The Two-Thousand Pound Goldfish
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Cover Story
Through star filled skies on Christmas Eve Kay Harker, in a sleigh pulled by eight unicorns and driven by Herne the Hunter, returns in triumph to Tatchester. The illustration on the cover of this issue of BfK is by Faith Jaques and is taken from The Box of Delights, a newly illustrated edition of John Masefield's classic children's book, abridged by Patricia Crampton and published by Heinemann, 0 434 95052 1, £7.95. A paperback edition (without colour plates) is available from Fontana Lion (0 00 572415 9, £1.50). We are grateful to Heinemann and Fontana for help in using this illustration.
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Send to friendThe Two-Thousand Pound Goldfish
An irresistible opening chapter sets the tone for a book that is first division Betsy Byars. Warren's favourite pastime is inventing scripts for monster movies. (The Two Thousand Pound Goldfish, starring Bubbles an unwanted pet flushed down the toilet, grown huge on illegally dumped chemicals, now trapped in the sewers and demonstrating a penchant for ingesting ('Warren loved the word "ingest"') human flesh, is his latest.) His other fantasies are about his mother --- a political activist wanted by the FBI --- who years ago left Warren and his sister with Gran and in the breaks between leafletting, stickering and bombing sometimes remembers to send a postcard. When Gran has a stroke will mum come back as Warren dreams? The ability to mix humour and seriousness with precise observation of character and situation and come out with a story that is both subtle and accessible is Betsy Byars' particular talent. Don't miss that one.
