This a great, mind-stretching read for young adults. Philosophical, metaphorical, and magical at the same time. However, like St. Exupéry's Little Prince, it offers a parallel universe for adults that is just as compelling. My son and I spent as much time discussing the ideas as we did reading the book itself. It's been in trouble with the Fundies because it forces one to think and question the world around us, which makes it all the more essential.
Barri
Dec 3, 2010
splendid
Love this book. Read it years ago but lost my copy. Delighted to get it again and enjoyed it as much as ever. Recommend it to any child from 8 to 80. Barri Adair.
Suze63
Aug 27, 2009
Is is really a children's book?
Although written for children almost 50 years ago, it reminded me of Alice in Wonderland -- poking fun at politics, bureaucracy, etc. We read it for fun at our book club and it produced some wonderful discussion. If you read it as a child, read it again...
AspireAct
Oct 30, 2008
You won't forget it
A teacher read this book to my class in elementary and I never forgot it. The story is entertaining and interesting for a reader of any age. It bends the bounds of reality and plays with denotation and connotation. It's a classic that everyone should read more than once.
fiddler
Aug 19, 2008
Imaginative and Engaging
An instant classic in the mind of any child, this book really does add on to the "learning can be fun" theme. I definitely recommend this book for 5th-7th graders at least, because it can definitely give them a jump start on a new chapter of education in their life. It's about a boy who cannot appreciate learning until he enters a world where learning is an enchanting experience. One of the most memorable parts of the book was how Milo could eat words/letters (I forgot which), some of which didn't taste good at all. And the people there literally grow down instead of up. The movie for this is a bore, but nothing beats the images created by the mind while reading this book for the first time.
