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booklover56283's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
0.25
horrible book.
superstormnora's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Really great afrofuturism themed book. I enjoyed it a lot!
wrentheblurry's review against another edition
3.0
I heard this was good, and Vince had picked it out for Trevor, but he was not interested. We are currently waiting for our next bedtime selection to arrive from another library, and this was still here, so I started it without asking the boys' opinion. Only two chapters in so far, but the writing is exceptional.
2/6/11 This title started out stronger than it finished. FWIW, Warren would give it three stars, and Trevor would give it four. Trevor says: "My favorite part was at the end when the cooks and waiters bash the bad guys with frying pans!"
Set in the future in Africa, the story follows the adventures of three kidnapped children of an important General. Eye, Ear and Arm are exceptional humans (as a result of birth defects) that comprise a detective agency that has been hired to find the youths. The chapters often alternate between whatever drama the kids are involved in with whatever issue the detectives are dealing with, or an update on the parents of the children.
The story coaxes a few laughs throughout the way, though mostly one is waiting to find out how the inevitable conclusion will occur. Spirituality and the occult are two themes that younger kids may not have been exposed to, which may lead to some talking points. There is some weirdness, but hey, I did tear up several times at the end, so yeah, three stars!
2/6/11 This title started out stronger than it finished. FWIW, Warren would give it three stars, and Trevor would give it four. Trevor says: "My favorite part was at the end when the cooks and waiters bash the bad guys with frying pans!"
Set in the future in Africa, the story follows the adventures of three kidnapped children of an important General. Eye, Ear and Arm are exceptional humans (as a result of birth defects) that comprise a detective agency that has been hired to find the youths. The chapters often alternate between whatever drama the kids are involved in with whatever issue the detectives are dealing with, or an update on the parents of the children.
The story coaxes a few laughs throughout the way, though mostly one is waiting to find out how the inevitable conclusion will occur. Spirituality and the occult are two themes that younger kids may not have been exposed to, which may lead to some talking points. There is some weirdness, but hey, I did tear up several times at the end, so yeah, three stars!
inirac's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
I remember loving this book as a kid, and I want to preserve that (reading Afrofuturism before I knew what that was!). Here are my thoughts reading this as an adult: 1) what the heck is going on?? the narrative is a bit more disjointed than I remembered but I guess a young adult book and Newberry Award winner can blow past major plot points? 2) The detectives are far more bumbling than I remembered as well, but they were my favorite characters as a kid and still are though less lovable than I want them to be, 3) uh way more peril than I remember too, with a more-than-casual gloss over of a 13 year old bearing a child to an adult man? woof. Also I'm wishing this was "own voices" content and was written by someone more familiar with Zimbabwe and the social complexities of their politics, but consider my interest piqued to now go seek that out. I think there was a lot of potential to make more bold comments about Father Matsika's violent war to gain control of the government and go a bit more into the Gonwannans sympathetic side, but jk lets just make them evil witches who kill kids!
Content Warnings
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
klbreyfogle's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was my first time reading this book (I’m an adult), and I was a little surprised to find out that this was a children’s book - definitely reads more like YA than children’s even though the characters are meant to be pretty young. And it’s pretty dark for a kid’s book the threat of child sacrifice, especially . I enjoyed it, though!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Violence, and Trafficking
Minor: Animal death and Injury/Injury detail
ocurtsinger's review against another edition
3.0
Revisited this one for old times' sake, remembering how it was all the rage when I was in middle school. Farmer has just the right ratio of futurism, cultural mysticism, political intrigue, and adventure to craft a perfect Gibson-esque sci-fi. I don't think Gibson has ever set his sights on Zimbabwe (or anywhere else in Africa) for a setting, but if he did, and if he were writing for a younger audience, it might look something like this.
Farmer's only flaw here is that she doesn't write action sequences very well, and that may be because of the younger audience; she seems to soften most of the hard action with PG humor that makes the reading a little absurd. Perhaps if she didn't have the caveat of a young audience, she could let the harshness and brutality of what she's actually writing about (lots of dark commentary about race relations, cultural exoticism and environmental degradation) speak for themselves rather than infusing them with a Disney-like flair.
All in all, Farmer has crafted a rich setting where that commentary and her imagination really shine through, so much so that when I was reading this in middle school, I remember plenty of friends saying how great of a movie it would make. That's true, but hopefully it wouldn't be fettered by a PG-13 clampdown on action and a Disney sense of humor.
