Rating: 
Summary: A Wonderful Introduction to Philosophy
Review: This book is a marvelous way for children of any age to learn philosophy. While giving enough fiction to be satisfying, it effectively introduces all of the major schools of philosophy.
Rating: 
Summary: Decent, don't bag on it
Review: OK, the plot was a bit weak, but it was interesting, pretty well written, educational, and had an interesting plot. That's just my $0.27
Rating:
Summary: It delivers
Review: I rate this 5 stars not bec. it is one of the best books I've ever read, but bec. it achieves what I think is its author's purpose. It provides a comprehensive understanding of philosophy, wound into an equally interesting plot that'll keep you going until the whole thing is unraveled. The mystery turns out quite poorly, but meanwhile I now know the difference bet. Plato and Hume so what the hell? It was meant as a lecture than a story, really and I emerged from it a whole lot satisfied.
Rating:
Summary: Whimsical, yet educational.
Review: I would love to read more books of this genre. I have recommended this book to my bright inquisitive 12 year old nephew and adults who like intellectual fantasy. This book isn't meant for the true scholar, but if you've always wished you uderstood more about the development of philosophical thought, but prefer novels to dry textbooks, this is the book for you.
Rating:
Summary: Great for college philosophy students.
Review: This book has definately come in handy in my freshman philosophy class. The plot is really interesting in itself and though Gaardar tends to bore you with too much philosophical thought, he does break down the key concepts of great philosophers into understandable chunks. It is definately a more enjoyable read than a college textbook and presents the same information in a more understandable way.
Rating: 
Summary: Too much fact, great plot.
Review: I thought the book was interesting yet dull. I thought the plot was great. But I didn't like the fact that the whole book was mostly straight out fact. I found myself wanting to skip through the lessons and read the actual story. Overall it was a pretty good book. But one should only read it if they want a lesson on philosophy.
Rating:
Summary: The book was good, but the meat of it was a textbook
Review: I believe that Sophie's World was an interesting read. By interesting I mean that the end was entertaining but getting to the entertaining part was very slow going. Also, knowing that this is a novel about philosophy, the prase "creative textbook" is accurate but would be more so without the creative. Half the time while reading, I was learning too much and could not fully enjoy the plot of the book. I kept, what was going to happen, when would it happen? Then the letters of philosophy would interrupt those thoughts. In the end, the book was all right adn as best said by the Kirkus Reviews, a wonderfully "creative textbook".
Rating: 
Summary: Good for a reference book Bad for a read
Review: This book could and should have been replaced by a collection of philisophical essays on the given topics. The storyline that held it together was weak at best, The characters generic or stupid. The Philisophical insights provided by sopie made her out to be a ditz, and Alberto a wierd old man. Don't read this book if you expect a well written story that ties in philisophical study with an engaging story. Only read this book if you enjoy the incoherent ramblings of an old norweigen high school teacher, I sure didn't
Rating:
Summary: A good book for those looking for an overview of philosophy.
Review: I found the book to be an interesting look at philosophy. However, it seems to have some major flaws. Most notably, the plot is lacking. While it was intentioned to be primarily an educational reading, it was published as a novel. As such, it is appropriate to address the story aspect of the book. Throughout the book, the story follows loosely the themes encountered through the lessons on philosophy. The lessons, however, are not at all interwoven with the story. Interspersed, perhaps, would best describe them. Only at the end of the book does Gaarder join the instruction with the story.Not being significantly acquainted with philosophy itself or the history thereof, I find it difficult to critique the book on the merits of accuracy. However, it is apparent that an in-depth look is lacking in all parts of the "philosophy course." It should also be noted that as his coverage of philosophy neared current times, his depth of focus lessened. While part of this may be attributed to the lack of significant recent philosophy as compared to that of the past, it seems to the reader as if Gaarder is rushing in an attempt to finish the book. Ultimately, I enjoyed reading this book. While there were clearly flaws, they didn't make reading the book difficult, nor did they detract from its usefulness. It is clearly not a comprehensive guide to philosophy, but makes an excellent introduction, especially for those who might not otherwise take the time to learn. I would recommend that this book to anyone looking for a general overview of philosophy in an easy-to-read form.
Rating:
Summary: but overall, a good book (if you take out about 400 pages)
Review: Although many views and ideas expressed in the book are the same as mine, they should have been expressed in a plot, not in textbook form. I hope we get to read more of these kinds of books, just not as big.
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