Some books, like some songs, have everything I'd want in them. What the writer wanted to happen aligns perfectly with what I was hoping for. A whole wSome books, like some songs, have everything I'd want in them. What the writer wanted to happen aligns perfectly with what I was hoping for. A whole world, perfectly made, between the beginning and the ending of the song, or the book, within the little work of art that is so contained and so itself, and is yet so big, so expansive. No notes!
Doe, a deer, a female deer Ray, a drop of golden sun Me, a name I call myself Far, a long, long way to run Sew, a needle pulling thread La, a note to follow Sew Tea, a drink with jam and bread That will bring us back to Do
'Pascal's wager' is a philosophical argument by Blaise Pascal which "posits that individuals essentially engage in a life-defining gamble regarding the belief in the existence of God." Believe, because why not? It will only help you in the end if your belief happens to be true. It can only help you along the way to your end. Is there really an end?
This book is its own sort of Pascal's wager. A perhaps pagan version, but still a wager.
I've been wondering for a month about how I'd write a review of The Ocean at the End of the Lane. What could I say other than I loved it completely? And now I give up! This is the rare perfect book for me....more
Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, off to work he goes, the Sorcerer's Apprentice!
Preussler takes the timeless tale of naïve boy versus sinister master and keeps it dark, makes it stranger, keeps it kid-sized, makes it a fable for adults and kids alike. 'Tis an often dull adventure indeed that has young Krabat always drudging away with his (mainly) friendly fellows in a mill, the same-ol' same-ol' day-in & day-out. Plus magic lessons! Magic is enough, for a little while, to keep a boy's attention focused on the good times rather than on the dreary drudgery. Magic is like a bright & shiny bauble that allows boy to turn into raven, to work without tiring, to project his astral self to spy, to send his shy thoughts to the girl he loves. Magic is fun! But crack open the glittering bauble and inside is Satanism; Satan himself is a featured guest in this tale. Fortunately for all, except for the Master, except for the Master's master Satan, there is a power at least as strong as Evil. Let's all say it together: the power of love. Ah yes. Should have been a too-sentimental way to fight Evil but in the case of this classic book, the sentiment is perfect. Fits just right. There is a place that comes before an idea becomes cliché, a place that exists as an original template rather than a tired trope, and this book lives comfortably in that place. Krabat & the Sorcerer's Mill is a re-telling but not a reconstruction. What was the original source code for this book, published in 1972? One would have to consult the long-dead folklorists who once told this tale to their children, hoping to fable them into goodness.
As noted in the WSJ article I linked to above, of particular interest to adult readers is this book's take on the surveillance state. The Master sees all, including into your head. Best not to think, if you come to live at his mill. Best to just enjoy your little rewards, then get back to work!
Simon Clark is always able to get right into the heads of his young protagonists. there's such an ease there, and a realism; it's a treat to read. BasSimon Clark is always able to get right into the heads of his young protagonists. there's such an ease there, and a realism; it's a treat to read. Bastion is a novella that has a lot for its readers to contemplate, but provides very little answers. usually I appreciate ambiguity, but this one feels like a lengthy intro to a much longer novel and I was a trifle annoyed by the total lack of reasons why. still, the questions intrigue: why are these boys waking up into a world of warfare, within what looks like a giant warehouse with deadly greenery growing out of concrete and a variety of murderous alien threats? why are the girls waking up into an indoor farming community, their sole purpose to raise crops and slaughter livestock and provide food for the boys? why do the boys lose their memories and why do the girls keep theirs? why are their ages strictly 10-16 and are these kids even aging? where the heck are they all, in some other dimension or another planet or or or? who did this to them? and hey why not... what is the nature of gender... what is the nature of war... is the entire story a literalization of how war consumes the young most of all? so many questions....more
spoilers follow. but what is a spoiler? a component revealed. is that component reflective of the whole? is that component the heart of the book or isspoilers follow. but what is a spoiler? a component revealed. is that component reflective of the whole? is that component the heart of the book or is it just another part of its body? is it a totem that represents the book's secret meaning?
