Jim Starling
Encyclopedia
Jim Starling is the central character of a series of seven books for young people written by Edmund Wallace Hildick
. Each book in the series details an episode in the lives of four close friends, Jim, Terry, Nip and Goggles, who call themselves the Last Apple Gang. They are all pupils at a boy's secondary modern school in the town of "Smogbury" in the north of England: for example, going down to London to watch Burnley FC in the 1962 FA Cup
Final.
In order of publication, the books are
None of the books have been published since 1971.
, but others believed they stereotyped working-class childhood.
Edmund Wallace Hildick
Edmund Wallace Hildick was a prolific children's book author, who wrote under the name E. W. Hildick. He wrote, amongst others, the Ghost Squad, Jim Starling, Birdy Jones, Jack McGurk and Lemon Kelly series.- Background :...
. Each book in the series details an episode in the lives of four close friends, Jim, Terry, Nip and Goggles, who call themselves the Last Apple Gang. They are all pupils at a boy's secondary modern school in the town of "Smogbury" in the north of England: for example, going down to London to watch Burnley FC in the 1962 FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
Final.
In order of publication, the books are
- Jim Starling (1958)
- Jim Starling and the Agency (1958)
- Jim Starling and the Colonel (1960)
- Jim Starling's Holiday (1960)
- Jim Starling Takes Over (1963)
- Jim Starling and the Spotted Dog (1963)
- Jim Starling Goes To Town (1963)
None of the books have been published since 1971.
Assessment
During the time that they were readily available to young readers (in the children's section of the nation's public libraries)) opinion was sharply divided on the series' merit: some praised them for their social realismSocial realism
Social Realism, also known as Socio-Realism, is an artistic movement, expressed in the visual and other realist arts, which depicts social and racial injustice, economic hardship, through unvarnished pictures of life's struggles; often depicting working class activities as heroic...
, but others believed they stereotyped working-class childhood.