The Young Visiters, or Mr. Salteena's Plan

'The Young Visiters' is the book that started the schoolchild genre subsequently defined by '1066 and All That' and Molesworth's various manuals such as 'Down with Skool' and 'Whizz for Atoms'. As with 'The Young Visiters', the grammar, the language and the authorial viewpoint of those classics contribute much to our enjoyment. Unlike its descendants, 'The Young Visiters' probably wasn't written by an adult. Purportedly written by a 9-year-old girl in Victorian England, her inadvertent send-up of Victorian social mores, "status-climbing", and middle class ideas of gentility are absolutely delightful. She also disposes of her characters in an abrupt and very satisfying way. If you like the book, you will also enjoy the movie, which is fully as delightful.