the boy goes back in time to visit the girl. into the garden he goes, the changing garden. he feels safe and free in this garden. "there is a safe house at every dream level, which gets populated with the innermost thoughts and secrets of the Subject." he meets the girl in the garden. the girl shows him the clock. the girl will wind the clock. the old woman has wound the clock. "Totems are objects used by the characters to test if they were in the real world or a dream, and they all had specially modified qualities which made them very personal." the old woman dreams. the boy dreams. the brother dreams. they all dream together. you dream, I dream, we all dream together. "...a.k.a. unconstructed dream space existing within untouched subconscious..." the clock strikes the hour. the boy hears the clock and goes through the door, into the midnight garden. there he will meet the girl, again and again. the boy moves forward in time to finally meet the girl, at long last, as they have met many times before. "Inception is the act of inserting an idea in a person's mind which will bloom in a way making the Subject think it was their idea." the girl is an old woman; the boy is a boy. they hug, for the first time, their dreams a reality. a happy ending and beginning are achieved.
'Tis the night before Christmas and the wolves are running!
'Tis the night before Christmas and the children have been stolen!
'Tis the night before Chr'Tis the night before Christmas and the wolves are running!
'Tis the night before Christmas and the children have been stolen!
'Tis the night before Christmas and the guardian has been stolen!
'Tis the night before Christmas and the clergy have all been stolen too!
'Tis the night before Christmas and Herne the Hunter and the Lady of the Ring and the King & Queen of Fairies will all come a'calling!
'Tis the night before Christmas and little Kay shall become as small and as fast as a bird! and he shall encounter wolves & wizards & witches & thieves! and he shall visit strange places and he shall enter the past and he shall protect his precious Box of Delights and he shall visit a friendly mouse! and he will deal with all of this with a certain nonchalance because it's not like he hasn't done this sort of thing before!
'Tis the night before Christmas and the author is having an adventure too, with language and history and legends and dreamscapes and so much more, and all of this done with a certain nonchalance because it's not like he hasn't done this sort of thing before!
'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house All the creatures were stirring, including a mouse. Would the villains be hung by their necks in their lair? So hoped little Kay, with a bloodthirsty glare. The children weren't nestled nor snug in their beds; Their visions of vengeance danced in their heads. And I heard them exclaim as they ran through the night: "Happy Christmas to all who change wrong into right!"...more
Funny little cat takes funny little boy on all sorts of funny adventures. This is a funny dream of book. And this is a funny, dreamy cat named Digsy: Funny little cat takes funny little boy on all sorts of funny adventures. This is a funny dream of book. And this is a funny, dreamy cat named Digsy: [image]
She doesn't look very dreamy there. But I promise you that she's spends most of her life dreaming!
OK THANKS FOR YOUR PATIENCE
This book has a great cat character named Nibbins, a little black cat who reminded me of my own. Nibbins introduces our protagonist Kay to adventures that begin at the stroke of midnight. The book features a huge manor house with many secret places, flying, invisibility, ghosts, visiting the lively world undersea (my favorite part), a great fox character, two villainous cats named Blackmalkin & Greymalkin (and Blackmalkin is really the worst, such a suck-up), a profane and delightful old lady who shouldn't drink so much champagne while boasting about her hoodwinkin' piratin' past doing all sorts of unseemly things. Most of all, it is about a treasure hunt! And also righting some old wrongs and outwitting some dastardly witches & wizards.
Masefield doesn't put any distance between Kay, his surreal adventures, and the reader. They just happen, don't question it. Don't overthink it either: channel your Inner Rich Orphan and indulge in some dream logic. There aren't even any chapters to break it all up, so when you're in, you're in.
The prose for this middle grade book is surprisingly sophisticated, the humor rather sneaky, and the dialogue ironic and strange. I loved it! But I wonder if many middle graders would actually love it....more
I love the foreword that Vance put in this one, which outlines the probable future of space travel but is mainly improbable nonsense. This is the VancI love the foreword that Vance put in this one, which outlines the probable future of space travel but is mainly improbable nonsense. This is the Vance that I know: charming and sardonic, a list-maker, smiling as if at his own secret joke. I love how it opens by declaring that the modern era is the most exciting one yet, now that the world is moving past boring, outdated European traditions. And I especially love how the foreword closes on a note of caution for the novel's young readers: kids, don't grow up to be a space pirate - you'll come to a bad end. Join the Space Navy instead!
