Children Books

A short, skinny boy with untidy hair and broken glasses and a scar on his forehead. A tall, gangly red-head with various hand-me-downs from his five older brothers. A bushy-haired girl who is absolutely book-smart, but also sometimes bossy and rash. It amazes me to this day that such a hugely popular book series could star a main cast such as the one I just described. Even more amazingly, we actually care about these characters and all of their adventures.

Harry Potter owes a debt to the great fantasy that came before it, but it never falls into the trap of copying everything that preceded it. Sure, there are the fairly cliched plot devices of a young boy with dead parents who goes on an incredible journey to kill the male antagonist, but others like Hagrid the half-giant, Diagon Alley, Platform 9 3/4, Quidditch, the Invisibility Cloak, and the incredibly touching Mirror of Erised all came straight from Rowling's incredible imagination. There is something marvelous in every chapter of Harry Potter.

The writing in Sorcerer's Stone isn't perfect, and one could argue that it's not even good, but Rowling's sense of humor, and again, her imagination really shine through. Her writing is very accessible but never patronizing, making Harry Potter a perfect choice for young readers, not only to give them a perfect reading choice, but also to spur a possible life-long interest in reading.

One thing I like about the series is that it's not a clear-cut tale about good vs. evil (this is made clear by the last few books in the series). Plenty of important themes are tackled, and all of them with grace--another argument for why young readers should read Harry Potter.

All in all, there is just so much to love about the series. The first book will have you hooked; by the time you reach the third book, you will desperately want to finish up the whole series, even though you know that means about 3,000 more pages of reading. I think that Harry Potter will go down in history as one of the best fantasy series of all time--you can think about that what you will, as not everybody would agree with me on this one. But I can give this whole series a heartfelt recommendation.

Sadly I had seen the first Harry Potter movie before I read the book. For all of those who declared the first book superior I would have to disagree. Granted it is the begining source for all that we come to love about Harry and his friends, Hogwarts and the long driven drama against Voldemort but the story itself pales in comparison to such a brilliantly done movie. However, for those who have somehow avoided the tidal wave of media buzz concerning these books I would recommend that you start from the begining and enjoy this wonderful world one page at a time. Between the prose and film productions you are about to take a grand journey unlike anything available in the fantasy market.

"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" Apparently, I am the 5434th person to leave a review. I will try to keep it short.

I am a retired older person and, ten years ago, I bought a copy of the previous edition for myself and my wife and a second copy for my, then, eight-year-old step granddaughter and her eleven-year-old brother. We, each, enjoyed the story tremendously. We have followed the Harry Potter stories through to finishing the seventh book, last year.

This is the easiest and the shortest book of the series. However, the author, J.K. Rowling, introduces the reader to many new sorts of things. The ending of this book is very good and this novel is a complete story.

I have read this story several times and am still happy with it, from beginning to end.

You may hear or see criticisms of the Harry Potter books. You may, also, hear or see many folks who praise the books. Please form your own opinions by reading this book for yourself. At first, Harry will be the character that you get to know the best. As the series continues, you will get to know several characters, very well. None of the characters are perfect people. However, Harry and his friends are people whom you would like as your friends. Finally, Harry and his friends do good things throughout the series of books. That is an important point that some folks have a hard time seeing, but it is there in every book.

I recommend this book, highly.

I got this book on the exact date it said I would and it's exactly what I wanted. Hard cover, brand new. Perfect. :)

If you like card board characters, tired old plot, bad writing, this book is for you. Kids, please, there are so many better books out there. And we wonder why the aliens don't want to meet us.

This book is the point where the series went downhill. Out goes the tight plotting and the magical whimsy that made the earlier books so fun, in goes a poorly edited brick of a book that is packed with useless filler and contains quite possibly the largest plot hole I have read in any novel. It's a shame that the subsequent books in the series would carry over all of the bad elements of this book and none of the good elements of the previous entries.

