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The School Inspector Calls!
- Narrated by: Gervase Phinn
- Length: 12 hrs and 22 mins
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Genre Fiction
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Trouble at the Little Village School
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The second book in the delightful Barton-In-The-Dale series which began with The Little Village School. Elisabeth Devine certainly rocked the boat when she arrived in Barton-in-the-Dale to take over as head teacher of the little primary school. Now it's a new term, and after winning over the wary locals, she can finally settle in to her role. Or so she thinks... For the school is hit by a brand-new bombshell: it's to be merged with its arch rival, and Elisabeth has to fight for the headship with Urebank's ruthless and calculating headmaster. She has her work cut out for her.
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laugh out loud funny
- By judith on 08-10-13
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She was wearing red shoes! With silver heels! Elisabeth Devine causes quite a stir on her arrival in the village. No one can understand why the head of a big inner city school would want to come to sleepy little Barton-in-the-Dale, to a primary with more problems than school dinners. And that's not even counting the challenges the mysterious Elisabeth herself will face: a bitter former head teacher, a grumpy caretaker and a duplicitous chair of governors, to name but a few. Then there's the gossip.
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Gentle and enjoyable, but not riveting
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Gervase Phinn’s colourful characters have now become firm favourites – the mostly mad staff at County Hall and the children themselves, who find ways of embarrassing the school inspectors with innocent ease. We reconvene with Christine Bentley, head teacher of Winnery Nook School and now Gervase’s wife and mother of their son; the well-named Mrs Savage and not forgetting the Queen of the Clean – Connie.
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Nostalgia!
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For Gervase Phinn growing old is not about a leisurely walk to the pub for a game of dominoes or snoozing in his favourite armchair. As this sparkling collection of his very best humorous writing shows, he may be ‘out of the woods’ but he is certainly not ‘over the hill’.
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I loved this book
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Road to the Dales
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Gervase Phinn tells of a life full of happiness, conversation, music and books shared with his three siblings, mother and father. This book is a snapshot of growing up in Yorkshire in the 1950s – reminisce with Gervase, and share in his personal journey - of school days and holidays as well as his tentative steps into the adult world.
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Help with the ironing.
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Teacher, Teacher!
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It's 1977 and Jack Sheffield is appointed headmaster of a small village primary school in North Yorkshire. So begins Jack's eventful journey through the school year and his attempts to overcome the many problems that face him as a young and inexperienced headmaster. The many colourful characters include Ruby, the 20-stone caretaker with an acute spelling problem; a secretary who worships Margaret Thatcher; a villager who grows giant carrots; a barmaid/parent who requests sex lessons, and a five-year-old boy whose language is colourful in the extreme.
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Dull dull dull
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Trouble at the Little Village School
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The second book in the delightful Barton-In-The-Dale series which began with The Little Village School. Elisabeth Devine certainly rocked the boat when she arrived in Barton-in-the-Dale to take over as head teacher of the little primary school. Now it's a new term, and after winning over the wary locals, she can finally settle in to her role. Or so she thinks... For the school is hit by a brand-new bombshell: it's to be merged with its arch rival, and Elisabeth has to fight for the headship with Urebank's ruthless and calculating headmaster. She has her work cut out for her.
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laugh out loud funny
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The Little Village School
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Overall
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She was wearing red shoes! With silver heels! Elisabeth Devine causes quite a stir on her arrival in the village. No one can understand why the head of a big inner city school would want to come to sleepy little Barton-in-the-Dale, to a primary with more problems than school dinners. And that's not even counting the challenges the mysterious Elisabeth herself will face: a bitter former head teacher, a grumpy caretaker and a duplicitous chair of governors, to name but a few. Then there's the gossip.
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Gentle and enjoyable, but not riveting
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Gervase Phinn’s colourful characters have now become firm favourites – the mostly mad staff at County Hall and the children themselves, who find ways of embarrassing the school inspectors with innocent ease. We reconvene with Christine Bentley, head teacher of Winnery Nook School and now Gervase’s wife and mother of their son; the well-named Mrs Savage and not forgetting the Queen of the Clean – Connie.