Vandals of the Void was Vance's first novel, written for juveniles. It is about a deft and self-sufficient 15 year old who was raised on the lovely world of Venus and is now off on a voyage to meet his father on the Moon. And there he becomes involved in a murderous mystery featuring nefarious plots, double agents, an easily outsmarted bully, and of course dastardly space pirates whose penchant for wholesale slaughter really pisses young Dick off. Dick's morals are not of the flexible sort. He learns some life lessons like never judge a stranger by their hook nose, and also finds a fabulous dead city hidden under the Moon's surface. But the latter is not a particularly important part of the story, which is mainly about how this smart kid foils some evil plans and then eventually realizes that he wants to join the Space Navy. A boy after the author's own heart, who was once a Merchant Marine.
Vance doesn't put much of his trademark style into this one, but he doesn't dumb things down for the kids either. It's a swift, fun, satisfying tale, but mainly for Vance completists....more
At first I wasn't too sure about this one. Was this really going to be all about three kids who run around granting various wishes to different peopleAt first I wasn't too sure about this one. Was this really going to be all about three kids who run around granting various wishes to different people? I wasn't too down with that. Also wasn't very excited about a book that features a bunch of warts. But the novel turned out to be interestingly layered, and I was happily surprised by it. Many things eventually absorbed me.
- An understanding of people and wishes: what wishes could actually mean, the transient desires and hidden emotional needs that often create wishes, how most wishes should never come true
- The image of ghostly dream snakes writhing from people's chests was unexpected and a perfect analogy for wishes
- A sidekick for a hero and a character who would perhaps normally be the hero being... well, something else, something a lot more complicated
- Annoying girl character turns out to be the cleverest and most resourceful of all, yay!
- Increasingly excellent prose. Hardinge has a way with words: by turns clever, thoughtful, or jarring, depending on the scene, and often describing thoughts and situations in unexpected ways
- A surprising darkness at the heart of one of the antagonists, an elderly woman with a tragic backstory
- A bizarre attack in a home and a very strange flood were really gripping sequences
- Realistic parents
- A smart and clear explanation of how gods turn into saints and what those saints eventually turn into: namely, a barely-understood name whose history has been forgotten
- A certain lack of closure for one of the leads, a character who remains complex and whose fate remains ambiguous - I love how the author didn't back away from that because sometimes life isn't too kind to kids
- Those horrible little warts turn into SPOILER amazing little eyes! I'm still quite sure I don't want them growing on my hand, but they did turn out to be pretty handy...more
Synopsis: Smug, know-it-all little boy meets smug, know-it-all Investigator Dog. "Adventures" ensue.
What an odd, surreal, sometimes sorrowful, sometimSynopsis: Smug, know-it-all little boy meets smug, know-it-all Investigator Dog. "Adventures" ensue.
What an odd, surreal, sometimes sorrowful, sometimes farcical lark this turned out to be.
Tadeusz Konwicki was a lauded Polish writer and film director who was active from the 1950s through the 90s. Sadly, I'm unfamiliar with his work. If his films are anything like this book, they are suffused with absurdity, melancholy, and strangeness.
What is this so-called "Anthropos-Spectre-Beast"?
Well,
The Anthropos-Spectre-Beast is everywhere about us throughout all our life. He is everything that is not understood in nature and mankind. He is the Unknown itself.
Young Peter is aware of this Beast that haunts humanity but barely pays it any attention. (Much like most of us.) He has other things on his mind: his father has lost his job which causes much stress for the family, his secret peeks at his sister's diary has shown him an entirely different side to her, he's in love with the haughty girl down the block, he's acting in an experimental film about space travel in order to bring in some cash, and Investigator Dog keeps insisting that he travel to an alternate dimension in order to rescue a sick little girl and repeatedly confront his nemesis, a cruel lad named Retep - which of course is simply "Peter" spelled backwards. Oh, and an asteroid is on a collision course with Earth and it promises total annihilation - much to disillusioned, nihilistic Peter's delight.
So that's a lot for one little boy to hold, and a lot for a little book to hold as well.
