Druscilla
- Kirsten Edwards
- Aug 28, 2022
- 2 min read
Updated: Nov 6
Author: Clarice England Illustrated by Lynley Dodd
From the inside front flap: "The world of Druscilla was small, snug and virtually self-contained; remote from our twentieth century and yet, in some ways, sending out strangely familiar echoes. Druscilla lived in a village in Taranaki, New Zealand, during the 1880s and 1890s. The village was not old, for the country had only recently been colonised. But it held many of the qualities of a settled, English way of life, along with other exciting and novel additions. The ladies still meet for tea; the nurse mothered the youngest in a big family and protected the rest; church and school were the centre of most activities. Yet the exotic forest was near at hand, and Druscilla might see a host of Maoris, 'like Moses leading the Children of Israel to the Promised Land,' on their way to a tangi. But chiefly this book is the story of Druscilla herself, spirited, sensitive and eloquent, a fascinated observer of the grown-up world flowing around her."
This slim gem, just 91 pages, follows Druscilla from age eight until she bids farewell to school. Drawn from the author’s sister, it distils late-19th-century Taranaki life into diary bursts. Years leap between entries, yet every snapshot brims with mischief, warmth, and gentle humour. My 11-year-old and I read it aloud, giggling at every turn.
Lynley Dodd’s illustrations steal the show; delicate, expressive, and worth the book alone.
Druscilla echoes a pint-sized Anne of Green Gables: fiery red hair she despises, a knack for trouble, and a mouth that outruns caution.
A few reservations temper the charm. Church and school anchor village life, so spiritual talk threads throughout, yet Druscilla treats heaven, hell, the Devil, and sin with breezy irreverence, all for laughs. The light touch may reflect childish innocence or authorial style, but it unsettled me amid such weighty themes.
Her school foe, Queenie Lynn, stays a villain to the end, no growth, no lesson. Several deliberate pranks escape punishment. One brother spooks the girls with tales of Māori “stealing and eating” them, swiftly countered by Father’s warm friendship with Tikitawara, whom Druscilla also cherishes.
The finale redeems everything. Beloved nurse May White weds, and Druscilla’s wide-eyed musings on love and vows form a luminous, heartfelt close.
Spot a second-hand copy? Grab it, read it yourself first, then decide for your children.
Recommended for boys and girls aged 8 and over.
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