Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.24 AVERAGE
4.24 AVERAGE
Such a fun book! I know I read it as a kid, but think I appreciate the clever dialogue more as an adult.
This should be one of my all-time favourite books, a successor to Alice in Wonderland. But somehow both the art and the story are strangely charmless, it's like someone telling you an unfunny joke that you can guess the punchline to, nevertheless they insist on telling you the whole thing, desperately gurning the entire time.
And for a book that spends so much time on word-play and the meaning of words, this bit really irritated me:
'"We offer you the hospitality of our kingdom,"
"Country,"
"Nation,"
"State,"
"Commonwealth,"
"Realm,"
"Empire,"
"Palatinate,"
"Principality."
"Do all those words mean the same thing?" gasped Milo.
"Of course."'
They don't all mean the same thing. And my son has spent the last few years of school learning the difference between these kinds of words.
And for a book that spends so much time on word-play and the meaning of words, this bit really irritated me:
'"We offer you the hospitality of our kingdom,"
"Country,"
"Nation,"
"State,"
"Commonwealth,"
"Realm,"
"Empire,"
"Palatinate,"
"Principality."
"Do all those words mean the same thing?" gasped Milo.
"Of course."'
They don't all mean the same thing. And my son has spent the last few years of school learning the difference between these kinds of words.
Just when I found myself stuck in patterns of thought, this was the perfect antidote to get myself thinking in more positive creative ways. I loved this book when I was younger and now I remember why. The perfect refreshing light read to wake up your mind and drive home so many important concepts.
“So many things are possible just as long as you don't know they're impossible.”
“You must never feel badly about making mistakes ... as long as you take the trouble to learn from them. For you often learn more by being wrong for the right reasons than you do by being right for the wrong reasons.”
“Just because you have a choice, it doesn't mean that any of them 'has' to be right.”
“You may not see it now," said the Princess of Pure Reason, looking knowingly at Milo's puzzled face, "but whatever we learn has a purpose and whatever we do affects everything and everyone else, if even in the tiniest way. Why, when a housefly flaps his wings, a breeze goes round the world; when a speck of dust falls to the ground, the entire planet weighs a little more; and when you stamp your foot, the earth moves slightly off its course. Whenever you laugh, gladness spreads like the ripples in the pond; and whenever you're sad, no one anywhere can be really happy. And it's much the same thing with knowledge, for whenever you learn something new, the whole world becomes that much richer.”
“So many things are possible just as long as you don't know they're impossible.”
“You must never feel badly about making mistakes ... as long as you take the trouble to learn from them. For you often learn more by being wrong for the right reasons than you do by being right for the wrong reasons.”
“Just because you have a choice, it doesn't mean that any of them 'has' to be right.”
“You may not see it now," said the Princess of Pure Reason, looking knowingly at Milo's puzzled face, "but whatever we learn has a purpose and whatever we do affects everything and everyone else, if even in the tiniest way. Why, when a housefly flaps his wings, a breeze goes round the world; when a speck of dust falls to the ground, the entire planet weighs a little more; and when you stamp your foot, the earth moves slightly off its course. Whenever you laugh, gladness spreads like the ripples in the pond; and whenever you're sad, no one anywhere can be really happy. And it's much the same thing with knowledge, for whenever you learn something new, the whole world becomes that much richer.”
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I cannot believe this is the first time I’ve ever read this book! Where has it been my whole life? I don’t know how I would’ve felt as a child reading this, but as an adult, it was just delightful and it brings me back to innocent days of childlike wonder and imagination. There was a lot of simple wisdom in this book, and it reminds me that we are never too old for magic.
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes