I mean, I read it out of curiosity back when I was kid even if it was for girls but the REAL reason I reNo two ways about it, this book is a classic.
I mean, I read it out of curiosity back when I was kid even if it was for girls but the REAL reason I read it was because a whole bunch of Karens under the auspices of the local Parent-Teacher organization loved to ban books and there was nothing that encouraged me to read more than banned books.
It was either reading this or Stephen King. I may have read more SK than Blume. But I did remember this fondly.
So fondly, in fact, that I gave a copy to my 10-year-old daughter and she devoured it in almost a single sitting, expressing a lot of delight.
I have to say that I think I like this final book of the Guardians better than all the rest.
I'll be honest. I didn't think I'd like all of these as muI have to say that I think I like this final book of the Guardians better than all the rest.
I'll be honest. I didn't think I'd like all of these as much as I did. The introductions of each Guardian were charming and friendly and Pitch was an increasingly more tragic figure. It got really bad in the last book.
This one, however, anchored all of us in the myths and stories we now know each of the guardians by, including Jack Frost, himself. And this one is more than just an introduction. It's more of a vindication and a love story and an epic end for all of it.
My girl and I read them all together but she said of this one: "It's so emotional and sweet!"
I have to agree. I'm very pleased with the myth, mythos, and Mythosphere. I believe, I believe, I believe. ...more
My daughter and I have both been thoroughly enjoying this series, but this one, in particular, hit hard for all the deep backstories.
She and I both loMy daughter and I have both been thoroughly enjoying this series, but this one, in particular, hit hard for all the deep backstories.
She and I both loved hearing about Emily Jane (Mother Nature) and Lord Pitch when they were young and good. The whole dreamtime sequences in this book were much better than the waking. But then, building the City was pretty neat, too.
We're both really happy with the total story so far. :)...more
We both fell in love with this perhaps a bit more than the first book with Nicholas St. North.
Why?
Well, fReading this for the first time with my girl.
We both fell in love with this perhaps a bit more than the first book with Nicholas St. North.
Why?
Well, for me it was the SF elements that bring the Easter Bunny into the tale against the Nightmare King. For my daughter, it was the special powers of the eggs and especially the chocolate. (And the chocolate's power) HULK BUNNY!
Either way, we both had a great time and there's no denying it. These books to top quality....more
She likes the series a lot. Her favorite bits are the introduction of the new MCs and the artwork. But overall, the stories are vReading with my girl.
She likes the series a lot. Her favorite bits are the introduction of the new MCs and the artwork. But overall, the stories are very exciting.
Me, I like them because my daughter gets so excited. When she reads the story to me, she gets into the characters and whenever E. Aster Bunnymund comes around, she begs me for chocolate. It's cute.
On another note, I definitely got some heavy Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom vibes in this book. Plus I kept thinking of the god, Ganesha, and the grand, epic adventures of Sun Wukong, the Monkey King. :)...more
Unfortunately, I've read a number of weak Santa-origin tales in the past, so I guess I wasn't really expecting all that much from this.
Boy, was I surUnfortunately, I've read a number of weak Santa-origin tales in the past, so I guess I wasn't really expecting all that much from this.
Boy, was I surprised. Not only was I hooked on the prose, the strange, gentle directions it took, but I was thrilled by the story. Aye, not only me, but my daughter as well. We read it together and both of us enjoyed it so much that we excitedly planned to read all five books to match the seasons.
I'll just say that this book is rich, fantastical, magical, and full of wonder.
For someone as jaded as me, this is a wonderful and happy occasion that left me gobsmacked.
Having always been a fan of Wonka, it occurred to me that I was a very, very bad man for never having read the sequel.
Was I slightly afraid? Maybe. I Having always been a fan of Wonka, it occurred to me that I was a very, very bad man for never having read the sequel.
Was I slightly afraid? Maybe. I mean, the story was all kinds of perfect all by itself. Leaving in that great glass elevator was rather a perfect ending.
And when this book begins, exactly where the other left off, I WAS slightly disappointed. The whole SF aspect was... ahem. Fortunately, it got back to speed once we returned to the factory. I enjoyed the rest just fine. :)
It turns out that my kid and I are both Dahl fans. Not uber-fans, but we usually always have a pretty good time every time we crack a book.
THIS IS A GIt turns out that my kid and I are both Dahl fans. Not uber-fans, but we usually always have a pretty good time every time we crack a book.