It seems that each of the Harry Potter books has it own secondary genre. The first book was an introduction, the second a comedy, the third a dark horror and the forth book - a true action/adventure story. The Goblet of Fire was a fun read simply because there was so much to picture. Here we are engulfed in the fantasy side of the wizarding world complete with dragons, mermaids, giants and the definitive return of a persistent evil doer. Even if the story was lacking depth, the visual imagery was not. From the World Quiddich Cup to the Tri-Wizard Tournament the vastness of what could be out there and yet not known is so much fun to think about. I consumed this book much faster than the previous editions.

Surprisingly I found the book to be in excellent order. I purchased the book for my nephew and was quite overjoyed to see that it was in outstanding condition. I would highly recommend this seller.

In my opinion the best Harry Potter novel. Maybe not the best movie but as far as book go the best. The imagination from JK Rowling was far better, Harry starts to grwo up. Prof Snipe is scary in this book.

"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" is much thicker than the previous HP books. Once again J.K. Rowling takes her magical series of tales in a darker direction. However, do not be mistaken. There is plenty of light touches and twists and turns to keep the intrest of teenagers. Early on, we are treated to a professional quidditch match, followed by a touch of evil. Harry gets back to school again, then the competition for the Triwizard cup begins. The competition is quite exciting. And, the ending of the story is breathtaking. Meanwhile, we meet Mad Eye Moody and Rita Skeeter and continue to bumb into characters such as Snape. Also, Harry begins to notice that girls are interesting.

For me, the series picked itself up to a higher level, again.

I recommend this book.

The third book in the Harry Potter series turns a lurid shade of pale as three very important figures are brought into view. Sirius Black escapes from Askaban quickly becoming the wizarding world's most wanted. His introduction is met with ambiguity from Harry who is equal parts curious, scared and brave. Professor Lupin is the new dark arts teacher who has a fear of full moons and a past as one of Harry's father's former childhood friends. The third figure is actually of collective of wraith like monstrosities known as Dementors. How could you not be chilled by a creature that feeds on a persons fear and can literally suck out your soul with a kiss of death.

Azkaban brought forth all of the fun one can derive from magical misery. The movie did a good job in copying the books mood. Both were thoroughly entertaining.

Well, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is longer than the first two HP books, but not better. I suppose that we have lost a bit of our wonder at Harry's world, but this book seems to be a slight let down from the high levels we enjoyed in the first two books. Nevertheless, we have a totally different start to this book than we had in the previous books.

Rowling continues to feed our curiosities by supplying new and different experiences and new twists and turns in the HP story. With the introduction to Sirius Black, and of dementors, to the main plot, Rowling takes the HP series towards a more mature tone and loses a bit of the whimsey that the first two books had. I thik Rowling does a very good job at telling a very good story while letting Harry start to grow up.

The finale of this book is long and different from the pattern of the first two books. Among other things, we learn of deeper and more powerful magical practices.

I may seem grumpy about some aspects of this book, but I was entranced by the author's abilities to tell a suspense-filled and adventurous tale, fit for adolescents of all ages.

I recommend this book.

J.K. Rowlings never lets her readers down Harry's quest to be happy stays alive in this book. Also, he gets to meet the only family he has left which makes Harry very Happy at the end of this sequel!!!!

I read this book a few years ago, when the the thrill of Harry was in it's prime. I've seen the movie more times than I can count and I must say the movie is excellent but not as good as the book. I've just reread this book and can't beleive all I had forgotten. It's truly a page turner. From the start when Harry spots the Grim to when Mr Weasley warns Harry of Sirius Black's escape and hunt for Harry the reader is hooked. The Maurader's Map is a great addition to the Invisibility Cloak. The first 2 books were good, but you truly don't get into Harry until this book. Ron and Hermione's relationship is beginning to bud. Hermione is truly the goody goody in this installment. There were times I was mad at her with Ron and Harry. Getting the history of Harry's father's friends helped the story advance with background. This book also helps paint the picture of Snape and his hatered for Harry. The introduction of the Patronus is excellent. It's just as amazing in the book and the movie did a great job of reproducing it. All in all, I loved this book and recommend it to everyone who enjoys magic and fantasy reads.

