Conrad the Factory Made Boy

Story

One day Mrs Bartolotti received a surprise in the post. She was quite used to surprises because she is very forgetful, but this was the biggest surprise of all! She received Conrad, a factory made child who is perfect and never does anything wrong. The men at the factory realise they sent the factory made boy to the wrong place they try and take him back. Conrad doesn’t want to go so Mrs Bartolotti hatches a plan…

Why we chose it

A comedy for parents and children, where it is the child who is perfectly behaved while his adoptive mother is scatty and chaotic

Where it came from

Christine Nöstlinger played with expectations of adults and the true nature of children in most of her stories but especially in Conrad the Factory Made Boy.

Where it went next

This story won the Hans Christian Andersen Award, highest recognition available to a writer or illustrator of children's books, in 1984.

Associated stories

Christine Nöstlinger is one of the most well-known children’s authors and wrote many more books including Fly Away Home and The Cucumber King.