A journey around the world in song! The music is very varied and colourful, and the show is well suited to a large cast, making it an excellent whole school or end of year production. Three classes of 7 - 9year olds performed 'The Button Box'. We all thoroughly enjoyed teaching the songs, rehearsing the dances and learning the words. The beauty of the way it is written is that it is so adaptable. Every child (about 90 in all) had a part and we were able to share out scenes and songs between classes which made rehearsing easier. Many thanks. So Appealing. But, if you’re like me, and have been reading King for 30 years now (and I’m only now 40!) and love the way he tells a story and how his worlds all get intermingled, this will right up your alley. I say this not to disrespect or lesson Chizmar here. In truth, this book most likely wouldn’t exist if Richard hadn’t pushed to continue Gwendy’s story in book two and the two author work and write seamlessly together. The children really enjoyed singing and performing 'The Button Box'. When they came off stage they were elated with the performance. Energize this year had all the outcomes of the project that we were looking for, children and staff from different schools working together on a performance project that brought together some of the Wycombe community. Possibly the worst thing I've ever read with Stephen King's name attached to it. I cannot conceive of how he could be proud or happy to see his name on the cover of this steaming pile of shit.

To Gwendy it was relearning an old lesson. No matter how careful you were, no matter how good your intentions, the button box always extracted its due. One maybe “complaint” is that this book gets very political. I didn’t used to have an issue with politics in books, but after the past few years I am exhausted by it and want my books to be an escape. You are definitely not escaping modern political opinions in this one. I am not going to focus on which side of things the politics fall in this book (I am bet all of you probably can guess which way they fall) because all of it exhausts me! We really enjoyed our stay at the button box , the only improvement would be a small chest of drawers as nowhere to store toiletries bag , books etc otherwise it was very comfortable and the provisions left were much appreciated and thank you to the owner for promptly sorting the wi fi for us ."Norma and Arthur argue over Steward's offer, complicated by the news that their son Walter's private school, where Norma teaches, will no longer provide a discount for his tuition. They open the box to discover it is 'just a bunch of wood', and Arthur chastises Norma for her fear, but no decision is made before they go to sleep. We have recently performed The Button Box as our end of term play and I would just like to say how wonderful it was! I am a Y6 teacher and my class absolutely loved the storyline and parts to this play (we even had to create some extra parts using the ideas within the songs!). We had 3 performances in total and they were all fantastic - we had many lovely comments from parents and relatives about the production.’ We believe this is one of our most successful productions to date. The flexibility of the songs and dramatic content was perfect for us.The children loved the variety of songs and musical styles. Ending made me sad as expected but I always cry when something is too good eventually runs out of its own time. I’m saying goodbye to this brilliant trilogy with misty eyes and highly recommend to you read each book, enjoy the talents of the authors!

Decades later, Gwendy has taken on many other responsibilities in life including as a sitting US senator, as well as being prominent around her home state of Maine. When she is asked to join a space mission, she is eager to see what that will mean and how she might be able to influence those around her. The Button Box was the perfect show for our Primary 4's to perform this year! The children absolutely loved the story and the songs. We all had a wonderful time rehearsing the production and the audience thoroughly enjoyed the performances. I would definitely recommend this show to other schools and I would love to do it again in the future. Our favourite song was 'Belly Button Boogie', we even had the audience joining in on the last night!’The final book in the New York Times bestselling Gwendy’s Button Box trilogy from Stephen King and Richard Chizmar. We've just finished our performances of 'The Button Box'. It was my second time doing your show and once again it was a huge success. The structure of it works so well for a primary school production. I have recommended it to other teacher friends, and last term there were 2 other local schools also doing it in the same week as us! We had approx 300 students to accommodate and 'The Button Box' works perfectly for a large cast. You can easily have around 20 kids in each scene and they all get their special moment on stage (parents are very thankful for this too!!) - rather than just walking on and off again in 2 seconds. I would definitely be keen to use more of your plays - this show is light-hearted, warm and very enjoyable for teachers and children to work on. Every night the audience walked out humming the tunes, so that's always a good sign! Loved it!

A short walk takes you into the centre of Golcar offering friendly pubs, all serving a range of food.

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This is the fourth Starshine production we have done and they just keep getting better and better!!! There are 26 children in our class which is year 5 and 6. The children had 4 weeks to learn it after SATs. They choreographed their own dances, thought of the accessories to go with each scene, to keep it simple yet effective, and made their own posters and programmes to advertise the perfomance! The children loved it and they performed it for our local senior citizens and had a night time performance which was attended by 76 people. I am a teaching assistant in our school and I am so proud of all the children's efforts that they put into this performance. Such A Quality Product. The access to the cottage is along a lane that the neterance to is right on the corner of the street and is a tight turn into the laneso can be a bit daunting. There is nowhere to put clothes so living out the suitcase but that's OK. The only downside is the shower is tiny and difficult to get into if you are a bit large. The owners left us everything we needed to start us off milk,bread,butter,jam,tea,coffee and sugar which I thought was very thoughtfull,we enjoyed our week and the only reason we would not return was the area was too hilly for me as i am partially disabled.the ramp up to the property was very useful. Then, in 2022, King returned with Chizmar to tell the ending and boy, let me tell you, this is a definitive ending, but also an emotional rollercoaster.

Finally, the story's resolution draws on an eminently predictable Chekhov’s Gun situation, one which in the grand scheme is silly. Another couple is offered the same box. They also decide to press the button; at the same time, Arthur shoots Norma while embracing her, and Walter is healed from his condition. It is implied that this mysterious offer will continue among other couples in the future. Arcade Fire's Butler Talks Miroir Noir, The Box Score". Pitchfork Media. Archived from the original on December 23, 2008 . Retrieved December 23, 2008. When authors are able to work well together, the fruits of their labour are usually beneficial for the reader. Such is the case here, with Stephen King and Richard Chizmar. Both have established themselves before and bring this renewed connection to craft a strong story for all to enjoy. A great narrative pushes things forward, never sure where things will go, and the characters are usually quite unique. King and Chizmar keep the reader guessing with twists in the narrative, such that there is little time to rest and ponder, as something is always happening. Short chapters serve as teasers, while longer ones develop the storyline effectively. While there was a great deal of jumping around to provide context for Gwendy Peterson’s life, it is done properly and proves easy for the reader to follow throughout. It is sad to see the series end, but I wonder if this is the last we have seen of the King-Chizmar team! Don’t worry, I would never spoil anything for you but my goodness, I was blown away by this novel. This was a unique way to end this trilogy as it’s a story within a story on top of finally understanding what this whole button box is all about. If you are a fellow Constant Reader, you will LOVE what is revealed from King’s Universe in this one. I’ll leave it at that but let’s just say you will be delighted with what awaits. Especially if you enjoy clowns.Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums. Very easy to deliver - the children wanted to sing the songs - I incorporated the Infants and they loved it!’