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jess_mango's review against another edition
4.0
I read this book with my 9 year old son and he really enjoyed it!
The Hippo at the End of the Hall is a middle grade novel that is one part "Night at the Museum" with a dash of whimsy and a lot of fun. In this book, Ben lives with his single mom in an apartment in the same building as the small shop she runs. They are frequently low on money and life is not great. Then Ben receives a mysterious invitation (delivered by bees!!) to the Gee Museum. Ben finds his way to the museum and his adventure begins. It includes bad guys who are plotting to buy/ruin the museum, talking taxidermy animals, magic, family lore, and more.
There were no dull moments in this book. Yet, it wasn't over the top. This is a magical book that makes you want to visit museums and discover their secrets. Also, the author's sketches throughout the book were wonderful. Highly recommend.
I received a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher, Candlewick Press.
The Hippo at the End of the Hall is a middle grade novel that is one part "Night at the Museum" with a dash of whimsy and a lot of fun. In this book, Ben lives with his single mom in an apartment in the same building as the small shop she runs. They are frequently low on money and life is not great. Then Ben receives a mysterious invitation (delivered by bees!!) to the Gee Museum. Ben finds his way to the museum and his adventure begins. It includes bad guys who are plotting to buy/ruin the museum, talking taxidermy animals, magic, family lore, and more.
There were no dull moments in this book. Yet, it wasn't over the top. This is a magical book that makes you want to visit museums and discover their secrets. Also, the author's sketches throughout the book were wonderful. Highly recommend.
I received a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher, Candlewick Press.
rkiladitis's review
4.0
Ben has lived alone with his mom ever since his father died when he was little. When an invitation to a mysterious, odd museum called The Gee Museum arrives addressed to him, it stirs up a vague memory of time spent with his father - and sets his mother on edge, although she won't say why. Ben goes to the old museum and meets a group of talking animals, all waiting for him. They tell him that the museum is in danger, and he's the only one who can save it - the proprietress is old and tired of keeping it going, and the people she's considering selling it to - a greedy landlord who's also trying to force Ben's mom out of business and their home, and a rival museum's director who plans to scavenge the most valuable pieces and junk the rest - don't have the Gee's best interests at heart. As Ben unravels the secrets of the Gee, and the mysterious hippo and his place among all the animals, he finds answers about his father and his family that will fill a missing piece he's lived with for too long.
The Hippo at the End of the Hall is an steadily building tale that blends the fantastic with a story of family and of memory. Ben and his mom are likable characters that stick together, even when one's annoyed at the other: kind of like real moms and kids, right? The animals have individual personalities that set them apart from one another and bring them right into the story, and the human characters have history that's never completely given away, yet feel fully formed and built up - Helen Cooper leaves us to wonder and imagine the wonderful adventures that took place before we joined the group. The black-and-white illustrations throughout add a vintage feel to the atmosphere, bringing the Gee Museum to life under your fingertips. Magical museums and magical creatures, two terrible baddies, and a family putting itself back together make this a book to booktalk to your Jumanji fans, your Night at the Museum fans (schedule a showing of the movies!), and your magical realism fans.
The Hippo at the End of the Hall is an steadily building tale that blends the fantastic with a story of family and of memory. Ben and his mom are likable characters that stick together, even when one's annoyed at the other: kind of like real moms and kids, right? The animals have individual personalities that set them apart from one another and bring them right into the story, and the human characters have history that's never completely given away, yet feel fully formed and built up - Helen Cooper leaves us to wonder and imagine the wonderful adventures that took place before we joined the group. The black-and-white illustrations throughout add a vintage feel to the atmosphere, bringing the Gee Museum to life under your fingertips. Magical museums and magical creatures, two terrible baddies, and a family putting itself back together make this a book to booktalk to your Jumanji fans, your Night at the Museum fans (schedule a showing of the movies!), and your magical realism fans.
nerdygnome's review against another edition
4.0
A whimsical trek with themes of belief, courage, and discovering what binds family together and to their heritage.
Ten-year-old Ben lives with his single mother, feeling the pinch of her overprotectiveness that followed the death of his father when he was young. One day, he receives an unsigned invitation on his doorstep, encouraging him to visit a little-known museum nearby. Because it is only open for a few hours a week, Ben makes his way to visit it, despite warnings from his mother to not travel near the river and weir. There, he begins to discover both magic (talking taxidermied animals, dancing bees, and more) and a dangerous plot staged by local developers who want to ruin the museum and take the land.
We shared this as a family read-aloud and all three of my boys (12, 11, and 8) were engrossed in the story, often wanting me to read more. While light on tension and mad-dash adventure, it's a great choice for children who like fantasy, magic, and mystery.
Ten-year-old Ben lives with his single mother, feeling the pinch of her overprotectiveness that followed the death of his father when he was young. One day, he receives an unsigned invitation on his doorstep, encouraging him to visit a little-known museum nearby. Because it is only open for a few hours a week, Ben makes his way to visit it, despite warnings from his mother to not travel near the river and weir. There, he begins to discover both magic (talking taxidermied animals, dancing bees, and more) and a dangerous plot staged by local developers who want to ruin the museum and take the land.
