Scan barcode
gracepizza40's review
2.0
2. I didn't know this was the fourth book in the series woops. I just picked it from a box of books someone donated to us because the cover looked interesting. And it was a Newbery!
But years ago they were used to describe the disabled. "I am the sort of the man who loves children, Mr. Preek often said to himself." Yeah, right. In conclusion, Mr. Preek is yucky.
Spoiler
Why didn't Georgie's family make efforts to talk to her about the goose prince? At first, they didn't believe her (Uncle Freddy- he also was embarrassing on page 26), and then they only thought it was just from her imagination and treated it flippantly like a childish phase (e.g Uncle Freddy at the dinner table). They did not take her seriously. Georgie was then left to suffer and deal with the situation herself even after the infuriating drive home from Mr. Preek (he literally forced her in his car and proceeded to silently judge her...) and when the goose prince got shot. The family didn't believe Georgie about her being able to fly, and the parents were worrying about her instead of actually asking and listening to her. (Aunt Alex should have talked to her about it.) That is sad. People don't try to understand children and think they are doing random, senseless things sometimes and laugh. :( Ms. Prawn is annoying. I get not liking children, but she is strange to try and use Georgie for her selfish wants. Also, the letters to Mr. Preek encouraged him to shoot and kill the goose prince. Mr. Preek is a very selfish, greedy, and bad man. He should be found out and punished. And he was proud of himself for "protecting" Georgie and shooting the goose prince! He thinks he's a hero. He thought of Georgie as "probably stupid. You could always tell. She might even be retarded."(p. 43) in the car ride after scaring the goose away when she wanted to meet the goose instead.Spoiler
Those words are ableist and are very commonly used today (especially words like stupid, crazy, lame, dumb, nuts... link)But years ago they were used to describe the disabled.
roseleaf24's review
3.0
Three stars because this is well-written and the right book for someone, but it was NOT the right book for me. Animal books are iffy. Animal book + Transcendentalists (!!) + Magical realism. *Sigh* This could have read more fairy tale than magical realism, but the randomness of the magical elements made it feel like magical realism to me. Plus there were horrible adults who were caricatures and put children in not-magical, serious danger.
hazelnorberg's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
zippywafflebuns's review
3.0
It took a few chapters to get into, but eventually I got the rhythmn. I was often confused about the timeframe it takes place in; sometimes it feels very old, others fairly modern, but I didn't want to put it down to look it up. (Written in 1980 and I assume takes place then as well, FTR.) Ultimately, I enjoyed reading it and the reveal of the Goose Prince's present was beautiful and worth all my wondering about what year it was. lol
literatehedgehog's review against another edition
3.0
Nostalgic magical realism, transcendentalist style.
saucemallow's review against another edition
5.0
I could not believe the reviews I saw on this book when I clicked to give it a review. More than any other book or movie about flying and whimsical events, the imagination of the book and the characters is so overwhelming that it makes everything else seem lacking. I never knew that this book was one of a series since it is so easy to understand without having to read the other books. I think that if I could only give five out of five stars to ten books, it would include this book.
deniset's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
msjoanna's review against another edition
4.0
A charming coming of age story with just a touch of magic. An awkward young girl forms a bond with an old goose who takes her out flying. Villains must be kept at bay and a quirky family relationship comes through. What child doesn't want to fly? How awesome would it be to have a majestic goose teach you how to drift down from the sky? The connection to Walden and Walden Pond is likely to be lost on most child-readers, but I enjoyed it. I hadn't realized the intended audience was quite as young as it is -- I'd recommend this to ages 8-10 or thereabouts.