Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Series #2)

by Frank Cottrell Boyce

Overview

Buckle your seatbelt for the first-ever follow up to Ian Fleming's only children's story.

When the Tooting family finds an old engine and fits it to their camper van, they have no idea what kind of adventure lies ahead. The engine used to belong to an extraordinary car . . . and it wants its bodywork back! But as the Tootings hurtle across the world rebuilding the original Chitty, a sinister baddie is on their trail — one who will stop at nothing to get the magnificent car for himself.

Fueled by wry humor , this much-anticipated sequel to the children’s classic by Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond — fe aturing a contemporary family and a camper van with a mind of its own — is driven by best-selling, award-winning author Frank Cottrell Boyce and revved up by Joe Berger’s black-and-white illustrations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780763659615
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	03/13/2012
Series:	Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Series , #2
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Lexile:	710L (what's this?)
File size:	7 MB
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Frank Cottrell Boyce is a writer of books for young readers, most notably Millions, winner of the Carnegie Medal, and Cosmic, which garnered six starred reviews. Both titles have been turned into films. He is also the author of The Unforgotten Coat. Frank Cottrell Boyce lives in England.

Joe Berger is an editorial cartoonist, animator, and illustrator. He has illustrated numerous books, including the Nosy Crow title Hubble Bubble Granny Trouble by Tracey Corderoy. Joe Berger lives in England.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Any sequel worth the name would require plenty of crackpot humor and absurd villains and a dose of magical realism, all of which happily burst from the pages of CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG FLIES AGAIN, a novel for 9- to 12-year-olds that puts the famous racing car in a modern setting… A jolly good ride.
—Wall Street Journal

Sir Ian Fleming’s heirs, who have commissioned numerous James Bond sequels, turned to Boyce to continue Fleming’s 1964 story CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG: THE MAGICAL CAR, and Boyce delivers... Berger adds comical artwork—he even sneaks in a diagram of Bond’s Aston Martin—creating a Chitty that any kid would be thrilled to own. This first volume in a planned trilogy is hilarious and endlessly entertaining.
—Publishers Weekly

Although the story is inventive and picturesque, with billionaire crooks, a visit to Madagascar, and a guest appearance on a French reality show called Car Stupide, most of the humor in this very funny novel is a result of the family’s interactions with one another. Berger’s lively cartoon illustrations depict each phase of Chitty’s reincarnation in loving detail and bring the resourceful Tootings to life... A witty sequel.
—School Library Journal

Editorial Reviews

Gr 3–6—The Tootings are your average 21st-century British nuclear family: there's Dad, recently laid off from his job assembling tiny things; Mum, who works at Unbeatable Motoring Bargains; Lucy, a teen always clad in black; Jem, who tries to keep his head down; and Little Harry, the youngest. To distract Dad, who suddenly has too much time on his hands and is driving everyone crazy, Mum brings home a decrepit pop-top 1966 camper van for him to fix up. When he and Jem find a giant old engine at a junkyard and install it in the vehicle, suddenly it has a mind of its own—not to mention a pair of green and chrome wings that may be familiar to some readers. Although the story is inventive and picturesque, with billionaire crooks, a visit to Madagascar, and a guest appearance on a French reality show called Car Stupide, most of the humor in this very funny novel is a result of the family's interactions with one another. Occasional British terms ("lift," "motorway"), while initially puzzling, are quickly made clear by the context. Berger's lively cartoon illustrations depict each phase of Chitty's reincarnation in loving detail and bring the resourceful Tootings to life. This witty sequel to Ian Fleming's 1964 novel stands on its own equally well—Paula Willey, Baltimore County Public Library, Towson, MD

School Library Journal

Sir Ian Fleming’s heirs, who have commissioned numerous James Bond sequels, turned to Boyce (Cosmic) to continue Fleming’s 1964 story Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: The Magical Car, and Boyce delivers: this follow-up outshines the original. The only returning character is the car, and the book’s spirit (surreal craziness) is much closer to Roald Dahl’s 1968 screenplay than it is to Fleming’s novel. In place of Caractacus Potts and Co. are the Tootings, a modern, multiracial family with three children—Goth Lucy, practical Jem, and baby Harry. After Tom Tooting loses his job, his wife buys him a broken-down camper van, which he and Jem renovate, unknowingly fitting it with an engine from Count Zborowski’s famous racecar. Adventures ensue as the van takes the Tootings around the world to collect the rest of its lost parts; the story doesn’t end so much as set up the next installment. Berger adds comical artwork—he even sneaks in a diagram of Bond’s Aston Martin—creating a Chitty that any kid would be thrilled to own. This first volume in a planned trilogy is hilarious and endlessly entertaining. Ages 9–12. Agent: Zoe Pagnamenta, the Zoe Pagnamenta Agency. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