This series is fun for kids and adults. My son and I are reading it together!

Great book. Read this when I was a kid and still remembered it years later when the movie came out. Great story complicated enough to interest a young teen, but entertaining enough to keep a kid reading. Great message for 10-13 year olds.

The spell that Ella was put under gave the book a nice twist, and this was a novel that I immensely enjoyed. Reading about Ella dealing with her gift/curse and the ways she found around was a delight. I stumbled across it in highschool, and reread it in college. The reading level is a bit under highschool level, but it was a enjoyable read nonetheless, and would be a great gift for a girl, and still a enjoyable however quick read for an adult.

Oh, wow. So, picture if you will, a girl bored in Reading class, beacsuse she's already read all the books we're reading. So I wander over to the book shelf, and I find Ella Enchanted. 2 years later, I think I've read this book about 16 times. It is great. If Ella hadn't married Char, I WOULD!!!
I love the step sisters. They're so stupid and hilarious.

Buy the book. Watch the movie. Obsesses if you want. I do.

Oh yeah, this is Karen's daughter.
So yeah.
See ya!

All I want to say is that if you like fairy tales and hot princes read this book. I have read this book at least 8 times starting from the time I was in middle school and I'm 22 now. If you ever need to get away from life or just need a quick fairytale break then this is for you. I laughed out loud and cried tears of anger and tears of joy. Read it you won't regret it!

Ps. If you have seen the movie don't judge this story by that, because it isn't anything like the book. The book is 1000 times better in fact the movie doesn't give the book any justice.

I came to this book in the odd position of having seen the movie first. I must say, I was quite surprised. Aside from the names of the characters and the curse of obedience, little was the same. When I started reading, my mind was trying to make comparisons... but the stories were so different that I had to stop. The two plots are so dissimilar, they can't really be compared.

The book features a spunky heroine who can more than look after herself, even in the face of a curse that makes her obey any order that's given to her. I enjoyed reading about her adventures and her blossoming friendship with Prince Char. Since this story is loosely based on Cinderella, of course we all know that Ella will live happily ever after. But how she gets there is in turns entertaining, frustrating, romantic, and clever. And yes, there are glass slippers in this version of the story.

My only real complaint was with the climax and the way Ella finally broke the curse. It seemed a little overly convenient to me, and I didn't really understand why she hadn't done it sooner. In that respect, the movie version of this event made more sense to me.

So, even though the way Ella broke the curse wasn't my cup of tea, I quite liked the rest of the book. The climax may have fallen a little flat... but getting there was more than half the fun.

Book 1 in Song of the Lioness series
I first read this book aged 13 and have read it at least once a year since then throughout my teens and twenties. This book is an inspiration for girls everywhere - if you want to achieve something badly enough then you can.
Set in the fictional kingdom of Tortall, this book is an excellent start to Tamora Pierce's universe of magic, myths, adventures, excitement, and romance.
Alanna is the daughter of a noble and expected to grow up to be a noblewoman, to marry, have a family and care for her husband's household.
She does not want this life and seeks to escape it and find adventure. Alanna becomes Alan, a page at the Court of Tortall and a potential knight.

This should be recommended reading for every girl from 10 years upwards.
I think it might be the first book ever to deal with female puberty appropriately - providing information and a situation girls can relate to without being the focus of the story.
Thanks Tamora Pierce - please keep writing.

Review: These books are my comfort books. In fact, all of the Tamora Pierce books from the Tortall series' are in that category. This is the first of Pierce's quartets ever published, starting with Alanna: The First Adventure. They all have a very strong female protagonist, who takes her destiny head-on and finds a way to train as a knight, even though such a thing is only for boys and men. She is a lovable, and tough character, who is very full of honor, pride, and hard work/determination. She goes through her moments of confusion, especially in times where she is out of control, but it never stops her for long. It's just enough to add a dynamic and believable honesty to her character.

