Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again

Frank Cottrell Boyce (author)

Macmillan Children's Books, UK: Australian release 2011

ISBN: 9780330544191

Genres: adventure, fantasy

When Mr Tooting loses his job he is determined to see it as an opportunity (for invention and discovery) rather than a disaster. Unfortunately his inventions and discoveries begin to get on his family's nerves.

When his wife presents him with a 1966 campervan which is in a state of total disrepair and challenges him to restore it, it's more in the nature of a 'keep Dad busy' project than in any genuine belief that he might manage it. Mr Tooting doesn't do anything by halves so when he discovers a brilliant and oversized engine at the spare parts place, the campervan gets a new lease of life. The only problem is that the new engine seems to have a life – and personality – of its own. Before they know it the Tooting family find themselves on an action-packed world tour as their stubborn van dictates the course they take. It all seems fairly harmless – until they realise that the amazing engine seems to be on the hunt for some missing parts. And then there are those wings, which just seem to appear from nowhere...

Few people know that Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is not just a musical but was originally a children's book by Ian Fleming. True to the spirit of Fleming's work, and with the estate's permission, Boyce has written a wonderful adventure that introduces Chitty to a whole new generation. Frank Cottrell Boyce is a skilful writer with a delicious sense of the absurd. Perhaps best known for Millions, in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again Boyce has crafted a charming adventure story with a touch of the fantastical. Those familiar with the original novel will at first be puzzled as to how a campervan can be related to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang but hang in there, all becomes clear. Boyce has created as eccentric and unusual a cast of characters as in Fleming's original. The angst-ridden, bleak and pessimistic teenage girls are particularly funny, as Boyce reminds readers that people are not always as they appear. Altogether a celebration of individuality, imagination and the importance of family, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again is sure to appeal.

With any luck a film company will see its potential and we'll have another film to charm the children – although probably without the song and dance scenes that were part of the fun of the original musical.