorn who loved stories very much. This book was first published in 2004 and so it is also out of print. 

Here are three text quotes which show the beauty of this translation:

"Every evening, the animals met in a clearing in the forest to tell stories - fairy tales, myths and legends- fantasies filled with magic and wonder."

"Now I, too believe that the unicorn was in or woods. Or something very like it. It's possible that our doubt has caused this environmental disturbance."

"The unicorn lifted its head in the moonlight. It looked calm and at peace, as if it felt at home. Hedgehog welled with happiness at the sight."

You can see the whole book here.