Mention Containing Books The King in the Window
Title | : | The King in the Window |
Author | : | Adam Gopnik |
Book Format | : | Paperback |
Book Edition | : | First Edition |
Pages | : | Pages: 410 pages |
Published | : | October 15th 2006 by Miramax Books (first published October 1st 2005) |
Categories | : | Fantasy. Young Adult. Fiction. Childrens |
Adam Gopnik
Paperback | Pages: 410 pages Rating: 3.6 | 862 Users | 119 Reviews
Commentary In Pursuance Of Books The King in the Window
Oliver Parker is a ten-year-old American boy miserably trapped in Paris, where his father is stationed as a journalist. Intimidated by his French school and its prickly teachers, oppressed by gray and wintry Paris, and feeling curiously remote from his father-who spends more and more time staring dully into his computer screen--Oliver longs to return to America. But if he has to stay in Paris, Oliver sure wouldn't mind if the elegant and very French little girl down the street, Neige, deigned to notice him. During dinner with his parents one cold January evening, Oliver feels silly wearing the paper crown of an Epiphany-festival French king. That night, looking in the mirror, he sees a boy in an ancient French doublet gazing back at him. The boy, Francois, tells Oliver that he himself is kingly, and that he has a special mission--rescuing souls. Only days later, on a trip to Versailles, Oliver is transported to the French spirit kingdom, ruled over by the fatuous King Louis the Nth. There, the famous playwright Moliere tells Oliver he must deliver France from the forces of the great Egg, who sucks up the spirits of men, women, and children when they look into a mirror of glass or of water. Oliver reluctantly rises to the challenge. Fortunately, he has help--from the can-do American Charlie, who arrives for a visit; from Neige, a Parisian diva in training; and from Mrs. Pearson, a British author and personage who leads a foray straight through Lewis Carroll's looking-glass. Ultimately, Oliver pursues Egg into the underworld-located directly underneath Paris--and realizes he must save not just the world, but all of its souls as well. In a marvelous denouement in which Oliver musttransform Eiffel Tower itself to fight the soulless wraiths, the boy proves himself a true king. The King in the Window is a beautifully written, suspenseful adventure tale in the tradition of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien--an instant classic.Itemize Books As The King in the Window
Original Title: | The King in the Window |
ISBN: | 0786838949 (ISBN13: 9780786838943) |
Edition Language: | English |
Characters: | Oliver Parker, Mrs. Pearson, Charlie, Neige |
Literary Awards: | James Tiptree Jr. Award Nominee for Longlist (2005) |
Rating Containing Books The King in the Window
Ratings: 3.6 From 862 Users | 119 ReviewsArticle Containing Books The King in the Window
Gopnik, a first-rate writer, should stick to what he does best: funny, intelligent, pseudo-philosophical observations on French culture. In the best parts of this book, he does just that. But witty sidebars do not a fairy tale make, and unfortunately Gopnik doesn't really know how to tell one.This YA/middle-grade reader, fantasy/science fiction book has an intriguing premise, but it didn't quite work for me.The main character, Oliver, is sympathetic, though sometimes exasperating in his self-pity, at least at the beginning of the book. He's an American child living in a nice apartment IN PARIS, with cool, loving parents. (Well, until the whole soul-stealing thing with his dad). And he spends most of his days moping because he doesn't like school. His friend Charlie is great fun; he
This was a mediocre book from the start, but the last chapter was really awful. So much of the book was just trite, and for something that tries to make a big deal about metaphor and simile and rhetoric, the writing was shockingly bad. It was also consistently condescending, explaining all kinds of French phrases and places as though the reader were some kind of schoolkid on a trip with really annoying parents who cannot bear to miss a "teachable moment".
Cross Harry Potter with Alice through the Looking Glass. Add a touch of The Little Prince, and season carefully with hints of multiverse physics to balance the wonders of rhetoric and metaphor. When youre done you might have something close to Adam Gopniks childrens novel, The King in the Window. And if youre wondering if kids could ever understand the concept of rhetoric (or multiverses), try this simple explanation from an early chapter: It dressed up ordinary things in fancy paper, then let
Very intelligent fast-paced book. So many ideas and themes are brought into the story to make it more rich and detailed for the reader. Sometimes, the author can jump ahead of himself and make assumptions without connecting the dots. For instance, early in the book Oliver went to the Louve and found a glass sword which resulted lots of meyhem! Then Oliver thinks to himself, no wonder his teacher told him to stay away from the Louve. Well, she actually said to stay away from tthe King's Sword and
I really wish Goodreads allowed half-star ratings, because I just don't think four stars are adequate to indicate how much I truly enjoyed this book. The King in the Window is a wonderful, imaginative work of children's literature, and I honestly can't believe it doesn't seem to be more popular. I had never even heard of it, myself; I only discovered it by accident while going through the books my aunt had set aside for charity. The title caught my eye first, of course, so I read the first page
Oliver Parker is a 12-yr-old American boy living in Paris (his father is an overseas journalist). Olivers life is rather drab: his father works all the time, he doesnt have a lot of friends, he finds French school difficult, etc. One night, after a celebration of the Epiphany, Oliver dons a paper crown and glances into a window when he sees the image of a young boy inside the window that is not a reflection of himself. Oliver begins communicating with this boy who calls Oliver the King in the
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