William the Outlaw

I think that this seventh book was particularly inspired. At least I enjoyed it more than the previous ones, although the themes are of course similar. However, the confusion and chaos caused by William and his friends, sometimes unwittingly and sometimes on purpose, was particularly funny here. William, of course, is a force of nature, always impervious to any attempt to civilize him and make him conform. He is not bad, he just follows his own logic and ethics, which make perfect sense to him but are incomprehensible for his long-suffering family and other adults.

I read the William books as a child, and despite being an obnoxiously well behaved child, I still wanted to think of myself as an "Outlaw".

I would recommend them to anyone of such an age. I think they are genuinely improving. Certainly my memory of William, as of the Swallows and Amazons, provides a well buried counter to my natural inclination towards the effete.

William also provides a good lesson in free will, independent spirit and free thought. Which cannot hurt. (Unless you wanted to make an extreme reading of the William stories as a prop to the capitalist establishment...)