Status
Available
Local notes
Fic Ken
Collection
Series
Publication
Harcourt, Brace & World, (1959), 221 pages
Description
A handful of Minnipins, a sober and sedate people, rise up against the Periods, the leading family of an isolated mountain valley, and are exiled to a mountain where they discover that the ancient enemies of their people are preparing to attack.
Subjects
Awards
Sequoyah Book Award (Nominee — Children's — 1962)
William Allen White Children's Book Award (Nominee — 1961-1962)
Newbery Medal (Honor Book — 1960)
Vermont Golden Dome Book Award (Nominee — 1960-1961)
Ohioana Book Award (Winner — Juvenile Literature — 1960)
Notable Children's Book (1960)
Original publication date
1959
Physical description
221 p.; 7.7 inches
User reviews
LibraryThing member atimco
The Gammage Cup is the story of the Minnipins, a nice little folk who live in the protective circle of the Mountains. As the story opens, a female Minnipin named Muggles (yes, Muggles, J. K. Rowling!) is being drawn into an unplanned revolt. For hundreds of years the imhabitants of
This Newbery Honor book was published over fifty years ago, and it reflects its time. The Minnipins have no qualms about going to battle against the Mushrooms, who are depicted as ugly, smelly, and completely evil. In the end they are exterminated by the brave Minnipins, who have been united by the common enemy. After the battle the Minnipins agree to allow for more individuality in their society: you can wear whatever color you want and paint your door however you please. You just can't be a Mushroom; that is, bent on destroying Slipper-on-the-Water. It's easy to cast a cynical eye over this and read all kinds of messages into it, but I think a case can be made either way.
Mark Dunn's Ella Minnow Pea appears to have borrowed rather heavily from The Gammage Cup. Both stories feature isolated communities that idolize their founders and are ruled by a powerful elite class. A major theme in both is the way ordinary people deal with totalitarian rule. In Slipper-on-the-Water, it's a color thing; you are only allowed to wear certain colors, doors must be painted green, etc. In Ella Minnow Pea, the rules are about which letters of the alphabet one may use. In both stories, it is a young, unimportant person who leads the resistance and saves the day.
There are fun little maxims and rhymes scattered throughout the story, like "It is easier to lure a fish than to hit it over the head with a club" and "The turtle whose head / Is within his shell / Thinks the world outside / Is going well." Children would find these delightful; I enjoyed them, but not wildly.
In some ways this is very much a miniature Middle-earth, with Mushrooms for Orcs and Minnipins for hobbits, and funny little folk-rhymes and sayings throughout as hints of the culture. It also contains odd little seeds of the Harry Potter world, like "Muggles" and other things. Perhaps I would have loved it as a child, but it didn't work so well for me as an adult. Ultimately it leaves me feeling rather detached.
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Slipper-on-the-Water have lived simple lives, revering their founder and honoring his descendants, the Periods. But new pieces of history have been discovered, presenting facts that are very different from the prescribed history. It's difficult to buck tradition in a place like Slipper-on-the-Water. But what if the Minnipins are in grave danger?This Newbery Honor book was published over fifty years ago, and it reflects its time. The Minnipins have no qualms about going to battle against the Mushrooms, who are depicted as ugly, smelly, and completely evil. In the end they are exterminated by the brave Minnipins, who have been united by the common enemy. After the battle the Minnipins agree to allow for more individuality in their society: you can wear whatever color you want and paint your door however you please. You just can't be a Mushroom; that is, bent on destroying Slipper-on-the-Water. It's easy to cast a cynical eye over this and read all kinds of messages into it, but I think a case can be made either way.
Mark Dunn's Ella Minnow Pea appears to have borrowed rather heavily from The Gammage Cup. Both stories feature isolated communities that idolize their founders and are ruled by a powerful elite class. A major theme in both is the way ordinary people deal with totalitarian rule. In Slipper-on-the-Water, it's a color thing; you are only allowed to wear certain colors, doors must be painted green, etc. In Ella Minnow Pea, the rules are about which letters of the alphabet one may use. In both stories, it is a young, unimportant person who leads the resistance and saves the day.
