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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
I really like this. It passed me by as a child - it was a Carnegie Medal winner when I was loitering in the young adult and classics section of the library - but a loving review by a friend encouraged me to read all about the Mennyms. There's some lovely philosophical one-liners in this, but the family and interpersonal dynamics make it both timeless and engaging. Now I'm left with the question to consider, who is my favourite Mennym? Soobie, the blue Mennym who rejects pretends? Appleby, who embraces pretends and takes them to the extreme? Pillbeam? Vinetta, capable, considerate and thoughtful?
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
'The Mennyms' is an unassuming story, but without quite knowing why or how, it latches into you and you can't let it go.
The Mennyms themselves are life size rag dolls created by 'Aunt Kate' and left in her house in England. After her death they came alive, implanted with the characters and memories and knowledge that Aunt Kate had dreamed up for them while sewing them together. Through some cleverness, they arranged with Aunt Kate's nephew in Australia to rent the house and set about making a living. Being rag-dolls they can't be seen by outsiders except in dim light or with careful subterfuge, but they have made it work for 40 years.
Then a letter arrives: the property has come into new hands and the new owner wants to come from Australia and visit the Mennyms, his valued tenants. Their carefully ordered life of pretend is upended in their scurry to prepare for the visitor.
Its a straight-forward plot, but the individual characters of the Mennyms make the story into one about family rather than fantasy. Its a sweet, surprising book and I hope to read the rest of the series someday.
The Mennyms
Next: 'Mennyms in the Wilderness'
The Mennyms themselves are life size rag dolls created by 'Aunt Kate' and left in her house in England. After her death they came alive, implanted with the characters and memories and knowledge that Aunt Kate had dreamed up for them while sewing them together. Through some cleverness, they arranged with Aunt Kate's nephew in Australia to rent the house and set about making a living. Being rag-dolls they can't be seen by outsiders except in dim light or with careful subterfuge, but they have made it work for 40 years.
Then a letter arrives: the property has come into new hands and the new owner wants to come from Australia and visit the Mennyms, his valued tenants. Their carefully ordered life of pretend is upended in their scurry to prepare for the visitor.
Its a straight-forward plot, but the individual characters of the Mennyms make the story into one about family rather than fantasy. Its a sweet, surprising book and I hope to read the rest of the series someday.
The Mennyms
Next: 'Mennyms in the Wilderness'
I picked this up for $2 at an op shop several years ago and had a feeling the other day that now was the right time to read it. I wasn't disappointed. As a story about a family of life-size rag dolls, it has shades of The Borrowers, but also a very snarky and adult humour. It's also worth mentioning that it won the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize in 1994. The characters are surprisingly well fleshed out, though I had to laugh when being first introduced to the young twins with the unfortunate names of Poopie and Wimpey. I really enjoyed my time with this odd family and it's comforting to know that Sylvia Waugh wrote another four books about them, all of which were published in the 1990s. Tracking them down will be half the fun!
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i found this book at a book market and the cover interested me. i had no idea what it was about, because the blurb was quite vague.
as a children's book, it's reflective and beautiful. it's slightly dated in it's gender roles, but probably of its time.
where it really shines is in the emotions, and in the interactions of the characters. the family dynamics are just so good.
this is my second time reading it and it brought as much feeling as it did the first time.
as a children's book, it's reflective and beautiful. it's slightly dated in it's gender roles, but probably of its time.
where it really shines is in the emotions, and in the interactions of the characters. the family dynamics are just so good.
this is my second time reading it and it brought as much feeling as it did the first time.
FIRST READ(2018):
This story was so cute and fun! On the back of the edition I read, it didn't say anything about the family being life-sized rag dolls. If it had, I don't know if I would have picked it up. I was so surprised when it was revealed that I didn't quite believe it at first.
When I picked it up at the library, it didn't look very interesting, but I was willing to give it a try. I was actually expecting to DNF this book, but since the story surprised me, I was engaged.
This book certainly won't be for everyone, but I'm glad it was the thing for me.
REVIEW UPON REREAD(2019):
It still holds up for me! Even when I knew what to expect, it was great! This family is so dysfunctional and they're each flawed in different ways! These characters feel real and I can't wait to reread the second book!
This story was so cute and fun! On the back of the edition I read, it didn't say anything about the family being life-sized rag dolls. If it had, I don't know if I would have picked it up. I was so surprised when it was revealed that I didn't quite believe it at first.
When I picked it up at the library, it didn't look very interesting, but I was willing to give it a try. I was actually expecting to DNF this book, but since the story surprised me, I was engaged.
This book certainly won't be for everyone, but I'm glad it was the thing for me.
REVIEW UPON REREAD(2019):
It still holds up for me! Even when I knew what to expect, it was great! This family is so dysfunctional and they're each flawed in different ways! These characters feel real and I can't wait to reread the second book!