Whether it's a trip to the cinema, babysitting a youngster, being a page boy at a wedding, or running away from home to take a job below stairs, the 11-year old William Brown can always be relied on to create chaos and havoc wherever he goes. This short story collection (the first of 38 books) is a wonderful introduction to a classic character.

Having originally read the books perhaps 20 years ago, I picked up the boxed set of the first 10 of them at a bargain price (sadly no longer available) earlier this year but hadn't got round to opening it until earlier today due to a rather large backlog of books. Partly due to the upcoming TV series, I finally found the time to reread Just William today, and was immediately transported back to England in the 1920's. Crompton was brilliant at creating richly comic characters - notably William's older brother and sister, Robert and Ethel, along with the girl-next-door Joan and, of course, the scruffy, unkempt, hilarious title character himself. While I'd remembered the characters fondly, especially the dialogue (and William's habit of overriding objections with something rather unrelated followed by "I'm simply statin' a fact", or similar, which would probably make him fit right in as a modern teenager!) I'm not sure I ever appreciated as a child just how good Crompton's narration was. (A sample, on a rat that William's Outlaws have painted for a show they're holding. "It wore a bewildered expression, and occasionally licked its stripes, then obviously wished it hadn't.)

My childhood memories of the William books are that they were rather hit or miss - although I enjoyed them, I was always more of a Jennings fan myself. I'm not sure whether the series quality perhaps decreased later on, or whether I've been doing them a disservice, but this is definitely far more hit than miss. Particular stand outs are 'William the Intruder', in which William falls in love with the same girl as his brother Robert, 'The Show', which has the first of many hilarious moments from Mr Brown to round off an excellent story, and the first ever story 'The Outlaws', which sees William forced to look after a baby which he tells the rest of the Outlaws he's kidnapped in order to save face. Of course, things don't go according to plan in any of them, although there are a nice mixture of moments of triumph and despair for the youngster.

Very high recommendation to fans of Terry Deary, Roald Dahl and Anthony Buckeridge.

37 sequels so plenty to find if you're looking for more - the boxed set is well worth picking up if it becomes available again; my personal favourite in childhood were always the World War II books, which start with William and Air Raid Precuations and run through to William and the Brains Trust.

More information and a complete list of books can be found at http://just-william.net/richmal-crompton.php

I didn't read Just William as a child because I thought they would be too boyish, but having read and adored several of Richmal Crompton's adult books, I was more than intrigued by the series. Just William is told almost in a series of short stories, all of which feature the mischievous eleven-year-old William Brown, along with various friends and family members. I wish I had read this when I was younger; it is terribly amusing, and difficult to put down. A couple of the stories were familiar to me, so perhaps I had read those in anthologies. Just William is an incredibly fun book, which feels fresh and not at all old-fashioned; it certainly still holds appeal. I'm very much looking forward to William's further adventures.

When I finish a 1001 Children's Book You Must Read that is as wonderful as this book, I am happy to think I still have 408 more to read. William is a devil of a little boy, a Dennis the Menace, a Leave It to Beaver, a Henry Huggins. He drives his mother and father and sister and brother and aunt and cousin...everybody, in short, crazy with his antics.

Read for the Children's book challenge. I'd forgotten how episodic it was (I think the stories were originally published separately then collected together) and found there was very little continuity - e.g. it seemed particularly odd for the final chapter to describe how William obtained his dog, who he'd been playing with throughout the book. Fast, fun read, but don't feel particularly as though there's much to be gained from re-reading others in the series as an adult - they don't seem to stand up to a critical examination.

I don't know for sure, but I can't help thinking I'd probably have enjoyed this book more had I read it as a kid. As it is, William and co mostly irritated me.