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Steven Arntson

Autor/a de The Wrap-Up List

4 obres 262 Membres 18 Ressenyes

Obres de Steven Arntson

The Wrap-Up List (2013) 111 exemplars
The Wikkeling (2011) 89 exemplars
The Trap (2015) 59 exemplars

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This was a book that was a library discard, purchased for a a dollar. It looked interesting, but sat on my shelf for awhile, until I finally pulled it out for something easy to read, but interesting. And this book certainly satisfies those requirements.

Its a book aimed at children, I'd probably say 8 to 13 crowd. The story has a fairy tale-like quality, but instead of a world filled with scariness, this world is aimed at ultimate protection, for example, everything is plastic with no corners, or that parents are notified whenever a child moves locations. However, safety is taken to a point where the entire world is sanitized, from history to literature. Add in the focus on test scores, where that is the only thing that matters in school, to the point where class, and school rankings are updated each day.

The story itself is about taking risks, and learning from them. From climbing a pile of chairs into a magical attic, or even crossing the street. As for the Wikkeling, he's actually a scary figure, and in true fairy tale fashion, never explained. The ending is not a surprise, the children in the story learn something, the Wikkeling is vanquished, and life is changed.

As an adult reading this book, I felt like I was missing out - just who was Henrift AndI, and how did this world become what it is? Or why is the Wikkeling the only reason there is a such a focus on safety? But for a kid, I suspect they quite like it.
… (més)
½
 
Marcat
TheDivineOomba | Hi ha 8 ressenyes més | Mar 20, 2024 |
Henrietta Gad-Fly lives in a world where safety is the number one concern. Her school bus has not only seat belts, but head straps. Her clothes have yellow visibility stripes. Her parents can monitor her 24 hours a day via mobile phone and Bed Cam. That is, until Henrietta's Bed Cam mysteriously breaks, and her adventures into the past begin. Can she and her friends figure out why they get terrible headaches? Or what is going on with the wild house cat in Henrietta's attic? Most importantly, can they discover the secret of the creepy flickering monster known as the Wikkeling?

With excellent illustrations and a cool dystopian premise, this book has a lot of shelf appeal. I was very into it until about 60% of the way through when I started to feel confused by everything going on. I think first-time children's author Arntson didn't quite build a world with consistent internal logic. There's the [b:1984]-ish setting, and then there's the magic-ish attic and the monster-ish Wikkeling. It somehow didn't mesh well for me. I was never sure what was going on with the view from the attic or why the kids could see the Wikkeling.

So, it left me a little befuddled, but I really liked a lot of the details: the honk ads, the perfumed pollution, the supremacy of the Competency Exam, the underground Subscribers, the Bestiary. I ended up buying a copy because I got impatient for my library hold to be fulfilled, and it really is a beautiful book to have on your shelf. I also saw Steven Arntson speak to a group of kids at our Mock Newbery and he was great.
… (més)
 
Marcat
LibrarianDest | Hi ha 8 ressenyes més | Jan 3, 2024 |
children's fantasy with sci-fi elements (time travel, futuristic technology, computers possessed by mysterious entities). Original and very spooky. MUCH scarier than Coraline was, would definitely recommend to kids who want more horror in their books.
 
Marcat
reader1009 | Hi ha 8 ressenyes més | Jul 3, 2021 |
4.5 stars!
Oh my goodness! I just randomly grabbed this book off the shelf at the library. I had NO idea what a treat I was in for.

The cover looks so old school, which I thought maybe would make readers skip over it, but after reading it- I couldn't imagine a better cover!


I couldn't describe this book any better than how James Dashner did:

"A truly original piece of work. Swinging from funny to creepy to intriguing, it kept me enthralled throughout."

Seriously though! This book had me laughing out loud one minute and then shivering in fear the next. It also had a wonderful middle section of beautifully illustrated creatures. It was so original. It truly fascinated me!

If you like Dr Who or Neil Gaiman (specifically Coraline) you need to read this!
… (més)
 
Marcat
mollypitchermary | Hi ha 8 ressenyes més | Oct 11, 2017 |

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Estadístiques

Obres
4
Membres
262
Popularitat
#87,814
Valoració
½ 3.4
Ressenyes
18
ISBN
13

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