We shared this as a family read-aloud and all three of my boys (12, 11, and 8) were engrossed in the story, often wanting me to read more. While light on tension and mad-dash adventure, it's a great choice for children who like fantasy, magic, and mystery.
carnisht's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to like this book. It gave me serious Night at the Museum vibes. I kept almost quitting, but I was JUST intrigued enough to read on, but it really started to drag. By page 130, there still was basically no action, just a TON of exploring and curiosity from Ben. Wish it were more exciting and I would’ve probably loved it because the idea was solid.
marzipanbabies's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
annieb123's review
5.0
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
The Hippo at the End of the Hall is a chapter fantasy book for middle readers by Helen Cooper. Released 8th Oct 2019 by Candlewick Press, it's 352 pages and available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats.
This book charmed me from the very first page. The elements of a classic fantasy are skillfully interwoven: a museum full of magic which is threatened by evil property development and skullduggery, a likeable 'everykid' protagonist, some fairly clueless but well meaning adults, and magical bees plus a hippo. The story and illustrations remind me in a very good way of Roald Dahl. There's something special about books for younger readers whose authors are NOT afraid to shy away from crises in their stories. This book isn't all gentleness and sugary sweetness. The antagonists are creepy, sleazy, and straight up mean.
The illustrations are wonderful. The early eARC which I received had intentionally lowered resolution in order to maintain a reasonable transfer file size, but even slightly fuzzy, they were magical. I -loved- the illustrations and to me, they were probably the highlight. I really really enjoyed the afterword by the artist/author and I imagine the encouraging words, read by young artists, would be particularly timely and welcome.
It's a standalone, but the setup and denouement certainly wouldn't rule out more stories, and I hope there are more in store. This is a very special book, and I encourage anyone who likes fantasy, magic, art, or museums to read this one.
Five stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
The Hippo at the End of the Hall is a chapter fantasy book for middle readers by Helen Cooper. Released 8th Oct 2019 by Candlewick Press, it's 352 pages and available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats.
This book charmed me from the very first page. The elements of a classic fantasy are skillfully interwoven: a museum full of magic which is threatened by evil property development and skullduggery, a likeable 'everykid' protagonist, some fairly clueless but well meaning adults, and magical bees plus a hippo. The story and illustrations remind me in a very good way of Roald Dahl. There's something special about books for younger readers whose authors are NOT afraid to shy away from crises in their stories. This book isn't all gentleness and sugary sweetness. The antagonists are creepy, sleazy, and straight up mean.
The illustrations are wonderful. The early eARC which I received had intentionally lowered resolution in order to maintain a reasonable transfer file size, but even slightly fuzzy, they were magical. I -loved- the illustrations and to me, they were probably the highlight. I really really enjoyed the afterword by the artist/author and I imagine the encouraging words, read by young artists, would be particularly timely and welcome.
It's a standalone, but the setup and denouement certainly wouldn't rule out more stories, and I hope there are more in store. This is a very special book, and I encourage anyone who likes fantasy, magic, art, or museums to read this one.
Five stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
librarianlayla's review against another edition
5.0
I was sent an eARC of this through NetGalley for my honest feedback.
4.5 stars out of 5.
A delightful story of a young boy discovering more about his family history, spun together with whimsy and adventure.
Highly recommend for fans of stories such as Night At The Museum, Peter Pan or Jumanji.
4.5 stars out of 5.
A delightful story of a young boy discovering more about his family history, spun together with whimsy and adventure.
Highly recommend for fans of stories such as Night At The Museum, Peter Pan or Jumanji.
bardicbramley's review against another edition
5.0
A wonderful book that I would highly recommend!
I’m always deterred from children’s novels that aren’t historical simply because they’re often either whimsical fantasy aimed at girls or funny-rude flimsy aimed at boys.
This book was a perfect mix of children’s fantasy that could be read by anyone and enjoyed. It was neither too fantastical, too historical, or too factual.
The characters were responsible and well rounded and the writer did an amazing job at conveying the emotions of both adults and children.
And bonus points! The ending wasn’t disappointing! Everything fit well together and I’m not left with any substantial questions or plot holes!!
I’m always deterred from children’s novels that aren’t historical simply because they’re often either whimsical fantasy aimed at girls or funny-rude flimsy aimed at boys.
This book was a perfect mix of children’s fantasy that could be read by anyone and enjoyed. It was neither too fantastical, too historical, or too factual.
The characters were responsible and well rounded and the writer did an amazing job at conveying the emotions of both adults and children.
And bonus points! The ending wasn’t disappointing! Everything fit well together and I’m not left with any substantial questions or plot holes!!
honey_ob's review against another edition
4.0
Sweet story of family and finding your place wrapped up in a fairytale-like story. The good versus evil element will have the kids invested in the mystery at the center of the book. Great 3rd or 4th grade read aloud. Excellent family read aloud!