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The Flying Classroom

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( 5,673 ratings, 291 reviews)
Brief Description
'Walter Trier's deceptively innocent drawings are as classic as Kästner's words; I never tire of them' Quentin Blake 'Atmospheric... bittersweet... a memorable exploration of bravery, boyhood and friendships' Wall Street Journal Martin's school is not the ordinary kind. There are snowball fights, kidnappings, cakes, a parachute... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
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"First published in German as Das fliegende Klassenzimmer in 1935 by Atrium Verlan AG, Zèurich"--Title page verso.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description
'Walter Trier's deceptively innocent drawings are as classic as Kästner's words; I never tire of them' Quentin Blake

'Atmospheric... bittersweet... a memorable exploration of bravery, boyhood and friendships' Wall Street Journal

Martin's school is not the ordinary kind. There are snowball fights, kidnappings, cakes, a parachute jump, a mysterious man who lives in a railway carriage, and a play about a flying classroom.

As the Christmas holidays draw near, Martin is preparing for the end of term festivities along with his friends: nervous Uli, cynical Sebastian, poetic Johnny, and Matthias, who is always hungry (particularly after a meal). But surprises, sadness, and trouble are on the way - and a secret that changes everything.

The Flying Classroom is a magical, thrilling, and bittersweet story about friendship, fun, and being brave even when you are scared.

Part of the new Pushkin Children's Classics series of thrilling, magical and inspiring stories from around the world, which young readers will return to time and again.

Translated by Anthea Bell.

Erich Kästner, writer, poet, and journalist, was born in Dresden in 1899. His first children's book, Emil and the Detectives, was published in 1929 and has since sold millions of copies around the world and been translated into around 60 languages. After the Nazis took power in Germany, Kästner's books were burnt and he was excluded from the writers' guild. He won many awards, including the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Award in 1960. He died in 1974.

Walter Trier was born in Prague in 1880. After moving to Berlin, he became an acclaimed cartoonist and illustrator, and Kästner's collaborator on more than a dozen children's books. Forced to emigrate under Nazi rule, he died in 1951 in Ontario, Canada.

Anthea Bell was born in Suffolk in 1936. An illustrious, award-winning translator, she was best known for her translations of the much-loved Asterix books and the work of Zweig and Sebald. She died in 2018.

Series: Pushkin Children’s Classics

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781782694656

Publisher: Pushkin Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 25 September 2025

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Pushkin Children's Books

Contributors:

  • Illustrated by Walter Trier
  • Translated by Anthea Bell

Audience: General / adult, Children

DIMENSIONS

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 300g

Pages: 160

About the Author

Erich Kästner, writer, poet and journalist, was born in Dresden in 1899. His first children's book, Emil and the Detectives, was published in 1929 and has since sold millions of copies around the world and been translated into around 60 languages. After the Nazis took power in Germany, Kästner's books were burnt and he was excluded from the writers' guild. He won many awards, including the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Award in 1960. He died in 1974.

Walter Trier was born in Prague in 1880. After moving to Berlin, he became an acclaimed cartoonist and illustrator, and Kästner's collaborator on more than a dozen children's books. Forced to emigrate under Nazi rule, he died in 1951 in Ontario, Canada.

Anthea Bell was born in Suffolk in 1936. An illustrious, award-winning translator, she was best known for her translations of the much-loved Asterix books and the work of Zweig and Sebald. She died in 2018.

Also by Erich Kästner

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