literatehedgehog's review against another edition
3.0
less snarky lemony snicket; what I imagine lafevers' theodosia to be like. except with pirates. and an extremely ginormous octopus. fun but not earth-shattering.
ashleylm's review against another edition
2.0
I bought it ... didn't read it ... then read the reviews, and decided (despite some) to give it a whirl. And it wasn't so bad! Clearly the author was aiming for a Rouald Dahl, Lemoney Snicket, Joan Aiken-ish kind of milieu, where over-the-top baddies imperil decent young protagonists. I actually like that sort of thing.
And yet, but about page 100, it all began to pall. It was too picaresque, too odd without the counter-balance of anything especially funny or touching, essentially too uninteresting. So ultimately it wasn't the unsettling strangeness of old ladies basically torturing a child for crossing the rope, it was the way it was all handled, both in the scene itself, and how it knits together into a book.
I found it unsatisfying, and have moved on to the sequel to The Willoughbys which is similarly over the top, but (so long as it matches the power of Lowry's first volume) much better handled.
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s).
And yet, but about page 100, it all began to pall. It was too picaresque, too odd without the counter-balance of anything especially funny or touching, essentially too uninteresting. So ultimately it wasn't the unsettling strangeness of old ladies basically torturing a child for crossing the rope, it was the way it was all handled, both in the scene itself, and how it knits together into a book.
I found it unsatisfying, and have moved on to the sequel to The Willoughbys which is similarly over the top, but (so long as it matches the power of Lowry's first volume) much better handled.
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s).
maggietokudahall's review against another edition
4.0
When I was a bookseller, this book made me want to write for kids. Totally adorable. A more full review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9kdg87XJM4
cleverruhs's review against another edition
3.0
This book seemed to take a lot of its inspiration and style from the Lemony Snicket books. That being said, I enjoyed the story and its entertaining characters.
Alex is enjoying a new school year with new teacher Mr. Underwood. Things take a turn for the strange, however, when Mr. Underwood's past is revealed and he is kidnapped by pirates. Alex sets out on a quest to rescue her favorite teacher and, possibly, to discover some buried treasure.
Alex is enjoying a new school year with new teacher Mr. Underwood. Things take a turn for the strange, however, when Mr. Underwood's past is revealed and he is kidnapped by pirates. Alex sets out on a quest to rescue her favorite teacher and, possibly, to discover some buried treasure.
alissabar's review against another edition
3.0
This was a fun adventure story about an orphan girl who sets out to help her 6th grade teacher who has been kidnapped by pirates. She meets some really interesting people/monsters/machines/animals along the way including some nasty, ruthless old ladies who are part of the Daughters of the Founding Fathers' Preservation Society. I liked Kress's writing style. It wasn't a page-turner for me, but kids will enjoy this one.
tmdavis's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this book but there were parts of the story that could have been left out (the whole train episode). Other than that, it was witty and funny. Very enjoyable to listen to.
ubalstecha's review against another edition
4.0
Alex hates her school. The lessons are boring and oppresive, as are most of the students. The arrival of a new teacher lightens her mood. Mr. Underwood makes learning fun, even befriending Alex's beloved uncle. Life at school becomes more enjoyable and more fun!
This comes to a crashing halt when Mr. Underwood is kidnapped by pirates who think he knows where a treasure is hidden. Alex sets out to rescue her teacher, leading to a series of encounters with strange and nefarious people.
The novel constantly breaks the fourth wall, with the author talking to her audience to comment on the action, allowing for lots of humor. Alex is an able heroine who can look afterherself and the villains are larger than life. Clever pacing and a well written book.
This comes to a crashing halt when Mr. Underwood is kidnapped by pirates who think he knows where a treasure is hidden. Alex sets out to rescue her teacher, leading to a series of encounters with strange and nefarious people.
The novel constantly breaks the fourth wall, with the author talking to her audience to comment on the action, allowing for lots of humor. Alex is an able heroine who can look afterherself and the villains are larger than life. Clever pacing and a well written book.
rastephe's review against another edition
2.0
I guess I'd have liked this if I were 8. It had potential but went off on very long random tangents that were entirely unrelated to the main plot for, as far as I could tell, no reason but extreme quirkiness. A kid might find that funny and endearing, I suppose. I also really wished the author had given more life to the main character. I felt like I knew oodles about the life of, say, a pirate that was introduced in a single paragraph only to die at the end of it, but knew next to nothing about the heroine apart from her love of dental hygiene. The main redeeming value for me was from a feminist standpoint.
wmhenrymorris's review against another edition
Loved the heroine, the humor and the basic plot. But the tone and world building was rather uneven.
madamereads's review against another edition
1.0
Have you ever had a really weird dream?
The kind of dream that starts of fairly normal. Say, you're in a museum. Nothing crazy about that. But then you break a museum rule and some old ladies start stabbing you with pens as punishment. And all you want to do is to get away from those stab-happy crones. Then a little while later everything abruptly changes and now you're on a 20's themed train ride where everyone takes naps and has amnesia, trying to escape a scarf-wearing scary man with no ears or nose, all while another creepy man is trying to suck out your soul so he can make it into champagne. Also pirates kidnapped your 6th grade teacher and you're trying to save him. And now the old ladies are stabbing you again!
Crazy, creepy, CRAZY stuff.
Well, lo and behold all of those things actually occur in this book. It's just like an unsettling, disconnected dream. And I pretty much loathed it.
If you are into Alice and Wonderland or magic realism, this may be the book for you.
But it was definitely not the book for me.
The kind of dream that starts of fairly normal. Say, you're in a museum. Nothing crazy about that. But then you break a museum rule and some old ladies start stabbing you with pens as punishment. And all you want to do is to get away from those stab-happy crones. Then a little while later everything abruptly changes and now you're on a 20's themed train ride where everyone takes naps and has amnesia, trying to escape a scarf-wearing scary man with no ears or nose, all while another creepy man is trying to suck out your soul so he can make it into champagne. Also pirates kidnapped your 6th grade teacher and you're trying to save him. And now the old ladies are stabbing you again!
Crazy, creepy, CRAZY stuff.
Well, lo and behold all of those things actually occur in this book. It's just like an unsettling, disconnected dream. And I pretty much loathed it.
If you are into Alice and Wonderland or magic realism, this may be the book for you.
But it was definitely not the book for me.