Sir Ian Fleming’s heirs, who have commissioned numerous James Bond sequels, turned to Boyce to continue Fleming’s 1964 story CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG: THE MAGICAL CAR, and Boyce delivers... Berger adds comical artwork—he even sneaks in a diagram of Bond’s Aston Martin—creating a Chitty that any kid would be thrilled to own. This first volume in a planned trilogy is hilarious and endlessly entertaining.
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Although the story is inventive and picturesque, with billionaire crooks, a visit to Madagascar, and a guest appearance on a French reality show called Car Stupide, most of the humor in this very funny novel is a result of the family’s interactions with one another. Berger’s lively cartoon illustrations depict each phase of Chitty’s reincarnation in loving detail and bring the resourceful Tootings to life... A witty sequel.
—School Library Journal (starred review)

Boyce’s modernized sequel to Ian Fleming’s classic faithfully reflects the elements of the original, and the nods to Fleming’s book and the subsequent movie make this retread of the ultimate family road trip even more enjoyable... The Tootings, however, hold their own when it comes to aptitude for zany adventures, so even readers with no knowledge of Dick Van Dyke or Truly Scrumptious will want to tag along for the family’s run-ins with car-obsessed thieves, giant squids, and rogue spies. Berger’s energetic line-and-wash illustrations depict a thoroughly modern biracial family, completing the successful retooling of a beloved classic. Mr. Potts would be proud.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Unlike other trendy returns to classic British stories, this isn’t a narrative sequel to Ian Fleming’s 1964 children’s book. Rather, the esteemed Boyce revisits the general concept of auto-aerial exploits as their camper van, rehabbed with a mysterious old engine found in a junkyard tree, flies the Tootings across the globe, dodging evildoers and reassembling itself with missing pieces, such as headlights from the Eiffel Tower. The tone is contemporary, becoming much more Lemony Snickety as the plot progresses. The novel stands on its own as a satisfying, fresh family adventure, and readers will look forward to two forthcoming volumes.
—Booklist

Ian Fleming's strong-minded auto takes a new road trip, and if its passengers are largely just along for the ride, it's still a grand outing... The old racer's still good for another lap-and maybe more.
—Kirkus Reviews

Any sequel worth the name would require plenty of crackpot humor and absurd villains and a dose of magical realism, all of which happily burst from the pages of CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG FLIES AGAIN, a novel for 9- to 12-year-olds that puts the famous racing car in a modern setting… A jolly good ride.
—Wall Street Journal

Frank Cottrell Boyce creates a fitting tribute to the Ian Fleming classic with this companion volume starring the loving Tooting tribe and a family camper with a will of its own... Boyce makes the family dynamics the greatest source of humor in a book the whole family can enjoy. A clever homage...
—Shelf Awareness

This diverting read moves right along, thanks to the deadpan humor and warm relationships.
—Disney FamilyFun

From the Publisher

Ian Fleming's strong-minded auto takes a new road trip, and if its passengers are largely just along for the ride, it's still a grand outing. Powering the decrepit camper van that Mr. Tooting is restoring with a massive engine that he finds in the branches of a tree turns out to be like "putting the heart of a Tyrannosaurus rex into a hamster." When he, his wife and their children, Lucy, Jeremy (Jem) and little Harry, climb aboard to take a spin, they find themselves not only roaring down back roads at terrifying speeds but soaring off over the Channel. Chitty, it soon becomes clear, has an agenda: It seems that its headlights have been repurposed atop the Eiffel Tower, its wheels are buried near the Sphinx and its body has somehow washed ashore in Madagascar. Along the way, Cottrell Boyce folds in winking references to the 1964 original and its author (including a certain heavily armed Aston Martin DB5 that James Bond fans will recognize). He also trots in strangely familiar would-be carnappers Tiny Jack and his unctuous but deadly Nanny, along with the odd giant squid or horde of poisonous spiders to keep the Tooting children on their toes. The book ends with Chitty Chitty Bang Bang back together, poised for further outings. Berger depicts the Tootings as a biracial family but otherwise adds to the tale's antique flavor with frequent, retro ink-and-wash drawings. The old racer's still good for another lap—and maybe more. (afterword). (Fantasy. 10-12)

Kirkus Reviews