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- Narrated by: Gervase Phinn
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Overall
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Performance
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For Gervase Phinn growing old is not about a leisurely walk to the pub for a game of dominoes or snoozing in his favourite armchair. As this sparkling collection of his very best humorous writing shows, he may be ‘out of the woods’ but he is certainly not ‘over the hill’.
-
-
I loved this book
- By T. Turner on 10-12-13
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Road to the Dales
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- By: Gervase Phinn
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Gervase Phinn tells of a life full of happiness, conversation, music and books shared with his three siblings, mother and father. This book is a snapshot of growing up in Yorkshire in the 1950s – reminisce with Gervase, and share in his personal journey - of school days and holidays as well as his tentative steps into the adult world.
-
-
Help with the ironing.
- By Joan on 14-04-13
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Teacher, Teacher!
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Overall
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It's 1977 and Jack Sheffield is appointed headmaster of a small village primary school in North Yorkshire. So begins Jack's eventful journey through the school year and his attempts to overcome the many problems that face him as a young and inexperienced headmaster. The many colourful characters include Ruby, the 20-stone caretaker with an acute spelling problem; a secretary who worships Margaret Thatcher; a villager who grows giant carrots; a barmaid/parent who requests sex lessons, and a five-year-old boy whose language is colourful in the extreme.
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Dull dull dull
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A joy to read or listen to.
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The year is 1969, and Jack Sheffield is a young teacher in need of a job. In a room full of 29 other newly qualified teachers, he's overjoyed when he's appointed to Heather View Primary. Jack is excited to start his first year there and to begin shaping young minds in a beautiful new location on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales. But Heather View isn't as idyllic as it first sounds.
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Brilliant - best yet.
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another brilliant book.
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Random House presents the audiobook edition of Happiest Days, written and read by Jack Sheffield. It’s 1986, and Jack Sheffield returns to Ragley village school for his 10th roller-coaster year as head teacher. It’s the year of Margaret Thatcher’s third election victory, Dynasty and shoulder pads, Neighbours and a Transformer for Christmas. And at Ragley-on-the-Forest School, a year of surprises is in store. Ruby the Caretaker finds happiness at last, Vera the Secretary makes an important decision, a new teacher is appointed and a disaster threatens the school. Meanwhile Jack receives unexpected news and is faced with the biggest decision of his career....
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the narrator is awful
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A new excitement comes to the village of Thrush Green when Harold Shoosmith, a distinguished bachelor who has chosen the village for his retirement, takes the corner house on the green. Harold is soon enmeshed in village politics and becomes involved in the private lives of his neighbours as well. His presence has a dramatic effect on Dimity Dean and Ella Bembridge and is the cause of a serious misunderstanding between the two friends.
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Very enjoyable
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The inspiration for the BBC series of the same name. Fresh out of Glasgow Veterinary College, to the young James Herriot 1930s Yorkshire seems to offer an idyllic pocket of rural life in a rapidly changing world. But from his erratic new colleagues, brothers Siegfried and Tristan Farnon, to incomprehensible farmers, herds of semiferal cattle, a pig called Nugent and an overweight Pekingese called Tricki Woo, James find he is on a learning curve as steep as the hills around him.
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Great story and narrator - terrible sound quality
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Starting Over
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It’s 1952, and Lily Briggs has just arrived in Ragley, ready to begin her first school year as a teacher at the village school. There to welcome her is John Pruett, who, after his years in the war, has settled into the role of headmaster. Tom Feather, the local bobby, is also on hand to make her feel at home up north. But Lily has a secret lurking in her past that threatens the new life she’s trying to build. Can she move forward and begin to love again? Only time will tell.
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Mrs Griffin Sends her Love
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From organising the school summer fete - 'Because of our inability to recognise our climatic shortcomings from the outset, arrangements for outdoor jollities get completely out of hand' - to the sometimes rather odd passions of childhood - 'I collect stones with holes in them' - Miss Read captures the essence of rural life, and in particular of village schools, as only she can.
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Miss Griffin Sends her Love
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The Market Square
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The first charming Caxley tale introduces the deep-rooted camaraderie between Septimus Howard, a calm and controlled man, and Bender North, a confident, successful but gruff ironmonger. Their argumentative sides often clash, displaying moments of fury and forgiveness with wonderful tenderness. Theirs is a friendship that survives misunderstandings, the tragedy of war, and the bitterness of loss. The story of their families continues through the generations. Read by June Barrie.
