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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
Haven't read before. I don't know how I managed that, but it was fun to share for the first time with my kids.
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Reader’s Notes:
– this is the book the movie with the same title is based off of
– Forewarning: the book and the movie are not exactly the same; The Differences: (book) the main character believes in Santa (in the movie he is skeptical), (book) straight forward wintery train ride to the North Pole (in the movie there is more adventures on the train & at the North Pole as well as other characters met)
Review:
This was a wonderful story! I love The Polar Express movie & though this book isn’t exactly the same as it, I loved it anyways! It was the perfect whimsical Christmas read! I loved the almost full 2 page artworks for each scene and the details in them.
Summary:
A boy who wished to hear the sound of the bells on Santa’s reindeer the night of Christmas Eve finds himself on an adventure when a train pulls up outside his house that night instead. The train called the Polar Express will take him and other children to the North Pole for the chance to see everything there. And one child will be picked to receive the first gift of Christmas by Santa himself…
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
I used to own this book as a kid but never read it. I’m not sure why. Such an odd thing. Finally read it, and it is beautiful. A simple story but really moving.
This is incredibly boring and bland, and even though I understand that there's a nostalgia factor there for a lot of people, I don't understand why this became so popular to start with. I'm not making any commentary on the movie, which I haven't seen, but I am not impressed with the book. (Also, the movie was heavily advertised at my local Kroger when I was a child, so thinking about The Polar Express transports me to the chip and salsa area. But that is neither here nor there.)
The story is one-dimensional and rushed, and even though the illustrations are pretty, a number of pages just show landscapes without propelling the story. The protagonist doesn't do anything notable either, and is just randomly selected by Santa because... well, he's the protagonist! I also found the ending unsatisfying. This seems like one of those books designed for adults who want to reminisce about childhood, rather than being truly aimed at kids.
The story is one-dimensional and rushed, and even though the illustrations are pretty, a number of pages just show landscapes without propelling the story. The protagonist doesn't do anything notable either, and is just randomly selected by Santa because... well, he's the protagonist! I also found the ending unsatisfying. This seems like one of those books designed for adults who want to reminisce about childhood, rather than being truly aimed at kids.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
This is my favorite Christmas story, though to be honest I read it to my son all year long. He went through a serious train phase so he loved the book. I love the message it sends, that there is always something to believe in, and that there's more to Christmas than the toys that they get.
I didn't think I would like this- and when I saw how much text there was, I thought that even more. But for a child with the right-length attention span, this is really quite lovely. Very understated, in a The Snowman
I was surprised! The movie was pretty long considering how short the book is. I really liked it though. Perfect Christmas read!