YOUNG PUFFIN MODERN CLASSICS

Mr Majeika

Humphrey Carpenter (1946–2005), the author and creator of Mr Majeika, was born and educated in Oxford. He went to a school called the Dragon School where exciting things often happened and there were some very odd teachers – you could even call it magical! He worked for the BBC then became a full-time writer in 1975, and he was the author of many award-winning biographies, including books about J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, Benjamin Britten and Spike Milligan.

As well as the Mr Majeika titles, his children’s books also included Shakespeare Without the Boring Bits and More Shakespeare Without the Boring Bits. He wrote plays for radio and theatre and founded the children’s drama group The Mushy Pea Theatre Company. He played the tuba, double bass, bass saxophone and keyboard.

Humphrey once said, ‘The nice thing about being a writer is that you can make magic happen without learning tricks. Words are the only tricks you need. I can write: “He floated up to the ceiling, and a baby rabbit came out of his pocket, grew wings and flew away.” And you will believe that it really happened! That’s magic, isn’t it?’

Other books in the Mr Majeik series

MR MAJEIKA

MR MAJEIKA AND THE DINNER LADY

MR MAJEIKA AND THE GHOST TRAIN

MR MAJEIKA AND THE HAUNTED HOTEL

MR MAJEIKA AND THE LOST SPELLBOOK

MR MAJEIKA AND THE MUSIC TEACHER

MR MAJEIKA AND THE SCHOOL BOOK WEEK

MR MAJEIKA AND THE SCHOOL CARETAKER

MR MAJEIKA AND THE SCHOOL INSPECTOR

MR MAJEIKA AND THE SCHOOL PLAY

MR MAJEIKA AND THE SCHOOL TRIP

MR MAJEIKA JOINS THE CIRCUS

MR MAJEIKA ON THE INTERNET

MR MAJEIKA VANISHES

Introduction

By Julia Eccleshare Series Editor

School. Whatever your school is like, it is unlikely that it will have a teacher quite like Mr Majeika in it. Single-handedly, he transforms the day-to-day school routine into something unusual and completely unexpected. Not surprisingly since, having once been a wizard, he finds it very hard to remember all the things he has to do – and not to do – as a teacher.

The joy of Mr Majeika is that somewhere as familiar to us all as school is turned into a place that is so completely different. It’s the beginning of the new school term at St Barty’s Primary School and everyone will know how Class Three feel. They are just back from the holidays, it is pouring with rain and they are not in the mood to enjoy school. To make matters worse, there is no teacher. Or is there? The supply teacher arrives by an unexpected route. Sitting cross-legged on a magic carpet, he floats down into the classroom. From that moment on, everything about school is utterly transformed and no one would ever be able to think of it as a dull place again. A boring egg-and-bacon flan becomes a mouth-watering plate of chips, a ruler turns into a snake and frightens the life out of Hamish Bigmore who had frightened the life out of previous teachers, and, finally, Hamish Bigmore himself turns from schoolboy into frog. The question is, can Mr Majeika put all of these things back?

Mr Majeika is charmingly eccentric. His magic just seems to spring into his mind without him thinking and, as a result, extraordinary things happen – particularly when he sets himself the questionable task of trying to outwit Hamish Bigmore. But in the end Hamish benefits too, so there’s no harm done. Mr Majeika’s originality makes school fun – even if there is not a lot of conventional learning – and also makes his colleague Mr Potter look exceptionally dreary. Certainly, there’s no doubt that Class Three will have had the time of their lives when their first term with Mr Majeika finally ends. Neither they, nor readers, can bear to wait long for the next term to begin.

With thanks to Class 7 at Marlborough Primary School, Chelsea, for their help, and especially Lucy Tsancheva, whothought of most of Chapters 7 and 8.