Fortunately, Konwicki has a light touch and a sure hand, and he invests the proceedings with a careful attention to detail, a lot of flair, and a sense of humor that keeps things fun while still hinting at hidden depths all the while. Retep is an infernal nemesis, a Jungian shadow-self for our protagonist, and Peter's best friend - but only in his dreams. Peter's family are instantly recognizable types, but they have their own very human secret sides; Peter may dismiss them at first, but the reader soon sees how deeply he loves them all. Investigator Dog may be a guide to uncertain adventure but he is also a sad fellow with his own complicated agenda - just the sort of dog that Peter realizes he'd like as a friend. And Peter himself is a singular creation, full of a kind of mordant anti-life, sardonic and pretentious, addressing the reader in a most condescending fashion while revealing all of his understandable insecurities and hopes. This book is bizarre, smart, and overall a delight.
Except for the very ending! (view spoiler)[I entirely resented how the strangeness of the novel was explained away by the most depressing of reasons. Ugh. I much prefer the preceding endings, which functioned as a Choose Your Own Adventure of Happy Wish Fulfillment Ending versus Sad Realistic Ending. I choose the former! (hide spoiler)]
Is the book for children? I think this is the sort of book that most kids would understand a lot better than most adults. So... a tentative yes? Depends on the child, I suppose.
"You see," said the director, "even a child knows what's wanted."
"The reverse is true," said the script-writer. "The child understands that scientific accuracy would kill the poetry."
"That's just the trouble!" The director got annoyed again. "Poetry! In my job you can't just film things like naïve scientific fantasies, hackneyed psychological drama, or moral tales from the provinces. The story should be in the form of a fairy-tale or a philosophical tale, a metaphor for today's world, some new generalization."
Indeed!
My favorite part: after realizing that the girl down the block will probably never love him, Peter declares his love for an acacia tree across the street. A few days later, Peter realizes that he's totally over this acacia tree and in fact finds it distinctly annoying. That's so Peter....more
This was written for kids?? Oh the nightmares I would have had if I had read this when much younger.
This is a surprisingly bleak and effective collectThis was written for kids?? Oh the nightmares I would have had if I had read this when much younger.
This is a surprisingly bleak and effective collection of stories written for, I imagine, junior high schoolers. Six of the seven tales feature various young protagonists coming across certain deadly things: a vengeful gull, a sinister motel, a haunted house, a deadly bridge, an unpleasant babysitting job, and the Bermuda Triangle. They also feature unbridled terror and unanswered cries for mommy and daddy to rescue them (a bit too much pathos for me, didn't care for those bits); each of these stories end with death and/or an eternity of torment and despair. The one outlier - no kids and a kinda happy ending - has a tormented little person and the schadenfreude of seeing his oppressor receiving an ending much like the kids of the other stories. Yay?
My favorite - if "favorite" is even the right word - was the especially hallucinatory "Don't Go Into the Baby's Room". The story appears to end in some sort of identity transference that is ambiguous, completely unexplained, and especially disturbing. Well, all of the stories are especially disturbing. Although at least the seagull story had a good moral to it: don't torment animals, even gulls! Or else you and your parents might be stalked and then horribly killed.
REVIEW: I liked this and I didn't like this. A keeper....more
an excellent finale for a smashing series. I particularly appreciated how the chapters alternated between magical duo Will & Bran and the resolutely "an excellent finale for a smashing series. I particularly appreciated how the chapters alternated between magical duo Will & Bran and the resolutely "normal" Drew children, showing their differing reactions to the Rising. everything comes together nicely in the end. special shout-out to a superb new villain: The White Rider! *swoon* yes, I'm swooning for an infernal, chaos-loving, completely dastardly Lord of the Dark. The White Rider gave me some wonderful chills, especially during the train ride reveal.
for me: The Dark Is Rising > The Grey King > Silver on the Tree > Greenwitch > Over Sea, Under Stone
different ratings for different books; overall the series is 5 stars. a favorite among all of the series I've read. I found that in my 2nd and sometimes 3rd reread that my feelings about the individual novels have pretty much stayed the same.
there's enough excellent reviews out there for this book that I'm not sure I have much more to say. except one thing, in response to my friend Alex who made a comment on an earlier book's review thread. the comment was basically sharing their dislike of a scene in this book where Will and members of his family stick up for a bullied Indian child and then face off against the bully's smiling racist of a father. the dislike is understandable: Alex felt it was yet another example of white people rescuing poor lil' brown people.
