jeanettesonya's review against another edition
5.0
Read aloud to Isabel.
I kept expecting this book to be too much for her. Too creepy. There’s weird and dark magic, raising the dead, malicious spirits. But, my daughter seems to be like me and craves dark stories. Also, she may be entirely too grounded in reality and very good at separating fact from fiction. She is the daughter that insists, “Magic isn’t real, mom,” even while I’m trying to convince her to hold space for the possibility.
This was a thoroughly enjoyable read aloud. Plenty of drama and plenty of real life growing up angst and plenty of magic. It has stood up well to the test of time, featuring a couple that might be romantic but aren’t married and don’t live together, overweight characters who aren’t ashamed of it and evil characters that try to bring them down for it, a fascinating strong female character, and maybe even a bit of a jab at the religious evangelical movement that constantly predicts doomsday on the horizon. An excellent book that I’m glad I got to share with my daughter.
I kept expecting this book to be too much for her. Too creepy. There’s weird and dark magic, raising the dead, malicious spirits. But, my daughter seems to be like me and craves dark stories. Also, she may be entirely too grounded in reality and very good at separating fact from fiction. She is the daughter that insists, “Magic isn’t real, mom,” even while I’m trying to convince her to hold space for the possibility.
This was a thoroughly enjoyable read aloud. Plenty of drama and plenty of real life growing up angst and plenty of magic. It has stood up well to the test of time, featuring a couple that might be romantic but aren’t married and don’t live together, overweight characters who aren’t ashamed of it and evil characters that try to bring them down for it, a fascinating strong female character, and maybe even a bit of a jab at the religious evangelical movement that constantly predicts doomsday on the horizon. An excellent book that I’m glad I got to share with my daughter.
grinningcheshire's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed the book but I think I was influenced by the fact that I saw the movie first and that I love it so much. If you’re looking for a book version of the movie don’t expect it, as far as I can tell the movie had a passing glance at the book. That’s not to say either of them are bad! I like them both for different reasons! However one thing that bugged me, and I know it’s a consequence of the time it was written in, was the fat rep in here. If you were meant to see someone as useless or understand why no one liked them they were described as fat. It most likely won’t bother everyone but I just had to mention it. All in all an enjoyable kid’s book!
shahnachristine's review against another edition
3.0
It’s whimsical.
It felt a little patchy near the middle like they didn’t know how to paste the beginning and the end together.
I wish the movie was done better.
It felt a little patchy near the middle like they didn’t know how to paste the beginning and the end together.
I wish the movie was done better.
karigibb's review
4.0
Read this with my kids in anticipation of the upcoming movie. We couldn’t decide if it was 3.5 or 4 stars. Loved the story but it seemed to conclude too quickly and everything was a little too neat and tidy. We can’t wait to see the movie!
pickensa's review
3.0
This is a great book for children that are not yet teenagers. Only about 170 pages with pictures located throughout.
schottjm's review
4.0
A quick, entertaining read. I appreciate that the hero, Lewis Barnavelt, is not your typical hero—especially by today’s Young Adult fiction standards. He is gentle and shy, not athletic, and sensitive. He reminds me of a young Neville Longbottom. The other books in this series seem to be hard to get, so I’m hoping the library has them.
jennderqueer's review
5.0
Really good! I very much enjoyed this book. Having grown up as a fat lonely kid, I could very much relate to Lewis. Definitely going to look for the rest of this series.
miketheboy89's review against another edition
4.0
Although at first glance, the novel is a short and sweet tale of magic and friendship, Bellairs' book is much more when examined further. He creates an extremely endearing protagonist in Lewis, with far more complex story elements than one might first expect from a children's novel of this length. That being said, the plot isn't quite as interesting as it could have been, but thanks to the lead of Lewis and Bellairs' jaunty writing style, it is an intriguing read nonetheless. The rules of the magic in this universe are not really explained well enough, but that's a trivial manner when it comes to children's fantasy. What really sets this book apart is the slight elements of, not necessarily horror, but unease. The kind that makes the reader slightly unsettled, a sort of nonchalant gruesomeness. The antagonists and their backgrounds are also not fleshed out quite as much as they should be, but tidbits of humour and a charming lead character do detract from the negatives.