HILDY AND THE CUCKOO CLOCK

by Ruth Christoffer Carlsen ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 10, 1966

Like Mr. Pudgins and Henrietta Heads West the story glides easily, naturally, from the practical to the fantastic. Unfortunately however, the magic here is a little less special, the framework weaker than in the other two books. It's an antique cuckoo clock that sets off the supernatural--more specifically Willy, a three year old ghost. When the Fortins built their house, eccentric old Mrs. McQueen, who had sold them the property, held them to their promise to put up the clock. And whenever the cuckoo stayed sprung the family found that their fanciful, spur-of-the-moment wishes would come true for the duration of the hour--snow in July, solid, multiplying bubbles, a Hallowe'en flight on a vacuum cleaner, living shadows, a carnival ride set free, soda pop in the school fountains. Willy becomes increasingly a part of the family; Hildy and Rob Fortin and their two neighbors take to him easily and eventually Mr. and Mrs. Fortin come to accept him too. The fantasy episodes tug at the imagination, but they never reach a climax nor provide much motivation for the story. Hildy is the narrator and she describes both her suburban neighborhood and her family's ghostly antics with pleasant, down-to-earth, aplomb.

Pub Date: Nov. 10, 1966

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1966

Categories: FICTION