The Steam Whistle Theatre Company
Victorian London. Pa Pringle’s family theatre company, newly renamed The Steam Whistle Theatre Company, is heading north to Uncaster by train (a first for all of them). They specialize in Shakespeare (whittled down to an hour’s running time, plus Pa’s especially composed songs). The ever-optimistic Pa thinks that the North will appreciate the Bard and their bad luck will turn. Child actors, Charlie and Rosie Pringle just want to stop worrying about where the next meal is coming from.
In Uncaster, the newly arrived (and light-fingered) Eliza Snicket, and her son, Little Baby Bubbles, master of Magic and Escapology, don’t want any rivals. At nearby Uncaster Hall, Arabella Poskett is being pressurized by the unpleasant Olio Sleevery to sell Uncaster Hall to him for a fraction of its value; whilst the skivvy, little Edie Boiler, is desperate to keep her job. The Pringles, Arabella and Edie have a lot to lose – whilst others have much to gain if the theatre company goes under. The stage is set for skulduggery and sharp practice.
I read this book twice, first at a gallop, and then slowly to savour it. The story-telling is terrific. I enjoyed the nod towards Vincent Crummles’ travelling theatre company from Dickens’ Nicholas Nickleby. The names, too, are perfect: e.g. Miss Twillfit, Uncaster’s talented dressmaker.
But, underneath the dastardly deeds of various malefactors, there is a strong thread of how one should behave. The children look out for each other. Arabella must learn the skills she needs to turn Uncaster Hall into lodgings to pay off her late ne’er-do-well husband’s debts. Everyone must learn to adapt to difficult circumstances.
In 2016, the author was awarded the MBE for services to literature, literacy, illustration and the arts, and readers of this exciting story can see why. Suitable for 8 plus.
