I so clearly remember seeing Ellen Conford’s books on the shelves in the young adult section of my childhood public library. I didn’t read many of them, since they seemed so dated, even in the early 90s, but the ones I did read - If This is Love, I'll Take Spaghetti and I Love You, I Hate You, Get Lost became instant favorites. On a recent trip to the used bookstore, I knew I wanted to look for some more Conford books, and I was pleased to discover one of her earliest books, Me and the Terrible Two, which was originally published in 1974.
When Dorrie’s best friend moves to Australia, twin boys named Haskell and Conrad move in next door. They’re Dorrie’s age, and in her grade at school, but instead of being “very nice people” as her mother suggests, they are completely obnoxious. They impersonate Dracula while hanging upside down from trees. They sing and bang hammers early in the morning. They threaten Dorrie’s dog. And worst of all, Dorrie is assigned to the same group as Haskell for a Children’s Book Week project The project, though, is a lot more fun than she expected, and both Haskell and Conrad may not be all that they seem after all.
This quick read is now 38 years old, and its pop culture references, not to mention the fashion depicted in the illustrations by Charles Carroll definitely place it firmly in the 1970s. Girls are shown wearing bell bottoms and oversize blouses. There is mention of Shirley Jones (of Partridge Family fame) in the very first chapter, and several mentions of John Wayne (who was still alive then) in Chapter Two. When the group project - a newspaper - gets underway, it also becomes very clear how much technology has changed for kids in the last few decades. Kids today don’t know a time without Microsoft Word and the Internet, and might be surprised by all the extra work the characters have to do to create a newspaper without those things.
One thing did ring very true from own childhood, though. When the teacher takes attendance on the first day of school every kid says, “Here” when his name is called, except for Haskell, who says, “Present.” I can remember that happening quite often in elementary school, and reading this scene in a book that was published 8 years before I was even born makes me wonder if that tradition still continues today, and how such a thing even gets passed down.
All in all, this book is definitely a relic of a time gone by. Even without the obvious dated references, its style and tone differ pretty strongly from contemporary titles, and the school environment portrayed in the story also feels very old-fashioned. It’s a great nostalgic read, though, and I really enjoyed revisiting Conford’s light and humorous prose. Me and the Terrible Two is out of print, but some Ellen Conford works are still available, including many titles in the Jenny Archer and Annabel the Actress series.
I purchased Me and the Terrible Two from my local used bookstore.
For more about this book, visit Goodreads and 0 Comments on Old School Sunday: Review: Me and the Terrible Two by Ellen Conford as of 1/1/1900