Synopses & Reviews
Liam has always felt a bit like he's stuck between two worlds. This isprimarily because he's a twelve-year-old kid who looks like he's about thirty. Sometimes it's not so bad, like when his new principal mistakes him for a teacher on the first day of school or when he convinces a car dealer to let him take a Porsche out on a test drive. But mostly it's just frustrating, being a kid trapped in an adult world. And so he decides to flip things around. Liam cons his way onto the first spaceship to take civilians into space, a special flight for a group of kids and an adult chaperone, and he is going as the adult chaperone. It's not long before Liam, along with his friends, is stuck between two worlds again—only this time he's 239,000 miles from home.
Frank Cottrell Boyce, author of Millions and Framed, brings us a funny and touching story of the many ways in which grown-upness is truly wasted on grown-ups.
Review
“His third novel, and his best yet. Hugely funny and utterly gripping.” The Guardian
Review
“A story of human possibility with a lot of adventure, or an adventure with full credit given to human possibility? Either way, its a fantastic, funny, and moving novel. Celebrates not only the spirit of exploration but the human connectedness that allows it to flower.” Bulletin of the Center for Children & #8217;s Books (starred review)
Review
“In his latest extravagantly imaginative and marvelously good-natured novel, [Frank Cottrell Boyce has] written one that is bound to win readers hearts. This is not only a story about big lads, but also about dads and dadliness!” Booklist (starred review)
Review
“A hilarious and heartfelt examination of “dadliness” in all its forms. A cant-miss offering from an author whose latest novel may be his best yet.” Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Review
“Cottrell Boyce has a gift for suspending disbelief, for laugh-out-loud comedy. “Cosmic” is Liams favorite term of approval. It applies to this book.” London Times
Review
“Hilariously inventive. Frank Cottrell Boyce makes you laugh and think about parents and growing up, about the goodness of gravity and the infinite stars.” Washington Post
Review
“With echoes of Roald Dahl . . . the novel ends with an elegant punch line, and a touching endorsement of filial love.” New York Times Book Review
Review
“This superb humorous and inventive “cosmic” adventure celebrated space travel, friendships, and dads.” Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) (Starred Review)
Review
“Stunningly original…the concept is immediately booktalkable and the telling is riveting; a book of such wealthof any kindis valuable indeed.” The Bulletin of the Center for Childrens Books, starred review of Millions Bulletin of the Center for Children & #8217;s Books (starred review)
Review
“[Frank Cottrell Boyce] has created a riveting, affecting, sometimes snortingly funny “what-if” scenario. Liams musings on what it takes to be a good, responsible father are dryly comical but also charmingly earnest. A high-levity zero-gravity romp.” Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Review
“Readers will appreciate the sharp, realistic, and very funny dialogue.” School Library Journal (starred review)
Review
“Truly a masterpeice.” School Library Journal, starred review of Framed School Library Journal (starred review)
Review
"An enchanting, fast-paced fantasy in the vein of E. B. White."
and#8212;Booklist
"Charming black-and-white illustrations add to the overall effect of the story, which will remind readers of beloved works by Kate DiCamillo and E. B. White. . . . It's all rather old-fashioned and quite lovely."
and#8212;School Library Journal
Synopsis
A book much like the mysterious, inviting woods it describes. Step in to find friendship, magic, and surprises.
Synopsis
A little girl who can only sleep during the day grows from something of an isolated town oddity to the heiress of an ancient legacy of magic and music.
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Exquisitely illustrated, this gentle, satisfyingand#160;young fantasy is filled with unforgettable, quirky charactersand#160; and imagery. A perfect read-aloud, it shows how one can find friends in the unlikeliest of placesandmdash;windowsills, rabbit burrows, the library.
and#160;and#160;and#160; Debut author Christopher Pennell casts a spell with his irresistible adventure while illustrator Rebecca Bondand#39;s pen-and-ink drawings perfectly capture this atmospheric world and contribute to the feel of a timeless classic. Step into the mysterious woods of Whistle Root and feel the magic.
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About the Author
CHRISTOPHER PENNELL studied briefly at Yale but graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with degrees in German and Psychology. The Mysterious Woods of Whistle Root is his first novel, which he began writing after he and his wife moved into a house with a small woods behind it and their daughter was born.REBECCA BOND grew up in the tiny village of Peacham in northeastern Vermont. When she is not having fun painting and writing, Rebecca is busy fixing up her new (to her) old house in a neighborhood in Jamaica Plain, Boston.