JUNE
BOOK 1970
BY
Various
authors/ illustrators
THE
BLURB:-
There
was none!
THE
REALITY:-
“'Tis the season to
be silly...”
Yes, you may well ask
why I'm reading an annual dedicated to tweenage girls, and one
printed before I was even born, at that. But some things from my
childhood stirred memories; such as The Amazing Mr Blunden (a
strange, obsessive 37-year tale arose from that film)- read about it
here:-
Also, a film featuring
a vengeful heroine named Roberta “Bobbie” King (it's called
Positive I.D., and I did eventually find it on YouTube), ditto
One Summer, a sad lads' coming of age story. I'm also eager
to watch Paula Milne's Queen Of Hearts, about a middle-aged
woman coming to terms with her daughter's sexuality, and her own, but
alas, it's unavailable to watch.
Book-wise I have a copy
of my much-loved Mystery Stories For Girls in my collection,
along with The Bluebeard Room (a Nancy Drew mystery) and my
treasured Royal Brides illustration book. All of these are
things I once owned as a kid and requisitioned as an adult. I would have been about
10 when my mother found me this annual, bought at a jumble sale. I was in the process of moving on from Bunty (a comic for girls) to Jackie (for teens)
magazine-wise, but still took much joy in revisiting some of the
wonderful stories in the former, and thoroughly enjoyed my June
annual.
But... I couldn't
remember which annual it was that the fantastic House Of Phantoms
story sat in, but a bit of Googly research revealed my answer. Very much of its time, the story is set
in a fictitious South American country, and features a kidnapping. I
also loved the illustrations, and remember using the newly learnt
term “awe-inspiring” at school, for one of my illustrated poems
(precocious kid that I was). I also got to learn some Spanish ("Casa de Fantasmas," for your information- little things please little minds, etc.) I got to read this story again (I
hadn't remembered the ending) and also sift through the brilliant
picture stories, including Long-Legged Peg, which I remembered
well. Ah, for a nostalgia trip! As I mentioned before, the annual
is certainly very much of its time, with middle class boarding
schools featuring and animals who save the day. I also thought the
fashion and beauty advice stood the test of time.
House Of Phantoms
So, let's call this
silly-season post a reflection on a very joyous period in my life. I
wish life was that simple nowadays!
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