this brown person (tan, really) begs to differ! they are quite far from being condescending throwaway scenes, ones created only to illustrate the Stanton family's essential goodness. in many ways, these scenes are the heart and the point of the whole series. specifically, what is causing The Dark to rise at this point in human history?
we've had hints in prior books about a previous Rising, and in this book we have the whole story: that Rising was the brutal incursion of Vikings and the wholesale slaughter of those that they came across; the whispers of The Dark are behind those invasions, making those particular incursions different from other such atrocities. in that first Rising, the idea is that humans have become inured to slaughtering other humans, and The Dark has taken advantage of that tendency and turned it into a blank apathy or a mindless cruelty. a disinterest in anything besides slaughter.
this modern Rising is different, except for its basic mindlessness and blankness, cruelty and apathy. those things are not necessarily transformed into atrocity. that mindless apathy and blank cruelty instead become a new sort of tool and weapon for The Dark: namely, the complacent and knee-jerk rejection of difference - as embodied by attitudes towards immigrants from exploited former colonial territories - and the tendency to reject that difference without empathy or any attempt to understand those immigrants' context and England's role in creating that context. this is a political point and a comment on human nature that Cooper is explicitly making. it is important to recognize that point if the reader truly wants to understand what Cooper is describing as a modern evil. indeed, this evil is the very source of how the dark is able to spread, and to rise.
I just want to cut to the chase: the last three chapters, over the course of about nine pages, are some of the most moving I've read in a book writtenI just want to cut to the chase: the last three chapters, over the course of about nine pages, are some of the most moving I've read in a book written for kids. life, loss, death; growing up and getting old; compassion and empathy; sadness and mourning, sweetness and light. it's all there. such a generosity of spirit from Ellen Raskin. I would have loved to have known her. but I sorta feel I do, from those few pages.
the book itself is a delightful lark. a lot of fast-paced fun, but with a surprising depth of emotion and a perfect understanding of human nature. I particularly enjoyed the diversity of its cast, the cleverness of its puzzles, the sardonic humor, why the scar happened and what it means, and especially mean little Turtle and her deepening friendship with the woman she decides to call Baba....more
the Messenger boy runs to and fro, delivering his messages, keeping his secret to himself.
the old Seer sees beyond his blind eyes, to the world aroundthe Messenger boy runs to and fro, delivering his messages, keeping his secret to himself.
the old Seer sees beyond his blind eyes, to the world around him, to his distant past, to the heart of the boy.
the young Leader looks ahead, the past secured, the present and the future fraught with danger.
the distant Embroiderer makes her tapestries and sees all, all but the sickness.
the once-welcoming Villagers have changed: avarice and fear sicken their hearts; warmth and life have been replaced.
the now-sick Forest has found a new purpose: kill, kill, and kill again; cold and rot have replaced warmth and life.
the Author writes a parable, her third in this world of parables; she provides a guide on how not to live a life; a guide full of secrets and blind sight that sees and futures that must be avoided and sickness that must be cured; she writes with clarity and ambiguity, in equal measures.
the Parable is a simple one: resist your worst self.
the Cure is a hard one: sometimes a terrible sacrifice must be made.
the author Lois Lowry lost a son, caught in the machineries of war; she wrote an elegy for him, to mourn his passing - to mourn the reasons for his passing - to give his passing meaning - to give him life, again - to mourn his death, again.
the Elegy is a lament for the dead: a lament that gives purpose; a lament that adds something tender and something meaningful to the terrible sting of loss.
the boy is a Healer, as is the seer, and the leader, and the embroiderer; the world the Author creates requires their sights, their sacrifices, their giving.
She is a practical girl and will get the job done. One terrible job. He is a greedy king and would eat the world if he could. Many worlds.
Valente is aShe is a practical girl and will get the job done. One terrible job. He is a greedy king and would eat the world if he could. Many worlds.