THIS IS A GOOD THING. We didn't have that great a time with Narnia. Give us Gaiman, give us Dahl, and even give us Dickens, but Please, No Thank You to Lewis. :)
High points of Mr. Fox:
The bad guys look and sound not like farmers, but bankers. We have a full redistribution of wealth scheme going on here... maybe not so much Communism as it is a garden variety Socialist societal setup told within a simple tale digging holes and getting one's tail shot off.
Fortunately, it's not THAT dry. In fact, I was pretty amused to see just how much hard liquor is downed by all. I mean, it's not just theft and murder we're talking about -- but the full-on drunken debaucheries of the proletariat... FOR the proletariat!
Oh, Matilda is the penultimate Mary Sue, but you know what?
I don't care.
She's SO over-the-top brilliant, reading grown-up books Reading with the kid.
Oh, Matilda is the penultimate Mary Sue, but you know what?
I don't care.
She's SO over-the-top brilliant, reading grown-up books after teaching herself to read by five-years-old, playing wonderful pranks to even the score at the injustice of the world and even getting superpowers when it becomes TOO MUCH to bear.
A wish-fulfillment novel? Absolutely! She even gets a much better family and solves all the problems and everything is LOVE AND LIGHT.
Unbelievable? Who cares! It's sweet and Miss Trunchbull was NASTY HORRIBLE and WICKED and deserves EVERYTHING she got!
Plus, I got a little girl to say, "That was AWESOME, daddy!"
My four year old loved it! Especially the bits where the croc is going to eat and munch all those sweet juicy children. :) NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM.
I thinkMy four year old loved it! Especially the bits where the croc is going to eat and munch all those sweet juicy children. :) NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM.
I think this is just one of those things natural to all children who already feel like prey with all these nasty adults hanging around. All of them want to eat you in a child's eyes. It's only natural because they see the adults getting eaten by jobs and spouses and the death of their dreams, so why not just imagine getting eaten by crocodiles, too? It's NATURAL!
That being said, this croc plays lots of nasty and cruel tricks in order to fill his belly, but fortunately, he happens to piss off most of the jungle creatures on his way to his playground meal ticket.
Alas! Poor stupid croc! And because this is A dahl tale, it gets really weird. :) Let's alter reality and turn it into an urban fantasy that winds up as a space opera, shall we? Right-On!
You know how stories can be told in completely different ways by inflection, alone? Well this is a new story every time I read it to my daughter. SomeYou know how stories can be told in completely different ways by inflection, alone? Well this is a new story every time I read it to my daughter. Some parts get drawn out, embellished, and expanded. Others have a very humorous turn that reaches the pure and mighty heights of satire.
But mostly, it's all about the roars.
I honestly have a great time hamming this one up. I can be as loud and obnoxious as I want, and I don't even have to convert it into semi-clever turns of phrase.
Oh, the Joy!
Best of all, my daughter loves it.
And best for me, it's not a god awful dull piece of shit with shifty and/or incomprehensible morals that require a fucking PHD to unravel or 20 years as a practicing priest to find peace after reading it. Bonus!
Many highs and lows follow this immersive fantasy tale. I loved the way it dealt with the psychology of succeeding and failing and our reactions to boMany highs and lows follow this immersive fantasy tale. I loved the way it dealt with the psychology of succeeding and failing and our reactions to both. The elephants were a very nice touch.
It also took on the very controversial second-person narrative structure, and because of its length, neither I nor my daughter had any problems with it.
My wife, on the other hand, hated it. That's when I felt the true lows of this immersive fantasy tale, and it had nothing to do with the popping of any balloon or being forced to walk it off. Oh, alas! The places I have to go! Kids should never have to sit through an argument at bedtime!
Deceptively simple, it allows the reader to fall into the trap of believing that the one who lags behind ALWAYS gets the dessert. There's a twist hereDeceptively simple, it allows the reader to fall into the trap of believing that the one who lags behind ALWAYS gets the dessert. There's a twist here, though!
The worldbuilding was pretty fantastic, with a god-like creature that keeps sending signs to all the anthropomorphic creatures that romp about, giving and taking away favours all willy-nilly, almost as if it was attempting to teach all the characters a very important lesson.
I honestly thought the message was taking over the story a bit too much, though, and the clarity of the story made me question my own value system.
Finally, it's a YA novel that changed my life!
I will Never, Ever dig holes under the fence, EVER AGAIN.
At least there are no sparkly vampires, so I didn't get TOO scared. Plus, I didn't like any of those deserts. And the wild, wild world scares me.
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