Up and Down in the Dales

By Gervase Phinn

Book Overview

Escape to the country with Gervase Phinn's heartwarming tales of life as a school inspector in Yorkshire

'Gervase Phinn's memoirs have made him a hero in school staff-rooms' Daily Telegraph
______

What's your name? I asked the child.
'Tequila, ' she replied. I'm named after a drink.'
'Tequila Sunrise, ' I murmured.
'No, ' pouted the child. 'Tequila Braithwaite.'

Now in his fourth year as an Inspector for English in the Yorkshire Dales, Gervase Phinn still relishes visiting the schools - whether an inner-city comprehensive fraught with difficulties or a small Dales Primary school where the main danger is one of closure. With endless good humour, he copes with the little surprises that occur round every corner.

Some things never change: Mrs Savage roars, Connie rants, and Gervase's colleague in the office play verbal ping-pong. But all this can be put behind him each day when he returns home to his lovely wife, Christine, who is expecting their first baby.

Up and Down in the Dales is charming montage of Gervase Phinn's experiences will keep you amused and will win a place in your heart.

Gervase Phinn has an extraordinary talent to entertain, and the latest instalment to the Dale Series is heart-warming, wry and will make you laugh out loud.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0141011319
• ISBN13: 9780141011318
• Release Date: September 2009
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.57 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.0" x 7.7"

Customer Reviews

Very entertaining

Gervase Phinn is an interesting writer; if you enjoyed James Herriott, you will enjoy these stories about teaching and life in Yorkshire.

Funny, heartwarming, beautifully written

Thank goodness I have discovered the wonderful prolific writer of the Yorkshire Dales, Gervase Phinn. His marvelous stories about his life as an English school inspector were a daily breath of fresh air as I moved from chapter to chapter, learning about Mr. Phinn, his worthy colleagues and the many bright and entertaining children he visited throughout Yorkshire. Highly recommended for teachers and any adult who has not lost the child in themselves.

A celebration of the teaching profession

This whole series is a hoot. Everyone who has ever been a teacher, everyone who has ever been in a classroom will delight in these books. They are not only fun but they raise some interesting contrasts between British and American schooling. After retirement I did substitute teaching for nine years and only once did I ever have the privilege of a supervisor observing me. Now I know why the Brits have it all over us in the educational field.