Farmer's only flaw here is that she doesn't write action sequences very well, and that may be because of the younger audience; she seems to soften most of the hard action with PG humor that makes the reading a little absurd. Perhaps if she didn't have the caveat of a young audience, she could let the harshness and brutality of what she's actually writing about (lots of dark commentary about race relations, cultural exoticism and environmental degradation) speak for themselves rather than infusing them with a Disney-like flair.
All in all, Farmer has crafted a rich setting where that commentary and her imagination really shine through, so much so that when I was reading this in middle school, I remember plenty of friends saying how great of a movie it would make. That's true, but hopefully it wouldn't be fettered by a PG-13 clampdown on action and a Disney sense of humor.
naysh's review against another edition
4.0
A friend suggested this to me and I'm really happy I read it. I ties in history to sci-fi, added with some fantasy. The plot was interesting, and the ending was satisfying. Interesting viewpoints were made, especially in the area where African culture was left without technology.
campmom03's review against another edition
5.0
I enjoyed this YA book. The writer paints a vivid portrait of an Africa 200 years in the future. When the three children, of the general, go missing, their mother calls in detectives to aid the search. The detectives have special abilities due to a toxic substance before their birth. Sounds a little corny, but it works and Ms. Farmer does a really nice job developing these characters.
I liked the way the children develop as they encounter different situations along their search to get home. I also liked how the detectives grow and change in their hunt for the children.
I recommend this book for teens and adults.
I liked the way the children develop as they encounter different situations along their search to get home. I also liked how the detectives grow and change in their hunt for the children.
I recommend this book for teens and adults.
michellewords's review against another edition
2.0
Some books are books to be reread and some are made to stay in fond childhood memory. The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm should have stayed in memory.
I remember the book as something wonderful and hilarious. This time around, it felt corny and disjointed. I didn't fully grasp the point until page 200.
General Matsika's three children seek an adventure outside their highly modern and over bearing home and travel through a metaphoric time line.
The are first captured by the She Elephant and her vlei people in a trash land, mining plastic and garbage from the past with no technology to speak and slave labor is abundant.
Then they find themselves at a primitive reserve void of modern conveniences with a small tribe of people. This society is built on the past, featuring farms and the women are treated as secondary citizens doing most of the work.
Next they are captured by the Mellower's mother in search of a reward from the general. Her home has a few modern inventions but she treats the animals in the home better than the children.
Finally they are recaptured and taken to the street gang of the Man's to be sacrificed to some mask like diety.
While all of this is happening. Three genetically enhanced detectives ( Ear, Eye, and Arm) are hired to find the children. They are the comedic relief through the book doing silly things with their support senses on the path to the children.
When I was 10, I loved this book. I laughed a lot and loved the detectives, but such love doesn't linger into adulthood. I should have left the fond memory where it was. Read this book to your kids, it will be fun, but maybe skip it on your solo time.
I remember the book as something wonderful and hilarious. This time around, it felt corny and disjointed. I didn't fully grasp the point until page 200.
General Matsika's three children seek an adventure outside their highly modern and over bearing home and travel through a metaphoric time line.
The are first captured by the She Elephant and her vlei people in a trash land, mining plastic and garbage from the past with no technology to speak and slave labor is abundant.
Then they find themselves at a primitive reserve void of modern conveniences with a small tribe of people. This society is built on the past, featuring farms and the women are treated as secondary citizens doing most of the work.
Next they are captured by the Mellower's mother in search of a reward from the general. Her home has a few modern inventions but she treats the animals in the home better than the children.
Finally they are recaptured and taken to the street gang of the Man's to be sacrificed to some mask like diety.
While all of this is happening. Three genetically enhanced detectives ( Ear, Eye, and Arm) are hired to find the children. They are the comedic relief through the book doing silly things with their support senses on the path to the children.
When I was 10, I loved this book. I laughed a lot and loved the detectives, but such love doesn't linger into adulthood. I should have left the fond memory where it was. Read this book to your kids, it will be fun, but maybe skip it on your solo time.
mythdreamer's review against another edition
4.5
I read this when I was 10 or 11, and 25 years later I don't remember the details of this story, but something about its haunting surreal feeling has stuck with me all this time.