"He'll do," the woman said, pointing at Jeremy.
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Abstract: While searching for a loving family, orphaned Jeremy becomes entangled in a conflict between his city's arrogant and oppressive leader, the Baron von Strompie, and a group of outlandish people called the "cloons."
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf; 307 pages
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10 comments:
Wowie! I loved this book. I marked dozens of passages with post-its for remarkable imagery and wonderful creative way-out-of-the-ordinary characterizations. A great cast and a great story -- a blue man and woman, a giant, cole slaw and gelled wiggy, the wisdom wagon, a wirm, Terra Nequam, lemondrop and Daffodill. So much more! This book is near perfection - way up to the top of the list. Meets all the benchmarks for excellence for literature for children. Thank you David Elliot!
This book is high on my soon-to-be-read list, in no small part to the fact that it has been languishing on the new book display for a month now...face out...and no one has yet to touch it. Since its obvious that the cover does not sell itself, I'm looking forward to discovering more, based on Nan's glowing review
This book is sooooooooooo marvelous! It contains serious topics of love, fidelity and tolerance-- not to mention the fabulous imagery and characterization Nan mentions above-- yet doesn't take itself too seriously, either. So deliciously wry!
"If it weren't for all these annoyances, life in the Metropolis would be perfect. And if anyone doubted it, all he had to do was look out the window of the Baron's study and gaze upon the hundreds of roses, as the Baron was doing now. But even the sight of the fountain he'd commissioned-- a larger-than-life likeness of himself spitting a fine spray of water onto a group of children crouched at his knees-- was not enough to calm him completely. So he did what he did when he felt troubled: made a mental list of all the marvelous things he had done for the Metropolis. Closing all the Public Free Libraries, for example."
It's a delightful romp that's still meaty enough to give plenty of juicy conversations for a fascinating book discussion group. I agree that it should be high on the list. I want to read it again right away so I won't be as distracted by the wildly funny stuff, and that doesn't happen to me too often.
Marra--
It is my belief that your face-out book has not checked out for weeks because despite the fact that the book has cover appeal, the word "Cabbage" is in the title, and kids are conflicted.
Maybe try telling kids that cabbage is only minimally involved in the story, and that they don't have to eat any while reading unless they really feel like it.
Teehee :) Maybe Jeremy Pizza would have been more appealing.
You had me at 'pizza'.
Marra's comments about this book sitting on the shelf are interesting...I've had this book sitting on the end table in my living room for a few weeks, and my 10-year-old walks right past it, refusing to pick it up; my 12-year-old started to read it when she saw me looking at it, and within an hour had given up on it, she said she just couldn't get into it. (And she isn't one to quit a book she's started).
And, I hate to admit it, but I'm having the same trouble...I went against my usual habit and read the great comments you all made, and I'm TRYING to appreciate it, but I just don't feel much for the characters...maybe I should put it down and try again in a few weeks.
Jeremy is such a wonderful character. He has such heart and optimism, even though life has dealt him some rough blows. I love this book's message of family being who you choose to love, regardless of personal differences. I think it may be the best book I've read all year.
I won't say that this book was my favorite but I did think the story was fun. I have to admit it took we awhile to pick this one up, I was not impressed with the front cover or the title really but was pleasantly surprised as I got more involved in the story. I too loved the imagery, which sometimes required a great deal of imagination but worth the “stopping to think” moments.
I find it interesting the range of comments on this book. Of the stack of books I checked out to read this week, this was one of the last ones I chose to pick up. Why, who knows, but in the end, I truly enjoyed the book and it is at the top of my list. Jeremy is a great main character, with a great supporting cast. I love the themes, the plot, and the twists and turns that Elliot takes us through. Great book!
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