Book Review: Stig of the Dump - Andy

                               

 Andrew Arlow, 38

STIG OF THE DUMP

Clive King

1963

March 2016

Brief Summary/description

Stig of the Dump is about a young boy called Barney who stays at his Grandmothers during School Holidays.  They live near a large pit that is used as a rubbish tip.  Barney discovers a boy living in the dump who behaves like a Caveman.  Barney calls the boy Stig and they become friends.

Who was your favourite Character and why?

Barney:  He was obviously very bored staying with his Sister and Grandmother.  They didn’t seem to pay him much attention and would leave him on his own while they went shopping.  Barney wanted to explore, make adventures for himself and was very brave when he needed to be.

                I especially liked his inventive side when making Stigs Den better and I wanted to try out the ideas myself.

What was your first favourite part of the book?

My favourite part of the book was when Barney was left on his own and the Con-men came and stole the Jewellery from the House.  Barney and Stig were able to stop the Robbers from escaping and they saved the day.  Although his Grandmother never believed him and just thought he was making up a story.

What was you second favourite part of the book?

After meeting Stig, Barney took some useful items from the Shed and took them to the Dump.  Instead of walking all the way around the dump, Barney ended up lowering the Hand Truck and a basket of Glass Jars down from an overhanging tree.  It was very dangerous and he could have fallen to his death.

What was your least favourite part of the book?

To be honest I didn’t like the ending.  Although there was always doubt about whether Stig was real or not, the endings use of being whisked away to the Past was not believable. 

I would have preferred an explanation to who the Cave Boy really was.  Either a confused modern boy or a caveman who had come out of an Ice Coma.

How would you feel if you were the main character?

I would have loved to have been Barney.  When I was his age all I wanted to do was be out all day on mini adventures.  I can remember finding a box of matches when I was around 6 and instead of taking them home, we striked them all on a concrete wall. 

Is the story believable?

Yes (and No).  Building dens in an old Dump and running around all holiday making adventures is believable.   The time travel ending was not.

Describe a positive moral in the story?

The Snargets were very cheeky and mischievous brothers.  They were very competitive, got in to a lot of trouble and were probably just very bored.  Once they met their match with Stig and Barney they quickly calmed down and were friendly.

What advice would you give the main character?

Be careful!!!

Did you enjoy the book/would you change anything?

Yes, I read this at School and was looking forward to reading it again.  Stig is the perfect companion for a School Holiday

Additional thoughts/comments

I would have preferred a better explanation of why and how Stig was in the Dump and for it to have not gone “magical” at the end.  Also there were some parts where Barney seemed to forget that Stig was in the Dump which I thought was odd.