Recommendation: This should probably mainly be read by kids/young adults. While I have known people who read them only when they were older, they generally only ever liked the books, not loved them. As I re-read them now, I do notice the lack of development in the writing style and story lines - but I still love them, because I have loved them for a long time. They are generally appropriate for middle school students.
--Note that I say "middle school", because there is some confusion about menstrual cycles and sex. Nothing is very explicit, and all of it is done in a very naive sort of way, since Alanna doesn't understand much about womanly things. However, there are some parents who wouldn't think such things were appropriate for their little girls until at least middle school - if you make them wait until high school, however, they probably will miss out on the wonderfulness of the tale and the great values that are displayed. Personally, I read these in 6th grade.

Here are the other books in this wonderful quartet, in order:
#2: In the Hand of the Goddess (The Song of the Lioness)
#3: The Woman Who Rides Like a Man (The Song of the Lioness)
#4: Lioness Rampant (The Song of the Lioness)

A tale of growing up and acceptance with a strong female lead who shows, without being ultra feminist, that girls can accomplish anything that boys can.

Admittedly a huge fan of the "women-warrior, disguised as a man" characters, I have been disappointed time and again by peoples take on them, but not this time. The take on magic, the involvement of the gods, and the world, which holds different morals, gave to a very interesting atmosphere for the books to be set in. Alanna is a character that I couldn't help cheering for, and identifying with.

Granted as others point out, this is very obviously a first novel that will kick-off a series. And while I did enjoy it, I do prefer to have series of novels have the ability to be stand-alones.

A terrific kick-off, to what I hope to be a wonderful series.

The first two books in this series are a good read for 6-9 graders (advertised for these grades) but the 3rd and 4th series have some serious moral issues for this group. Alanna sleeps with three different guys in the last two books. I don't want my 6th grader to read these.....

My daughter started reading this book at age 12, and has had it for 2 years. She still loves to go back and read selections of love, hope, courage. Give your teenager something worth reading! :)

I bought this book as a gift for my 16yr old niece. The very next day, she told me how much she loved the book. She even cried reading it. I think it's nice to find reading materials that can move the minds and feelings of teenagers.

I skimmed through the book before I gave it to my granddaughter who just turned 13. I thought it had some well written stories that a teenager can relate to and a lot of food for thought. She was so happy to get it, since she had the one for pre-teens also and really liked it.

Once again, "Chicken Soup for the Soul" books has a hit. This is a wonderful gift for young teens with its easy read of short stories on pertinent topics and experiences teens face. Teens I have given it to as a gift have loved it and purchased the next in the teen series. Also a source of good talking points for those anxiety ridden moments or social issues teens face.

I am a teacher in two high schools and I like to read the stories of the book to my students from time to time to inspirate them and reinforce their teenage self esteem! I suggest it to all teacher to make the same with a nice calm background music.

this was a good book very sad that any child would have to endure these kinds of things but it does happen in life sadly enough !!!!! well worth the read!!!

I bought the trilogy I simply could not put the books down! I highly recommend them!

Oh how I felt for this child. My heart was torn in two. Child abuse just astounds me. How does it happen. And then the ignorance of the legal system! The school dragging their feet along, knowing something was wrong. I cried through this book.

Some of the writing is uneven, the plot a little bit disjointed, but in fairness to the author, he is writing from the perspective of a twelve-year-old boy.

This book is vitally important, because there still isn't much in the way of non-fiction written by grown men who were abused as children. Their needs are completely different from those of girls. Pelzer's reaction to being placed into his first foster home - literally bouncing off the walls, jumping on all the beds, is perfectly normal behavior for a boy who has been abused. At times, boys taken into foster care are doubly abused, by well-meaning caretakers who don't understand the unique temperament of the abused male child.

In my view, the system very nearly failed Pelzer by shifting him from one placement to another, often at the last minute. However, his positive attitude is truly inspiring, and he has only praise for the social workers and foster parents he dealt with as a child.

It is impossible for a normal person from an intact Brady-bunch family to understand why a child, placed into a loving and safe second home, would start acting insane and doing everything they could to get kicked out of that home. It's a child's fantasy that holds out even into teenage years, that somehow, being kicked out of a foster home means that they're one step closer to going home, even if deep down, they honestly know that they can't ever live with their parents again.

