George's Marvellous Medicine

Product Information

And suddenly, George found himself dancing around the steaming pot, chanting strange words that came into his head out of nowhere! He found another jar of creamy stuff labelled HAIR REMOVER. SMEAR IT ON YOUR LEGS, it said, AND ALLOW TO REMAIN FOR FIVE MINUTES. George tipped it all into the saucepan. There was a bottle with yellow stuff inside it called DISHWORTH’SFAMOUS DANDRUFF CURE. In it went. There was something called BRILLIDENT FOR CLEANING FALSETEETH. It was a white powder. In that went, too. He found another aerosol can, NEVERMORE PONKING DEODORANT SPRAY, GUARANTEED, it said, TO KEEP AWAY UNPLEASANT BODY SMELLS FOR A WHOLE DAY. ‘She could use plenty of that,’ George said as he sprayed the entire canful into thesaucepan. LIQUID PARAFFIN, the next one was called. It was a big bottle. He hadn’t the faintest idea what it did to you, but he poured it in anyway.

George Kranky's grandma is a grouch. She's always mean to George (and not much nicer to his parents either). You can really tell that the writer, Roald Dahl, is on George's side. This is one of my favourite parts of the book, where George doesn't want his grandma to know that he's boiling her up a big surprise. The medicine doesn't make Grandma any nicer, but it DOES have a remarkable effect on her, and on every creature they give it to. George's dad wants him to make another batch, but there's a problem. George didn't write down the recipe. So every new batch he tries is missing something, and has a different effect when they test it on the farm animals. WARNING: Do NOT try to make George's Marvellous Medicine yourselves at home. It is likely to be extremely dangerous. Read more DetailsHe took a full tube of TOOTHPASTE and squeezed out the whole lot of it in one long worm. ‘Maybe that will brighten up those horrid brown teeth of hers,’ he said. There was an aerosol can of SUPERFOAM SHAVING SOAP belonging to his father. George loved playing with aerosols. He pressed the button and kept his finger on it until there was nothing left. A wonderful mountain of white foam built up in the giant saucepan. With his fingers, he scooped out the contents of ajar of VITAMIN ENRICHED FACE CREAM. In went a small bottle of scarlet NAIL VARNISH. ‘If the toothpaste doesn’t clean her teeth,’ George said, ‘then this will paint them as red as roses.’ It was wonderful to stand there stirring this amazing mixture, and to watch it smoking blue, and bubbling, and frothing, and foaming, as though it were alive." Oh yeah, nasty piece of work, but what it makes you think, though, and wonder, is what's gonna happen to her when she tries the medicine.

Puffin started out as a non-fiction publisher, with its first title appearing in 1940. As the most iconic and well-known children’s book brand in the UK today, we are always on the lookout for innovative ways to tell the world’s favourite stories and for brilliant new debut talent and brands that connect with today’s young readers, from newborn up to twelve years old. On p.10, we are told George hated "that horrid old witchy woman" because on pp.8-9 Grandma has creepily told him, "Some of us have magic powers that can twist the creatures of this earth into wondrous shapes...." and other similar things. However, the revisions kill the alliteration, removing the entirely apt word "witchy." Just dumb.

This pack includes:

The way the writer wrote was hilarious and he put in some random funny things that didn't exist and could never happen, such as the transformation of the animals. After Grandma entirely disappears, we are told, "'That's what happens to you if you're grumpy and bad-tempered,' said Mr. Kranky. 'Great medicine of yours, George.'" (Grandma was George's father's mother-in-law, so you know.)