M.G. Harris was born in Mexico City and grew up in Frankfurt, Germany and Manchester, England.

While recovering from a skiing accident in 2004, she began writing what was to become The Invisible City, the first book of the young adult series of novels, The Joshua Files.

To promote the third book of the series, Zero Moment, MG is undertaking an acrostic book tour, talking about her literary passions, and influences. Each tour stop, takes its title from a letter in the title Zero Moment. I’m MG’s third stop, which would means this post was bought to you by the letter ‘R’ and an ‘11-year old boy called William…’

When I’m asked what my favourite children’s book is, I answer ‘William’s Crowded Hours’ – one of Richmal Crompton’s many volumes of short stories about 11-year old William Brown: ‘Just William’.

I particularly enjoyed the short-story format as a child. It’s a shame that there’s so much pressure to read and write novels these days. Some characters don’t necessarily translate well to the longer arc of a novel, with its demand for some kind of emotional, heroic journey. But in a short they can shine for a few moments of humour, whimsy and even tenderness.

If you’ve never read William, I’d recommend ‘Just William’, ‘Crowded Hours’ ‘William and the Tramp’ as particular gems. The writing, even now, is fresh, sharp and wickedly funny.

William Brown is forever 11-years old, throughout the 1930s, 40s, 50s. He’s the well-intentioned, good-hearted mischievous boy, a progenitor of Bart Simpson. William exists in a permanent pre-adolescent childhood, creating havoc in his small-village often small-minded, conservative, middle-class world. Hemmed in by village society and its mores, William dreams of adventure in the world beyond. In his mind he is a smuggler, pirate, thief, cowboy, detective, a heroic rescuer of damsels in distress.

William is no Don Quixote, half-mad with fantastic notions of chivalry. William inhabits his world with a solidity that keeps his feet on the ground. He knows exactly where the line between fantasy and reality lies. He’s a Real Boy. In one effort to outdo a male rival, William tells a pretty young girl that he’s a magician so powerful he can order a roomful of food appear. Then he’s smart enough to fling open the doors of a village hall where he perfectly well knows that cakes have been laid out for a baking contest, whilst humbly accepting her gasps of amazement.

Yet like Don Quixote, William’s heart is truly noble. His grip on reality is strong enough for his nerve to falter when trapped in a field with an actual bull – even though he’s told a girl that he can tame bulls. Unlike his boastful male rival, William doesn’t flee. For once, he is truly tested – and passes with flying colours. A story like this defines his unique character, elevates him to the true adventurer he believes himself to be.

The stories are often laugh-out-loud funny. In one story William is given a huge bar of milk chocolate as a reward. Chocolate being rationed at the time, William is thrilled and gobbles it up, until he’s almost sick. “Thanks awfully,” he tells his benefactor sincerely, “It’s been AGES since I felt sick from milk chocolate.” In another William and his gang must report to an aggressive neighbour’s house to beg for their ball after breaking a summerhouse. The doorstep isn’t wide enough for all four boys to face the door at the same level. So scrupulous is their sense of fairness that no boy is made to take more chance of being hit when the neighbour confronts them. Instead, the boys line up side-on, crammed against each other so tightly that they can’t even turn their heads to face the door. When the maid opens the door, they stare furiously ahead, totally unable to look at her as they ask for the mean neighbour.

I can’t read that bit to my daughter without cracking up.

The title of this post mentioned Richmal Crompton – a writer I greatly admire. The more you read, the more you appreciate her dry wit, her gentle satire of the English rural middle class of that time, her appreciation of what is best in youthful masculinity. Bravery, nobility, physical endurance. Yet William also fully appreciates females and especially respects beauty and bravery in a girl.

How cool is it that such a wonderful, funny, unashamedly macho young hero was created by a woman. She’s an example to us all!

Visit prior stops, and follow the rest of the tour!

Z is for Zany Orange Puffles and social networking sites for children here at mgharris.net (30 March)
E is for Elektra Assassin – the baddest comic book grrl ever at bookzone4boys.blogspot.com (31 March)
R is for Richmal Crompton and the genius of Just William at bartsbookshelf.co.uk (5 April)
O is for Om nom nom – the nommity meme at chicklish.co.uk (8 April)
M is for Mayan myths in popular culture (2012 and all that) at scribblecitycentral.blogspot.com 13 April)
O is for One Hundred Years Of Solitude – a bluffers guide at theviewfromheremagazine.com (19 April)
M is for Motivating your characters – the secret to success? here at mgharris.net (23 April)
E is for Everything I Know About Plotting I Learned From Aristotle at myfavouritebooks.blogspot.com (28 April)
N is for Numbers in the Dark by Italo Calvino – a short story collection review at nextread.co.uk (1 May)
T is for Ten Things That Helped me Get Published at howpublishingreallyworks.blogspot.com (5 May)