I highly recommend this book to any person considering becoming a foster parent, and for people who are employed as caretakers in group homes or who work with children and young adults in placement. The writing style is easy enough to appeal to even a middle-school age child, especially one that is already in foster care.

I also enjoyed this book as much as A Child Called "IT". This also made me cry as much as as the first one. I could not put it down as well.

One of the better books I've read. Perfect from beginning to end. A suggestion; watch the mini-series first. The characters (in the mini-series) are so perfectly cast that when the book is read, you immediately connect with them. This book will linger long after you've put it down. This is a modern literary achievement that should not be skipped.

Absolutely loved it! I have ordered two more books by this author and am sure it won't be the last.

Like Gone With the Wind, Lonesome Dove is a critically acclaimed Pulitzer-Prize winning commercially successful novel about family hardships during the end of an American era. It also compares with The Godfather and Shogun as a great epic story with many fascinating characters in life-and-death plots. This is not merely a cult favorite, but is widely admired by readers who love good literature.

In early 2003 I first read this tome after eighteen years of having wrongly scorned it as being JUST a cowboy Western. I re-read it in 2008. If you've not read this because it is set in the fabled American Old West, you're denying yourself a delicious reading experience. Readers used to rapid page-turning, short quick chapters, and simple concepts (not that there's anything wrong with that) may not find this to their taste, but as commercial literature for mature adults, this is excellent.

Like Tolstoy's War and Peace, this is a sprawling book, a mass of life, though all the structural elements of the traditional three-act drama are present. It was originally written as a feature film.

Reasonable minds may differ on a short summary. Objectively, this is a post Civil War story about a cowboy trail boss and his best friend, former Texas Rangers, who lead a team of men who drive three thousand cattle from Texas to Montana. Most of the story takes place on that difficult drive, which is filled with well-developed subplots. Only one of the two main characters survives it, so I'd classify this in retrospect as a tragedy.

But, reading it without knowing the end, this is a grand experience full of comedy, misery, and triumph as they decide to undertake the travel, go on the travel, and arrive at their fated destinations. The character that died had lived a full life with few big regrets; the other character had to go on living with his big regrets.

My regret is that I waited so long before reading this.

Put this one your reading list. This novel endures.
Robert Beattie

I was pretty disappointed with this book. Only a couple characters are actually interesting and almost all of them are one-dimensional. Their actions often do not make sense and are totally irrational. Maybe I do not know much about the west but it seems really easy to die on a cattle drive and whores are really well accepted. The deaths seem implausible and it is amazing how much these men cry. The request and quest at the end of the book were stupid and very annoying. Call, a main character, acts totally out of character at the end. All the characters seem to be at extremes, for example: extremely dumb or very smart. There are two types of men in this book: ones who fall instantly and hopelessly in love with every woman they see, and those who would never touch a woman. There are one two types of women: proffessional whores and then amateur ones.

It took a very long time to get to any meaningful part of the plot. It also seemed like there were only about 20 people living west of the Mississippi because the same characters constantly encountered each other after traveling long distances. The whole book seemed kind of pointless when I was done reading and like a waste of time. Maybe I missed some great message that McMurtry wrote into the book.

This is one of those rather rare books that can be classified as a "cross over book." That is, you really need not be a fan of the Western genre to appreciate and enjoy reading it. I fall into that category. While I have certainly read Westerns from time to time, I do not particularly like them nor do I seek them out. This work is quite different though. I have to admit that I have actually read this thing twice over the years and if I make it much longer, will probably read it again one of these days. I was that impressed with it.

The story or plot has been reviewed to death here, so I will not dwell on that aspect of the novel that much. Suffice to say the setting take place from Texas to the northern U.S. and points in between. It takes place during the latter part of our western expansion period. The tale centers around a cattle drive from Texas and then north. One of the beauties of this book though, is that McMurty has woven quite a number of tales, plots and subplots into this story but has done it in a way that there is not mass confusion for the reader and they all, i.e. the subplots are indeed linked in various ways.

