You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.

panda_incognito 's review for:

The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
2.0

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.