The Great Good Thing

Rating:
Summary: Italo Calvino for kids-- original, marvelous, layered tale!
Review: From the opening of this book-- Sylvie lived an intresting life, but she didn't get to live it very often-- the wonderful central subject of what characters in a book do when the book is closed is clearly drawn. I do not think young readers will have any trouble with this concept-- in effect it's no different from wondering what your dolls do when they're not in the room-- and older readers will appreciate the many layers of the book, and the somewhat melancholy depiction of how fast life goes by and how quickly the various Readers age and die, in the "real world." and yet the story is eternal!

I enjoyed this book as a fantasy about Sylvie and her longing for adventure-- I enjoyed the details of having to scramble back into page 3, the rules about not looking UP at the reader, the way the "stage lights" come on when the book is abruptly closed-- the characters who want to behave out of character (the courtly thief, who is far more polite and helpful than he's supposed to be)-- and then, as in the best fantasy, I enjoyed the profound mythic impulse behind it. Claire, the Reader Sylvie first encountered, is desperately trying to save her grandmother. She reopens the book to read it to her grandmother, who was once the "girl with blue eyes" who was the First Reader.

But the exploration of worlds within worlds doesn't stop there. Claire's grandmother does die, but she reappears in Sylvie's world-- beyond the eastern forest-- as the girl with blue eyes. It turns out that beyond the margins of the book is the world of Claire's dreams, and many more characters appear there.

To reveal more would be to lessen the fun for you Readers out there. But I will say finally that the book explores what story means to us, how we see our own realities, how we use stories to connect with our families, and even what it means to Create.

I expected a fun romp with one little gimmick, I got instead a work of philsophy expressed through humor, dialogue and fairy tale-- almost in the tradition of The Little Prince.

Not to be missed by any Reader, of any age.

Rating:
Summary: Everyone should do "A Great Good Thing"
Review: I have very little time for reading lately, but when my kids both recommended the library book I had casually picked out for them, I settled in for a quick read. I ended up reading the entire, short book before I would budge from the couch. It is an entertaining, imaginative, well-written, beautiful book for all ages.

I plan to give copies of this book for Christmas presents.

Do yourself a favor - use a Saturday afternoon to do "A Great Good Thing".

Rating:
Summary: The Great Good Thing
Review: I was in the bookstore looking for a new Author. As I skimmed the shelves looking for good thick spines, I noticed this small book tucked tightly into the shadows. The spine, as is the case with most spines, did not tell me anything about the book except that it wasn't as thick as I wanted, but I still pryed it out and looked at it. There was a Princess on the cover. A little leary, I decided to read the back and see what the book was about. Sounded interesting then! There was a line that said that the book was lovable from the first page. I decided to try it. Well, I kept turning the pages for a while, just standing there in the isle reading. Then it was time to go. I looked at the book. The Characters were talking about how in the old days they had had many readers and now they just sat on the shelf collecting dust. I looked at the tiny space left between the books on the shelf where I had taken the Great Good Thing from. And I felt guilty putting it back. I did! So I decided to buy it and read it. And I was not disapointed. And I will seak out the sequel.

Rating:
Summary: An unexpected treasure
Review: It may not be a big secret anymore, but there are a lot of adults who like reading "children's books". No, though it made me take a second look at today's "kid's lit", Harry Potter(as much as I love it)did not start this. I digress.

I am reading a lot of "juvenile fiction" these days and while on a search at my local book store for new authors and stories, I happened upon a hard back of Into the Laberynth and learned of this earlier book by the same author.

I don't want to give much away about the plot, but it is a sweet, wacky and humorous story about what might go on inside your old storybooks when you are not reading them. The characters go on living their lives and when a person is reading the book .....it's like the characters are stage performers.

The main character is Sylvie a princess who is called upon to do a great good thing to save her kingdom and her story. In her journey she meets and befriends one of her readers a little girl named Claire. It is a fun story but poignant. It is in turns...exciting,humorous,suspenceful,sweet and sad. I finished the book and(I might be getting a little carried away, but who cares)found it quite frankly one of the most enjoyable novels(not just "children's novels" I have read in a long time.

A most unexpected and pleasurable treasure. I would recomend it to anyone who ever read a story book or listened to a story.

Rating:
Summary: Very Boring
Review: It took me a great good while to get thru this rather short book. Why? Because it entertained in no way. Usually I like children's books when the author doesn't insult the collective intelligence of children. But this 'un did.

