Terry
Pratchett,
Truckers
(Doubleday,
1989;)
in
English
The
first
rule
for
a
really
good
children's
book
is
that
it
appeals
to
adults
as
well
as
children.
The
second
rule
is
that
it
does
not
wink
broadly
over
the
heads
of
the
children
at
the
adults
to
whom
it
is
appealing.
In
Truckers,
the
first
of
his
Bromeliad
trilogy,
Terry
Pratchett
succeeds
admirably.
Masklin
is
a
nome
(not
a
g-nome),
a
small
person
about
four
inches
high
who
struggles
for
survival
with
about
nine
or
ten
other
nomes.
Aware
that,
apart
from
himself
and
the
feisty
Grimma,
most
of
the
nomes
are
advancing
in
age,
He
smuggles
everyone
aboard
a
truck,
not
knowing
where
they
are
going
but
figuring
that
anywhere
has
to
be
better
than
getting
by
on
nuts
and
rats
and
leavings
from
the
nearby
diner.
But
"anywhere"
turns
out
to
be
quite
a
surprise
indeed.
The
truck
brings
them
to
the
Store
--
Arnold
Bros.
(est.
1905),
to
be
precise,
hosts
an
enormous
population
of
nomes.
These
nomes
are
divided
into
families
according
to
their
departments,
such
as
the
Ironmongri,
the
Haberdasher,
the
Corsetri
and
so
one,
with
the
Stationeri
serving
as
the
scribes,
lectors,
and
priests
of
the
community.
The
Store
nomes
treat
the
"Outsiders"
with
suspicion
and
disdain
at
first.
But
Masklin
and
his
companions
are
in
possession
of
a
nomic
artifact:
the
Thing,
a
black
box
which,
when
placed
near
electricity,
is
able
to
communicate
with
the
nomes
for
the
first
time
in
15,000
years.
It
reveals
that
the
nomes
are
from
another
world
entirely,
descended
from
a
scouting
mission
gone
awry.
The
Thing
also
reveals
that
the
Store
is
on
the
brink
of
demolition.
It's
up
to
Masklin,
assisted
by
Grimma
and
an
assortment
of
other
nomes,
to
get
them
out
of
there.
In
order
to
do
that,
however,
he
has
to
think
big
--
really
big
--
along
the
lines
of,
say,
a
Mack
truck.
Pratchett
plies
his
usual
wry
humor
deliciously,
as
in
the
biblical-sounding
chapter
and
verses
of
the
Book
of
Nomes
which
begin
each
chapter,
the
Store
pantheon
which
includes
the
monster
Prices
Slashed,
the
goddess
Bargains
Galore,
and
the
main
deity
Arnold
Bros.
(est
1905)
or
the
role
of
garden
gnomes
in
Store
funerary
rites.
Masklin
takes
his
rightful
place
in
the
spectrum
of
reluctant,
much-put-upon
heroes
such
as
Arthur
Dent
and
Richard
Mayhew.
Grimma
is
a
feisty
foil,
and
the
other
nomes
round
out
the
cast
suitably.
There
plenty
of
suspense
laced
in
with
the
humor,
although
overall
Truckers
appeals
to
a
very
specific
appreciative
audience,
and
it
is
not
for
every
reader.
But
if
your
sense
of
humor,
or
that
of
your
favorite
young
reader,
runs
to
tongue-in-cheek,
understated
wit,
then
get
truckin'
and
get
yourself
a
copy
of
Truckers.
You
won't
regret
the
trek.
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Difficult
to
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