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A Typical Miss Read
- By Pam on 22-07-15
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Changing Times
- By: Jack Sheffield
- Narrated by: Jack Sheffield
- Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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For the residents of Ragley, the small Yorkshire village, the war is finally starting to feel like a distant memory. Gone are the days of rationing and sacrifice, replaced with the joys of spin-dryers and Beatlemania. But Lily Feather can’t quite forget the events of the war and the years that followed. Buried in her past remains a terrible secret from which she cannot escape but that still threatens her fragile family. After the death of their mother, her brother, Freddie, has come to depend on her and her husband, but their lives will soon change for ever.
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a lovely book
- By Susan W. on 20-11-20
Summary
The third Little Village School novel.
Summer has arrived in Barton-in-the-Dale and as a new term begins at the little primary school, it's not just the warm weather that's getting people hot under the collar.
Meetings with the teachers from Urebank School to discuss the merger are producing more than a few fireworks, a disruptive new pupil arrives, set to cause trouble, and a surprising staff love affair is exposed. There's also a big school production of The Wizard of Oz to organise as well as an impending visit from the Minister of Education.
Head teacher Elisabeth Devine certainly has her work cut out for her. And that's just some of the drama set to shake-up the village. Throw in a sprinkling of secrets, shocking revelations, old flames, new liaisons, psychics, weddings and misfortune...there's plenty to gossip about this term.
More from the same
What listeners say about The School Inspector Calls!
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Amazon Customer
- 09-11-14
Book three of three
Any additional comments?
Wish I had known this was the third book in the series. A good story however but would have been better if I had listened to the two previous books. I was left up in the air about what was to happen to some of the characters at the end of the book. I assume all will be revealed in the next book (or at least some of it).
4 people found this helpful
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- Flint
- 08-12-14
This is one that I will read again.
If you could sum up The School Inspector Calls! in three words, what would they be?
Inspiring, honest, captivating
What was one of the most memorable moments of The School Inspector Calls!?
The boy and the dog
Have you listened to any of Gervase Phinn’s other performances? How does this one compare?
This is good, I like this series of books and this is as good as the others I've read.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
No, that would be a bit of a marathon
Any additional comments?
I would recommend this book.
2 people found this helpful
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- woody46
- 20-08-18
all the Little village school books on audible.
I loved all three books. the narrator is excellent, the stories are lovely, I wish the next story was on Audible.
1 person found this helpful
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- v j goord
- 29-10-14
A enjoyable story told with geuine warmth
What made the experience of listening to The School Inspector Calls! the most enjoyable?
The authors love of his characters brought depth to an otherwise very simple tale of every day village life.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The School Inspector Calls!?
The relationship between the head teacher and her brightess pupil is beautifully written.
What does Gervase Phinn bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
As with any conversation based text the reader brings the characters to life in a way reading can never quite capture. Gervase does a wonderful job here.
1 person found this helpful
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- Mrs. Tracy J. Gill
- 05-04-21
Can’t wait for the next ones.
Loved this and I can’t wait for Audible to release the fourth and fifth books.
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- Mrs AE CASE
- 04-10-20
Fantasticfrom start to finish!
Once again so many laugh out loud moments along with tender heart wrenching ones too. Such believable characters. A joy to listen to from start to end and Highley recommended.
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- Michael O.
- 15-05-20
Loved it
Loved it I've listened to all 3 little village school books, it's a shame the last 2 books aren't on here, I'll have to get a hard copy, can't leave the story there!
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- Nick
- 30-04-20
Story of bad made good of love and trust
Story of small village headteacher and experiences dealing with troubled student. slow to get going but. Gets better as it goes along. title slightly misleading as school inspwctor is in story for very short time.
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- Glenys Robinson
- 30-06-19
Most enjoyable
i loved this book as I did the previous ones, have now purchased the next two on my Kindle
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- Susan Joy
- 11-07-18
Surprisingly good.
I loved this positive and engaging book. So full of hope and great characterisation. Humorous and poignancy abounded in this book.
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- Mark A Wilson-Thomas
- 11-03-16
Wonderful!
A gentle and moving tale of life in a small Yorkshire village told with giid humour and keen observation.
2 people found this helpful