OUGD503: Penguin- Book summary

Main Characters: 

Carrie Willow

The central character (protagonist). She is 12 years old and is sensitive, she seems to have an overactive imagination on situations and is extremely protective of her younger brother.

Nicholas Willow

Her (Carrie's) younger brother.  He is 10 years old and also he seems a few years younger due to how Carrie is described to take care of him. He is friendly and doesn't want to upset anyone else. However due to his age he is quite immature sometimes. 

Albert Sandwich

Their friend, another evacuee who was taken in by Hepzibah Green at a place called "Druids Bottom" which is a large house owned by Mrs Gotobed. 

Mr Samuel Evans

The grocer who takes them into his house with his younger sister. He is described as a bully and miserable throughout the book and often intimates the children but more often than not his younger sister (auntie lou). The children (carrie and nick) eventually learn how to behave in his strict household. 

Miss Louise Evans (Auntie Lou)

Mr Evans' younger sister who takes care of the children. She is eager to take care of them and is very kind but she is oppressed by her older brother. She eventually finds freedom in an American soldier. 

Mrs Dilys Gotobed

Mr Evans' elder sister who is extremely poorly and spends her time in her room at Druid's Bottom. She is witty, intelligent and married into wealth (thus the house). However she eventually dies and it causes arguments over a will and the house. 

Hepzibah Green

The kind lady who looks after Mrs Gotobed in her home. She welcomes the children in and continuously cooks food for them. She often tells Carrie magical stories to which she believes, one of which is about a skull. Mr Evans describes her as a witch due to her intelligence and imagination. But all of which is complete nonsense. However the stories have an affect on Carrie and this builds into the plot of Carrie's over imaginative thoughts. 

Mister Johnny

Is a distant cousin of the Gotobed family who is welcomed in and looked after. The children are afraid of him at first due to his speech and learning difficulties. However they learn to love him and to understand what he is saying. In fact at the end of the book he gains knowledge of how to speak fluently with a speech therapist. 

Each of the chapters has a beautifully detailed illustration by Faith Jaques. They are quite rough and a scratchy style which is definitely reminiscent of the past. 

From reading the book, I have picked out some of the key scenes and quotes: 

From these quotes I will do some initial sketches of different ideas and directions I could take with this brief. However I really like the idea of doing something a little bit darker and more mysterious with the cover. The book I think is mainly for children who are around age 10 or older, so they understand the themes within the book and aren't too frightened by it. The use of superstitions attitudes by Mr Evans (witches) and also the idea of adventure and danger at Druid's Bottom is really what makes the book exciting in terms of a visual representation. The current covers make Carrie look quite sad and I think instead it should be about her exploring and being independent for the first time. The use of the skull and also the quote on the back of the book "I did a dreadful thing" creates a need to read further and I think that would be interesting on the cover.