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mnstucki's review
3.0
This one is just kind of silly and funny, but the illustrations are what really make it. Would be fun to read with kids and have them act out the part of the ogre.
cortjstr's review
3.0
This is a picture book not a novel like Phantom Tollbooth but I didn't adjust my expectations accordingly
beths0103's review
3.0
[b:The Phantom Tollbooth|378|The Phantom Tollbooth|Norton Juster|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1275682973s/378.jpg|1782584] is one of my favorite books of all time. This new picture book shows the legendary cleverness of Norton Juster. This would be a great book to use as a springboard for talking to kids about bullying.
rouver's review
2.0
This is by the same author & illustrator as [b:The Phantom Tollbooth|378|The Phantom Tollbooth|Norton Juster|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1558858485l/378._SX50_.jpg|1782584], and while I wanted to enjoy both of these books, I can't say I really did. They just weren't for me. They didn't enchant, entice, or excite me in any way. *shrug*
The story is about an ogre who not only has the reputation of being terrible, but who does, in fact, actually eat people by the handful. He relies on his ability to scare people to be able to eat them at his leisure. When he comes across a young girl who isn't frightened of him, he can't handle it, and literally ends up dying.
There are better kid books out there.
The story is about an ogre who not only has the reputation of being terrible, but who does, in fact, actually eat people by the handful. He relies on his ability to scare people to be able to eat them at his leisure. When he comes across a young girl who isn't frightened of him, he can't handle it, and literally ends up dying.
There are better kid books out there.
mrsmarch's review
2.0
When I found out Norton Juster, author, and Jules Pfeiffer, illustrator, were back together again for a new children's book, I was thrilled. Their masterly collaboration, 1961's The Phantom Tollbooth, has stayed with me for years, and I recommend it to everyone I know who either knows the secret of looking at the world with magic, or needs to learn it.
49 years after The Phantom Tollbooth, Juster & Pfeiffer's The Odious Ogre brings Juster's mastery of descriptive English and Pfeiffer's lyrical, energized illustrations to a slightly younger crowd -- the book is recommended for ages 4 to 8 to Tollbooth's 9 to 12, but would be a fun read-aloud book for parents and younger, pre-school aged children. There are a lot of active, descriptive words that can be acted out. The short story focuses on an odious ogre terrifying the countryside and the nice forest maiden whom he meets one day. I feel personally that the story is too short and too simple, given that I know what Juster is capable of in his prose, but I must stay aware that this story is meant for very very young children, and in that light is fun and pitch-perfect. It is charmant, but it will always be an age-appropriate introduction to Tollbooth, which I still consider the best example of YA literature in the 20th century.
49 years after The Phantom Tollbooth, Juster & Pfeiffer's The Odious Ogre brings Juster's mastery of descriptive English and Pfeiffer's lyrical, energized illustrations to a slightly younger crowd -- the book is recommended for ages 4 to 8 to Tollbooth's 9 to 12, but would be a fun read-aloud book for parents and younger, pre-school aged children. There are a lot of active, descriptive words that can be acted out. The short story focuses on an odious ogre terrifying the countryside and the nice forest maiden whom he meets one day. I feel personally that the story is too short and too simple, given that I know what Juster is capable of in his prose, but I must stay aware that this story is meant for very very young children, and in that light is fun and pitch-perfect. It is charmant, but it will always be an age-appropriate introduction to Tollbooth, which I still consider the best example of YA literature in the 20th century.
emdoux's review
4.0
Just read this to SK as their Mystery Reader for the day. Their teacher definitely enjoyed it a little more than the kids; it's got a lot of adult humor in it, but that also made it fun for the kids because they gleaned meaning for some of the complicated words from my tone or expression (or of course, the illustrations). I was a little nervous about the harsh ending of the story, but it really spurred a great conversation about reputation, being nice and how sometimes being mean can cause really bad things to happen.
The kids also talked a lot about how much they love coming to the library and how glad they were that I was able to come read to them. Entering a classroom to a full-on loud cheer coming from 24 kids is a pretty darn great feeling.
The kids also talked a lot about how much they love coming to the library and how glad they were that I was able to come read to them. Entering a classroom to a full-on loud cheer coming from 24 kids is a pretty darn great feeling.
wordnerd153's review
4.0
Not a fan of the illustrations, but I adored the story itself, especially because of all the marvelous vocabulary. This would make a great read aloud for upper elementary or for classes in middle school that are struggling with gossip and treating peers equally.