It's very uneventful, too tame for anyone over 8 and is self-indulgent even tho there is no substance. Every single event in this book is under-described, nothing is clear, the mythology is weak, characters are generic and nothing enchants or impresses.

The (ironically titled) Great Good Thing is a tedious story that could have been so interesting if the Author fleshed out some of his original ideas. Sadly he took the safe way out and made it a soppy story that I doubt even any typical 8-year-old would actually be satisfied with. Needless to say, I'll skip on the sequel.

Rating:
Summary: An interesting idea, but it falls flat...
Review: Most people never thing of what happens after they close a book. Yet, what if the characters were alive, and carried on lives until the next reader opened their story? That's the idea of this tale of Sylvie, a princess who is starting to grow weary of her almost forgotten story. Sylvie ends up being able to escape the book and walk into the newest reader's dreams. The new reader happens to be the granddaughter of the very first reader of the book. However, I found the story to be utterly confusing, boring, and lacking details that could really make it interesting. It was advertised as a YA book, but I doubt it would hold the attention of many, or even young children.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting Fairytale for All Ages
Review: Sylvie has been a 12-year-old princess in her story THE GREAT GOOD THING since 1917. More than eighty years is a long time to still enjoy telling the story that was once fresh and new, to readers. Yes, her story is exciting, and she's the heroine, but that's where the problem is. Sylvie's story is always exciting, in the same exact way. For once Sylvie wants to get away from her beloved, yet old, story, and to explore the world outside of her book. So Sylvie does something to begin her journey. She breaks the cardinal rule of all storybook characters the world over. She looks up at the reader. By doing that, Sylvie begins a journey that she never expected. One that takes her through all different adventures and terrain, and will help her to accomplish the greatest great good thing imaginable.

I found THE GREAT GOOD THING to be a very interesting fairytale that will be loved by children and adults alike, as the heroine, Sylvie, is so exciting and intelligent. However, the constant switches from Sylvie's storybook adventures, to the subconscious mind of the reader, and her dreams, are something that could easily confuse a small child, as they are quite sudden. Overall this was a fascinating story that will be loved for generations and generations.

Erika Sorocco

Rating:
Summary: The Great Good Thing
Review: The Great Good Thing is a wonderful story for all ages and one of my favorite books! It combines fantasy and adventure, dreams and friendship. This is truly one of the best books of all time!

Rating:
Summary: must read
Review: This book is unbelievable. As soon as you read the first page, you're drawn into a beautiful world full of courage, truth, and compassion. This is a must read for children and adults alike. Princess Sylvie is a character in a book, in this book. The story opens with all of the characters bored and depressed. There hasn't been a reader in years! They brush the dust from their dresses and wait for a new reader. Finally, the cover lifts and Princess Sylvie's book opens.

I will let you discover the rest of this story. This is a beautiful piece of literature, a must have for any reader.

Rating:
Summary: This book is worthwhile.
Review: Welcome to a world of fantasy, fun, and fulfillment --- only possible through the realm of books and imaginations. This is the world of THE GREAT GOOD THING by Roderick Townley. Characters come alive in dreams, taking readers to never before seen places, exploring the unknown areas of the mind and experiencing new sensations.

Our story begins with Claire. She is the first "reader" of the novel --- after her grandmother, that is. As Claire cracks open the book, the characters scurry to their places in the pages. One of these characters, a girl Claire's age, calls out to her from within the book. And so begins a friendship between Claire and Sylvie.

I continued with the book because I liked the characters, even if I could not suspend my disbelief about the story. Both Claire, the "real" girl, and Sylvie, her imaginary (or not) friend, are heartfelt creations. Their escapades are genuine. Author Roderick writes most of the action not within our world, the world of Claire and her grandmother, but within the magic kingdom of the book within the book of THE GREAT GOOD THING and its characters. Sylvie's perilous journey to save her world is engrossing, and her dismay at marrying Prince Riggeloff is deftly written.

Our stories, our novels, will be passed on from generation to generation, and at some other time, in some other place, somebody just may be reading this very review. And somebody may be reading THE GREAT GOOD THING. I say enjoy, because this book is worthwhile. Just read it with a grain of salt --- or maybe just a big imagination.

--- Reviewed by Lisa Marx