For me though the story was almost secondary. The strength of this work lies in the characters the author has so well developed. From page one you absolutely become involved with each and ever individual McMurtry introduces, even the bad guys. The author has the ability to make the reader feel he is there with them, seeing what the characters see, feeling what the character feels. Secondly, the physical description of the country, area and location of this (or these) tales is second to none. I have had the opportunity to have either lived, visited or extensively travel in or through all the locations mentioned in this book and can attest to the fact that the author has nailed them perfectly. His vivid and accurate descriptions of the country are second to none. Third, I love McMurtry's humor. I actually found myself laughing out loud at some of his ploys. On the other hand, when the author records grim happenings, they are truly grim and you feel those as much as you do any other part of this story.

I truly feel this is one of the better novels written over the last 40 years or so and truly deserved a Pulitzer for it. I doubt that most readers, i.e. those that actually read the book, will not enjoy each and every word. As an added bonus, there has been a wonderful movie made of this story and unlike most instances, the movie is almost as enjoyable (not quite) as the book. I do recommend this work very highly. McMurtry is a natural story teller and has the wonderful ability to record his stories in the written word. If you have not already done so, give this one a read. I seriously doubt you will be sorry.

We only recently found out that all our copies of The Count of Monte Cristo were abridged. We checked this out of our local library and liked it so much we bought a copy for our home library. The type setting is very readable and best of all, it's not abridged.

The story is a classic and a great read. I recommend it for everyone.

I boutht this for my Grandson freshman class in World History. He enjoyed the book and recieved a good grade on his report

The book arrived in excellent condition and it has been a delightful book to read.

I've often heard of references to this book, but never had an occasion to read it. After reading "Lone Survivor", I was curious to read "The Count of Monte Cristo". Dumas certainly set the bar high for all those to follow in this genre. The intrigue and twists are exceptional. A classic which should be a "must read".

How does one review a classic? Especially one so noteworthy as to have demanded the creation of 11 or more film variations, numerous adaptations, and even television series? I long avoided reading this novel due mainly to it's daunting size, and the fear that it's translation would cause the reader more work than I was willing to put into it. However my burning desire to know the true tale of Edmond Dantes overruled my hesitation.

The story, for those of you who are unfamiliar, follows Edmond Dantes in his wrongful imprisonment at the hands of his friends, his 14 years in the Chateau D'If, his escape and rebirth as a self proclaimed hand of vengeance against those who had wronged him. If you have only seen the movies, the book, particularly the ending, is far different than what Hollywood has created. There are no dramatic duels, no massive swordfights with brigands, and not everyone who we believe should, lives happily ever after. This is instead a slow but genius work of Dantes methodically stripping away all that his enemies held dear to them, at whatever cost. None die by his hand, but are rather destroyed by his influence, and their own evil choices come back to haunt them.

The story itself is genius, interesting and very fun. The writing, particularly the translation that I read, is an often difficult and sometimes tedious work that one may need a notebook to keep straight. The cast of characters is very large and they are often referred to by different names, making it a bit more difficult to keep track of who is who without some sort of note taking. I was not smart enough to take notes, and thus had to spend quite a bit of time searching my brain to make sure I was thinking of the correct person as I read, particularly with some of the more minor story lines and the characters that weaved in and out of the story with multiple chapters between their appearances. Also, this book will probably be disappointing to those who are interested in the action that the movies provided. The Count of Monte Cristo, does not come in with guns blazing, but rather plays a very well thought out and disturbing game of mental chess against his opponents. As readers we hope for their downfall, but also wonder how far the Count will go... his years of imprisonment have left him hardened and disturbingly without remorse at the use of innocents to gain his vengeance. As he plays his pieces we wonder just who will be sacrificed, and who will have the chance to live happily ever after in this dark world of Dumas.

