Mister Teacher (by Jack Sheffield)

(Amazon UK link)

Having read and enjoyed 'Teacher, Teacher' by Jack Sheffield, I was pleased to be able to borrow the first sequel too, a day later.

'Mister Teacher', again written in the style of so many popular books such as those by Herriot or Phinn, covers the second year of Jack Sheffield's life as fictional headmaster in the imaginary Ragley School, a small primary school set in a village in Yorkshire in the late 1970s.

It continues many of the threads started in the previous book, and introduces some new and interesting characters. As with the first book, there are some amusing parts, and some which are surprisingly emotional. The sub-plots are many, and mostly believable; the book is well-written on the whole.

However, I did find myself a little annoyed in a few places when incidents were described, or even emotions explained in situations where the narrator (who uses the first person) was not present. The editor should surely have picked that up; the section where Jack's 'young lady' Beth applies for a Head post in another school was one such section that I found distinctly irritating.

Overall, though, a very enjoyable read.

Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 29th September 2009