There are fun little maxims and rhymes scattered throughout the story, like "It is easier to lure a fish than to hit it over the head with a club" and "The turtle whose head / Is within his shell / Thinks the world outside / Is going well." Children would find these delightful; I enjoyed them, but not wildly.
In some ways this is very much a miniature Middle-earth, with Mushrooms for Orcs and Minnipins for hobbits, and funny little folk-rhymes and sayings throughout as hints of the culture. It also contains odd little seeds of the Harry Potter world, like "Muggles" and other things. Perhaps I would have loved it as a child, but it didn't work so well for me as an adult. Ultimately it leaves me feeling rather detached.
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LibraryThing member TadAD
One of the best young adult fantasy books ever written.
LibraryThing member jennorthcoast
I read this book as an adult and love its originality, creativity and simple themes of individuality, teamwork and friendship. I remember smiling when I read Rowling's "Muggle" reference and thinking she may have been influenced by this wonderful book.
LibraryThing member wrena
This is probably my favorite book from my youth. Great read for a child who feels like a square peg in a round hole. For some reason I had attributed another title to this book and so for years couldn't find it. As an adult, it still stands up to my memory. I love this book. I'm only sorry that Ms.
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Rowling has used Muggles to have a negative context since to me it will always mean "strong woman who stands up for what she believes in." Show Less
LibraryThing member linda-irvine
This is one of the first books I remember reading as a little girl. Her descriptions of collecting watercress by the streams has stuck with me into adulthood. This is one of my most beloved books.
LibraryThing member antiquary
One of my favorite books as a child, though as an adult I see it as an example of an overall philosophy I distrust, that the oddballs are better than conventional people. Still, these are particularly nice oddballs, and one of them (Walter the Earl) is odd because he loves history, which always has
The author was a friend and correspondent of my mother's, and the wife of Paul Murray Kendall, known for his life of Richard III and other 15th century scholarship.
Another advantage of the book is that it is illustrated by the clean, witty line drawings, who also did The Amazing Vacation and the Edward Eager books --apparently he was HBJ's house illustrator for this kind of book at the time, and a worthy match for the English Pauline Baynes who illustrated CSL and Tolkien.
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appealed to me. The plot manages to arrange very satisfyingly that his historical researches save his people from their ancient enemies (in that one way, and no other, being like the first of the Pern books). The author was a friend and correspondent of my mother's, and the wife of Paul Murray Kendall, known for his life of Richard III and other 15th century scholarship.
Another advantage of the book is that it is illustrated by the clean, witty line drawings, who also did The Amazing Vacation and the Edward Eager books --apparently he was HBJ's house illustrator for this kind of book at the time, and a worthy match for the English Pauline Baynes who illustrated CSL and Tolkien.
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LibraryThing member electrascaife
Meh. Reads like someone read The Hobbit and became poorly inspired to write her own version: smallish people (Minnipins) who live predictable lives and who generally shun difference; a small group of these folk (who are deemed different and so are banished) go off on their own on a quest of sorts
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and stumble onto magic swords that light up when the Mushroom People (human-like creatures who live in the mountains) attack, and so on. And written by someone who is no Tolkien. Yoicks. Show Less
LibraryThing member mutantpudding
One of my favorite books as a kid and I still love it. Solid and fun fantasy novel that I highly recommend as comfort food with a dash of excitement.
LibraryThing member EstherFilbrun
I read this book years ago for school, and really enjoyed it. There’s something about the simplicity in this story, combined with typical human nature and a small group of people that worked to save the rest, that is appealing and just plain fun to read about. I think Carol Kendall had a lot of
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fun writing this story, and I know my siblings and I certainly had a lot of fun reading it together recently! If you enjoy fantasy with a twist, this would be an excellent choice. There’s a lot to love here! Show Less
LibraryThing member mmparker
The Hobbit, by JK Rowling. There's nothing particularly original here, but it's a mostly-gentle, warm, funny little story.
Other editions
The Gammage cup by Carol Kendall (Paperback)
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Pages
221