Readers of more modern novels may have trouble with this book because of the sheer volume of concurrent story lines, all of which are necessary for understanding the strings being pulled by the Count. But to remember the tale of the lovers, the orphan, the bandit, the banker, the ship builder, the assassin, the count, the princess, the steward, the military man, the lawyer, the cheating husband and wife, the lost love, the musician, the buried baby, the dying father, the paralyzed grandfather, the murderess, the thief, the countess, the emperor and all of their relations, can be quite a daunting task for any reader. Still each of these stories could be a book of their own, keeping the reader quite entertained, but Dumas has managed to weave them all together into one, brilliant and shining tale... if you can keep them straight through the end.

What surprised me most was the ending of this story. It was not what I wanted, or hoped for. True I loved Haidee, and wanted nothing but her happiness... but many seemed to be left in suffering that did not deserve the fate that they were bound to. I will not elaborate for fear of spoiling the ending... but this does not end on a Hollywood, "they all ride off into the sunset" ending. Perhaps the meaning of the story is not all about revenge, but rather what damage the hunt for vengeance can bring to not just those who have wronged you, but to all those that surround you. The downfall of selfishness; be it falsely imprisoning someone to gain what you may, to the selfishness of vengeance... there is so much meaning in this book, I can see why it is so often "required reading." Though I highly recommend this book, I would advise you attempt to read it with others either in a class or a reading group so that you can discuss all of the rich meaning behind Dumas's words.

I ordered and paid for new - but got a used book full of dirty fingerprints.
It was supposed to be a gift for our grandson....ugh!

I was pretty surprised and disapointed in some of the reviews on this book. Several of the people who didn't like it themselves seemed to think that nobody 'really' does, and that they are only saying they do because it's a popular book. What a silly thing to assume. After all, the book didn't become popular for no reason whatsoever. Honestly, I think some people simply forget how to use their imagination, and you do have to have some use of it to enjoy this book. Yes, I do believe that, as humans, we like to blend in, and so SOME people might be tempted to say they liked it just because their friends did. That is not the case for everyone, and I would say, not the case for most.

This book has a sweet, imaginative story line about a little boy who gets sent to his room and so imagines himself somewhere else, with monsters that he becomes friends with. (Obviously, these are friendly 'monsters'). There is nothing difficult about the story line, especially if you use your imagination. The pictures are beautiful, but, not every child will like them, because every child is unique. I think this is a good book for children who are afraid to sleep because of monsters under the bed, because it protrays monsters (which are very real to many small children) as friendly and playful. This is a wonderful story, especially if you have a rambuncious child with a vivid imagination. But, as with all books, before you buy it, check it out at your library or from a friend to see if you and your little one will enjoy it.

childhood classic, what else is there to say. aweome book for any child or parent!

Among the hundreds of books my husband and I have purchased for our seven-year old daughter over the course of her young life, "Where the Wild Things Are" is one of the absolute best. She loves the freeing world that Max enjoys and its ever-so-slightly dangerous vibe. When she was younger, my husband and I loved the simple poetry and cadence. It's fun to read! It's almost like singing a song. (My daughter especially loved the female monster.)

The message is a good one: our imaginations are rich beyond measure, joy is a universal desire, and one need not go anywhere outside themselves to experience adventure.

Let the wild rumpus start!

This story is about imagination and reality and maintaining a healthy balance between them. The understanding that was intended to be brought from reading it is that imagination is good but remember that make-believe is make-believe and reality is reality.

The story has remained popular with children because of it's simplicity, because of the element of adventure. The pictures of course draw the children in. When teaching high school English I brought my copy to school and had a student that was enjoying reading my Dr. Seuss Sneeches book, and I showed him Where the Wild Things Are (he is a senior! And 18 years old) and he had never seen the story before! I was amazed.

What part do the pictures play in it's popularity? It is a big facet of it! The pictures are soft, they give a humorous twist to big hairy monsters... It is appropriate for the age group it was written but also a great blast of the past for us adults. The book is adventurous and jovial. It has a happy ending. I've remembered this story all of my life. I used to have a copy of this story as a child... I purchased a copy for myself as and adult and it remains in my collection. I remember this story because my parents read it to me - it was one of my favorites. I think it is the artwork, the muted colors of the story and the warmth of the book that makes it a classic. The overall message of the book: Daydreaming can be fun. (even as adults!)