A delightful, moving story of boyhood adventures, friendships and anxieties, set in a 1930s boarding school

Martin's school is no ordinary school. There are snowball fights, kidnappings, cakes, a parachute jump, a mysterious man called 'No-Smoking' who lives in a railway carriage and a play about a flying classroom.

As the Christmas holidays draw near, Martin and his friends - nervous Uli, cynical Sebastian, Johnny, who was rescued by a sea captain, and Matthias, who is always hungry (particularly after a meal) - are preparing for the end-of-term festivities. But there are surprises, sadness and trouble on the way - and a secret that changes everything.

"The Flying Classroom" is a magical, thrilling and bittersweet story about friendship, fun and being brave when you are at your most scared. (It also features a calf called Eduard, but you will have to read it to find out why.)

"a memorable exploration of bravery, boyhood and friendships that last, albeit in a world that would soon vanish." — The Wall Street Journal

"Originally published in 1935 and charmingly illustrated by Trier, Kästner's (Emil and the Detectives) pleasingly sentimental tale of early 20th-century boarding-school life gets the opportunity to reach a new audience, courtesy of Bell's new translation." --Publishers Weekly

 

'A little masterpiece... Read it and you will be happy'  Maurice Sendak

'Marvellous' Philip Pullman

'My favourite book as a child... funny, exciting and very atmospheric'  Michael Rosen

Praise for Emil and the Detectives:

'Walter Trier's deceptively innocent drawings are as classic as Kästner's words; I never tire of them'  Quentin Blake