Valente is a witch with the words, an enchantress. She made a layered trifle of surprising richness: the top a dreamy wisp of airy gauze, the bottom a corrugated sheet of metal; between them some brightly-colored ribbons of whimsy, spicy bits of savory and sugary bits of sweet, daintily shaped but stone-hard filigree, and a fragile flake of vellum heartbreak carefully hidden betwixt it all.
boy with Old soul meets boy with dog with old soul; old king wishes they never met.
sick boy with too many siblings meets sboy meets boy; antics ensue.
boy with Old soul meets boy with dog with old soul; old king wishes they never met.
sick boy with too many siblings meets sickly boy with some serious father issues.
little weirdo meets his match in another little weirdo; the latter teaches the former how to pronounce Welsh words.
super-powered boy meets albino boy with golden eyes; the former teaches the latter the meaning of friendship, power, and why old kings are bad news for everyone.
Ancient Immortal Being meets Boy Lost Out Of Time; together they play with dogs and avoid mean old kings.
brave dog battles horrible grey foxes.
grey foxes just trying to protect their boss battle uptight dog; sheep die during the rumpus.
evil ginger says unkind things to two sweet boys and a noble dog; mean old king approves.
two mean boys torment a mentally ill redhead who just wants to protect his sheep and maybe make friends with a sleepy old king.
the white Light burns bright; the shadow of Dark shall rise.
sleepy king just wants to keep things sleepy, for him, his 6 guests, and maybe the rest of the world; two busybody boys refuse to let anyone sleep in.
two brave boys defeat one great evil; Light triumphs over Dark!
lonely old man gets evicted from his last refuge by two young jerks. :(...more
Synopsis: Children shouldn't play with dead things, wild things, or green things; but if they do, they shouldn't stint on the compliments. A little emSynopsis: Children shouldn't play with dead things, wild things, or green things; but if they do, they shouldn't stint on the compliments. A little empathy goes a long way!
This middle volume of Cooper's wonderful series is the second and last to center on the Drew siblings, "the three from the track". Three cheerful, curious, and often very excitable kids who never wore out their welcome. Yay for the Drews! See you all again in book five.
I really liked watching eerie series protagonist Will Stanton through their eyes. All of the little moments when they catch him acting like he's much older than his actual age or hiding his powers were fun and also, well, eerie. Especially that surprising moment when he just up and runs off of a cliff. Odd kid, that Will.
Cooper's focus on a Wild Green Magic that exists outside of the Light and the Dark was thoughtful and compelling. She gives the pre-Christian pagan forces of nature their proper due and I loved how she made those forces indomitable, beyond the control of either the legions of good or ill. Neither good nor bad intentions matter to Nature. Nature will do Nature, and that's that, thanks for playing. Women are also centralized in a way that I don't recall seeing much of in the other books (besides the final moments of the last book): in the pagan ritual that creates the Greenwitch of course, but also in how Jane Drew proves herself to be the true hero of the story - simply by being her brave, kind self. Her normal self is her best self; a wonderful way to be.
I particularly enjoyed the portrait of Greenwitch as a petulant and very dangerous elemental being subject to its own seething, unpredictable nature. A kind of child, but one that cannot be bullied - only swayed, with kindness. The confrontation between Greenwitch and a rogue agent of the Dark was riveting. Some people really shouldn't sass the Green, let alone try to boss them around. They might find themselves trapped and tormented on a ghost ship until the end of time. Oops, spoiler alert!
Overall, one of the lesser volumes in the series, but still a fascinating and resonant experience....more
I picked up my shovel and dug, searching for some buried treasure. After not too long, I found what I was looking for. It was a little box, brown and I picked up my shovel and dug, searching for some buried treasure. After not too long, I found what I was looking for. It was a little box, brown and gold and red, the colors of earth and sunlight and bloody deeds. I opened it up. It had everything I wanted to find in a little box!
⇨ A wicked uncle who needs to be murdered! Before he murders you first!
⇨ A cozy little island with a cozy little village and a tragic little history! An island with a lot of places to get lost in!
⇨ Haunting moments of melancholy and stray bits of strangeness!
⇨ Delicious food described in ways that made me eager to eat what I was reading! I made the baked oysters with cheese and vinegary tomatoes, and it really hit the spot!
⇨ A hungry cougar on the lam! We get to read his very grouchy thoughts!
⇨ Writing that is deceptively simple, ironic and elegant, whimsical and witty, nonchalant and full of charm... delightful prose!
⇨ Storytelling that is sweet without being cloying, dark without being grim; a deadpan and stylized satire, a sincere and empathetic slice of life; weirdly morbid yet full of light and tenderness... an enchantingly told tale!
