Catweazle by Richard Carpenter

Richard Carpenter's Catweazle is a children's book that I loved as a child but hadn't read for many years. 

It is the story of Catweazle, a 13th century wizard who manages to send himself into the future, landing at Hexwood Farm in the late 20th Century (the 70's to be exact). Here, he is befriended by Carrot, a young boy who hides him on the family farm until Catweazle can find a way of getting himself back to the time from which he came.

In the meantime, Catweazle has a lot of trouble adjusting to life in the 20th century. He thinks that most forms of technology are forms of magic and he is particularly interested in the magic he calls 'elec-trickery'.

I loved this book as a child. As an adult though, it really wasn't anything special. Its appeal lies in the slapstick humour provided by Catweazle as he bumbles around and all the trouble Carrot has to go to in order to keep his friend's existence a secret. As a child I found this slapstick humour hilarious, but as an adult its appeal has faded.

What I didn't realise before I started writing this post and went looking for a picture of Catweazle from the televised Catweazle, was that this was actually a tv series before it was a novel. The novel was written after the television series proved to be so popular. I have to admit that holding such find memories of the book from my childhood I was a little bit disappointed to read this - but in the end, what does it matter?

This might be a fun book to give to a primary school aged child, but I can't recommend that you read it as an adult (unless like me you remember reading it as a child and feel like a trip down memory lane).

4.5 / 8

Worth reading if you have a fondness for it already, otherwise give it a miss.

Originally posted 16 September 2011 Page Turners