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stduke's review against another edition
5.0
i read this book as a kid and it was seriously like
my favourite novel of all time back then
i read it over and over and over bc i thought it was creepy and cool and i just loved it!
i recently bought a kindle edition of it and im so stoked to re-read it again at last, because id forgotten it existed for a few good years
my favourite novel of all time back then
i read it over and over and over bc i thought it was creepy and cool and i just loved it!
i recently bought a kindle edition of it and im so stoked to re-read it again at last, because id forgotten it existed for a few good years
cmbohn's review against another edition
4.0
This is like 4 books in one. The first is the story of three kids, living a sheltered and rather boring life, who set off on a series of adventures. The second is a sci-fi look at what life might be like in a future Africa, with robots and mutants and mile high buildings. The third is a mystery with three unusual detectives searching for some kidnapped children. And the last book is a examination of what happens when modern people try to return to a traditionally tribal way of life. How much you enjoy this book seems to depend on how much you like any or all of those kinds of stories.
We read this for book club, and I enjoyed it more than anyone else. Some of the other readers admitted that they weren't fans of science fiction, or that they had a hard time imagining that kind of future world. But I guess I was caught up in the adventure of the story and didn't worry too much about how it all worked together. It just sort of worked, for me. I really liked Tendai, the oldest of the three kids whose trip to the city sets off the whole chain of events. I admit that it was a bit much to believe that they just continued from one set of adventures to the next, falling into the wrong hands at every turn, and somehow managing to escape. But I didn't care much. I liked it anyway. I liked that we got to see how Tendai grew from an insecure, serious boy who only wants to please his father into someone who cares about his brother and sister, who wants to protect them, and isn't afraid to save himself.
I would recommend this one. Yes, there's a lot going on, but it seems like you either like it or you don't, and it's hard to predict which it's going to be. I wouldn't have picked it up at all if it hadn't been for book club, and I really enjoyed it. 4 stars
We read this for book club, and I enjoyed it more than anyone else. Some of the other readers admitted that they weren't fans of science fiction, or that they had a hard time imagining that kind of future world. But I guess I was caught up in the adventure of the story and didn't worry too much about how it all worked together. It just sort of worked, for me. I really liked Tendai, the oldest of the three kids whose trip to the city sets off the whole chain of events. I admit that it was a bit much to believe that they just continued from one set of adventures to the next, falling into the wrong hands at every turn, and somehow managing to escape. But I didn't care much. I liked it anyway. I liked that we got to see how Tendai grew from an insecure, serious boy who only wants to please his father into someone who cares about his brother and sister, who wants to protect them, and isn't afraid to save himself.
I would recommend this one. Yes, there's a lot going on, but it seems like you either like it or you don't, and it's hard to predict which it's going to be. I wouldn't have picked it up at all if it hadn't been for book club, and I really enjoyed it. 4 stars
scostner's review against another edition
2.0
I know it won an award - but I really didn't enjoy it that much.
sarahbotreads's review against another edition
4.0
This was a book club selection that I really enjoyed. I liked that it took place in Africa, and immersed in a non-Western culture; I liked that the core relationships in the book were family relationships, not romantic ones. There was a little more "ah, just missed them!" then I would have liked, but it was clearly a specifically chosen structure and not sloppiness, so I can accept it as just something not to my taste.
wiley01px2022's review against another edition
4.0
Action packed adventure! A mix of modern day technology and past cultures and mysteries of Africa!
toryhallelujah's review
3.0
Slower-moving than I remembered, and the kids sure don't seem super worried about getting back home in a timely manner. A LOT of reliance on deus ex machina tropes.
directorpurry's review against another edition
2.0
CW: kidnapping, child trafficking, child abuse, attempted infanticide, (mentioned) animal cruelty and animal death, (mentioned) child death
Read for the "Read the World" Challenge for: Zimbabwe
Read for the "Read the World" Challenge for: Zimbabwe