shopping cart
Call us:  800-878-7323 HELP
McAfee SECURE helps keep you safe from identity theft, credit card fraud, spyware, spam, viruses and online scams.

Related Aisles


Original Essays | June 27, 2009

All posts by Fran Cannon Slayton On Wakes and Rum (and Coke)

"Unfortunately, I've been to my fair share of wakes." Continue »


  1. $11.89 Sale Hardcover add to wish list

    When the Whistle Blows

    Fran Cannon Slayton

Ships free on qualified orders.
$4.95
List price: 16.99
You save: $12.04
HARDCOVER, USED
Ships in 1 to 3 days
Add to Wishlist
Qty Store Section
1 Local Warehouse Children's Young Adult- General


More copies of this ISBN:

This title in other formats:

The Book of Everything

by Guus Kuijer

The Book of Everything Cover

ISBN13: 9780439749183
ISBN10: 0439749182
Condition: Standard
Dustjacket: Standard
All Product Details
See More Like This

Only 1 left in stock at $4.95!

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Thomas can see things no one else can see. Tropical fish swimming in the canals. The magic of Mrs. Van Amersfoort, the Beethoven-loving witch next door. The fierce beauty of Eliza with her artificial leg. And the Lord Jesus, who tells him, "Just call me Jesus." Thomas records these visions in his "Book of Everything." They comfort him when his father beats him, when the angels weep for his mother's black eyes. And they give him the strength to finally confront his father and become what he wants to be when he grows up: "Happy."

Review:

"This brief post-WWII novel packs an emotional wallop. In 1951, following the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam, nine-year-old Thomas lives a fear-filled existence with his mother, sister and abusive father. Though Thomas's father ends every evening meal by reading aloud a Bible passage, he routinely beats both Thomas and his mother. Things change after Thomas befriends the reputed 'witch' next door. Indeed, Mrs. Van Amersfoort, whose husband was executed by the Nazis for aiding in the Resistance, takes subtle steps to help Thomas and his family. Her deep magic may also be responsible for the odd occurrences in Thomas's household, which eerily parallel the story of Moses and the pharaoh that Thomas's father is reciting. The young hero records these events, and his encounters with Jesus (funny, at times irreverent conversations) in 'The Book of Everything' he writes in each day. The narrative, told from Thomas's perspective, draws heavily on Christian symbolism — Mrs. Van Amersfoort serves Thomas a cordial 'as red as blood' — and frequent episodes of magical realism (e.g., the angels in heaven 'covered their eyes with their hands and sobbed loudly' when Thomas's father strikes his mother). Readers who enjoyed Frank Boyce's Millions will find the same sophisticated storytelling here (though without the plentiful humor), and a satisfying resolution, as Thomas's father gets his comeuppance, and the young hero sticks by what he wants to be when he grows up: happy. Ages 9-12." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Synopsis:

One of the best-loved authors in the Netherlands pens this uplifting story about a boy with a personal and powerful faith to sustain him in his abusive home life.

Product Details

ISBN:
9780439749183
Translator:
Nieuwenhuizen, John
Publisher:
Arthur A. Levine Books
Translator:
Nieuwenhuizen, John
Author:
Kuijer, Guus
Subject:
Christian Life
Subject:
Religious - Christian
Subject:
Children's 9-12 - Fiction - General
Subject:
Social Situations - General
Subject:
Family problems
Subject:
Social Issues - General
Publication Date:
April 2006
Binding:
Hardcover
Language:
English
Pages:
101
Dimensions:
7.84x5.88x.53 in. .50 lbs.
Age Level:
09-12

Other books you might like

  1. $8.95 New Trade Paper add to wish list

    I Am a Taxi

    Deborah Ellis
  2. $9.95 Used Hardcover add to wish list

    The Happiness of Kati

    Jane Vejjajiva
  3. $11.50 Used Hardcover add to wish list

    The Book Thief

    Markus Zusak
  4. $4.95 Used Hardcover add to wish list

    Something Invisible

    Siobhan Parkinson
  5. $4.95 Used Hardcover add to wish list

    The Killer's Tears

    Anne Laure Bondoux
  6. $6.95 New Trade Paper add to wish list

    Tanglewreck

    Jeanette Winterson
  • back to top

Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and eBooks — here at Powells.com.