⇨ A small number of reviews by readers who should probably be reading stupider books! I love sneering at dummies!
⇨ A bunch of reviews by readers with exquisite taste! Coincidentally, tastes that appear to be similar to my own!
⇨ An author unknown to me who has surely buried some other boxes of treasure, just waiting to be found! I will make her my secret friend!
⇨ A pair of unruly children whose rude exteriors hide lonely lives and a deep longing for friendship and love! Unruly children with a whole lot of pluck... the best sort of children!
So you want to stop being bullied, you just want some time to yourself, to read, to do what you want to do, to even make a friend maybe? You find a boSo you want to stop being bullied, you just want some time to yourself, to read, to do what you want to do, to even make a friend maybe? You find a book and it tells you how. Your book will take you places. Dealing with bullies after reading this book becomes such a small thing. Being the person you want to be and doing the things you want to do is so much more important!
So you want to learn how to do wizardly things, talk to trees and suchlike, make things happen, meet new beings, maybe find that lost pen? Your book will show you how. It will turn magic into science and you will summon not a demon but a star; your new friend will have his own familiar too, not a beast but a car. A star and a car. They will take you far!
So you want to discover new worlds? How about Hell? Or a twisted version of our world full of horror and hopelessness which may as well be hell. It may not be the adventure you wanted but it is an adventure nonetheless. You and your friend will have to figure things out, and very quickly - it's a good thing you both are smart. You will learn important lessons on this adventure, like sometimes people you love will die. And that's a hard lesson to learn!
So you saw this on kindle unlimited for the remarkable price of free and you thought, hey that's on my list, why not? You also thought that this would be pretty okay, you haven't heard much about it but then there's this surprisingly real slice of life and this surprising bit of diversity (in the 80s!) and then that other bit of diversity (a gay couple? maybe? in an 80s book for kids!) and the surprisingly science-y way of using magic and the surprisingly bleak and hallucinogenic adventure that comes from searching for a lost pen (of all things!) and the surprising lack of adults or aslans to the rescue (but lots of trees and statues!) and then, surprise surprise, you've realized you just started a whole new series that promises a whole lot of pleasure!
So you want to read a kid's book that starts off like any good kid's book but slowly becomes something more resonant than you expected, darker and more tragic and yet still light and life-affirming? I suggest you read this book!...more
Boring Girl: "Look I found a strange, ancient belt buckle! And look I found a giant - under the snow! Well maybe not a giant, but a giant hand, possibBoring Girl: "Look I found a strange, ancient belt buckle! And look I found a giant - under the snow! Well maybe not a giant, but a giant hand, possibly connected to a giant! And maybe not under the snow per se, but under all of that dirt and grass and mystery! But still, there's snow there too, at least it will be there eventually! When it snows!!"
Doubting Thomas: "I highly doubt that."
Boring Girl: "Doubt what?"
Doubting Thomas: "I doubt everything. That is literally all I will do throughout this novel."
Bill, the only decently characterized character in the book: "The intriguing hints of depth that I've been gifted from John Gordon means that in my effort to reply, I must juggle my crush on a Boring Girl, my friendship with a Doubting Thomas, my love of mysteries, my bravery and my cowardice, and the fact that I am the only person with an actual personality in my trio of friends. And so, all I can really say is Grumble Grumble Grumble because that's a lot for one grouchy boy such as myself to have to deal with."
Doubting Thomas: "I doubt that."
Bill, the only decently characterized character in the book: "Grumble Grumble Grumble."
⚳
A Good Witch: "Help me children!"
Doubting Thomas: "I doubt we will be able to do that."
Boring Girl and Bill: "We will help you!"
A Good Witch: "Thank you! Now I will give you magic so you can fly!"
Boring Girl and Bill: "Yahoo, we love flying!"
Doubting Thomas: "I doubt that we are actually flying. This is probably just a dream."
The Green Man: "I am a giant who is about to be the weapon of a terrible villain and his even more terrible dog! Children, come quick and intervene! Stop me from rising or else I will be forced to do terrible things and to wreak terrible havoc!"
Doubting Thomas: "I highly doubt that."
mark monday: "This is a 2 star book but heck I will give it an extra star because of Bill, speedy pacing, and lots and lots of flying. Yahoo, flying kids!"...more
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