Malvina G. VogelRecensioni

Lemuel Gulliver is a doctor who longs for adventure. But when he signs on board a sailing ship, he gets much more than he bargained for. A shipwreck leaves him swept ashore on a distant island inhabited by people no bigger than his finger, as astonished by his size as he is by theirs. But this is only the beginning of Gulliver's astonishing experiences.

This was a beloved staple throughout my childhood.

EducatingParents.org rating: Approved
Still under review.

The Key to the Magic! Little Mary is an orphan, come from India to her relatives in England. Her cousin Colin is a sickly lad, living in the same large cold house that Mary has been sent to. Both children are self-centered and lonely, unhappy in different ways. It is only when Mary finds a rusty old key that opens the long-hidden garden that the two learn to find love and happiness. In the mystery and beauty of nature and living things, Mary and Colin overcome their problems and reach out to the magic and miracles of the wonders around them.

Growing Up! Young David Copperfield, orphaned as a child, abandoned by a vicious stepfather, must learn to make a life for himself. In Charles Dickens' brilliant novel, we learn of David's early harsh years. . . his adoption by his eccentric aunt. . . his betrayal by a childhood friend. . . the pressures of starting a career. . . immature, young love. . . and finally career success and personal happiness. Charles Dickens' sensitive portrayal of David's early years has made David Copperfield one of the world's most beloved novels.

The Unknown Future! A young scientist, to the amazement and disbelief of his colleagues and other experts, has perfected a machine that lets him live one of mankind's oldest dreams - to live in times other than his own. Everyone is skeptical, but he returns not only with the most fantastic story anyone has ever heard, but with actual proof of his travels. This early adventure in science fiction remains one of the most exciting stories ever told. Leap into the future with H.G. Wells' bold and terrifying vision of the life to come.

A Dutch boy and girl work toward two goals, finding the doctor who can restore their father's memory and winning the competition for the silver skates.

Liked call of the wild much better, although I'm definitely too old to really enjoy this one.

In sixth grade I put my foot down and refused to complete this book because I found it so boring.

I’m interested to reread it and see if my Tween Book Angst was really just Tween Angst.

This got me into Science Fiction!
Great for beginners

Loved the plot. It's good for beginners.

One of the earliest novels that I read. The personification of animals was heartwarming

I read the original when I was about 12, and had no difficulty following the story. This adaptation misses so much, is so simplified, that it is a pity to keep it in our small library. Unfortunately, the only copy of the full book is missing a page, so until a replacement is donated we'll make do with this.
What I didn't notice all those years ago was that Robinson was a slaver, his shipwreck occurred on a journey to pick up more "workers" from Africa for Brazilian plantations. And he railed at God for treating him that way, without ever thinking about changing his ways. I also wonder about the Spaniard who came to the island later as a prisoner of "savages". Historical evidence hints he was likely part of an effort to convert while hunting for their hidden treasure.½

Like other works in the "Great Illustrated Classics" series, this version of Dickens' famous novel summarizes the plot for the sake of juvenile and young adult readers. The general goal of the book (and others in the series) is to acquaint young readers with a work of literature, not only as a cultural touchstone but to encourage them to tackle the full novel when they are old enough to appreciate it. Whether this version of "David Copperfield" succeeds in these goals is an open question.

One problem is that the profusion of characters will likely be confusing. A related issue is that the characters, understandably, cannot be made sufficiently distinct or very interesting in such an abbreviated form of Dickens' very long masterpiece. For example, even such memorable figures as Mr. Micawber and Uriah Heep (widely known even to those who have not actually read the book) are not rendered distinctly. Granted, the pen & ink illustrations are likely to be of great help -- they are abundant, and distributed on alternate pages with the text. They also are excellently rendered by a talented artist. However, I figure that if I sometimes had trouble keeping the characters straight that a 10 year old would find the challenge a difficult one.

Nevertheless, the goals of this small book are admirable, and I can only hope that it has sometimes succeeded in the half- century since it was published. For my part, if I do ever tackle the actual novel (which to my chagrin I've as yet not devoted the time and effort), I could foresee keeping this summary version available for reference, since I tend to read long works of fiction sporadically over longish time frames.½

For its age, a surprisingly lucid piece of sci-fi about an underwater voyage in a deep submersion vehicle - submarine, powered by the promising new technology - electricity. Good stuff even today.

I much preferred The Time Machine over War of the Worlds.

Loved it

Somewhat didactic but a good read.

Of all the series I think I loved this and Treasure Island the most. Something about exploration and discovery... and the independence of Robinson just stuck with me. Read it many times while in my early school years.

This is an excellent volume of this story - it's the one I fell in love with as a child and checked out of the library more times than I could count. It was this specific book that piqued my interest in Jules Verne and authors like him (H.G. Wells, namely). The illustrations well replace the tedious descriptions of fish in the unabridged versions of the book, and I would absolutely recommend this edition to advanced elementary and middle school readers who are curious about some of the older classics that may be out of their comfort zone. It is an incredible introduction.

The fourth star is because the author was a genius. When you think of where the technology of the world was when he wrote this, it is incredible. Perhaps all of the ideas weren't all his, but it's still amazing. The other pleasant surprise for me was that it is a truly enjoyable read.

What made this book fascinating to me was the realization that the author never went to war, but supposed what it would have been like for the protagonist in the situation that he drew up for him, and seemed to have nailed it after cross-checking his fictions with Union soldiers - who knew the facts

A century later, the psychological reactions of the main character to his personal trauma checks out with research, specifically that of survivors who endure mostly or entirely unscathed despite horrors occurring around them. Malcolm Gladwell has shone a spotlight on such circumstances, and the young boy's mental outcome during and after bears out with the studies on the subject.

It also helps that Crane had an ear for dialect, ala Elmore Leonard's well-drawn out and expertly-spoken characters.

Sometimes a classic actually does impress you.

Fairly interesting when one dispenses with the ridiculous lists of fish species. The episode in which they are trapped under ice was particularly well written.

This collection of short stories is a fantastic introduction to Sherlock Holmes. Each story presents a new mystery for the great and brilliant detective to solve, as told by his good friend Watson.

The first story, "A Scandal in Bohemia," rather brilliantly introduces The Woman, Irene Adler, one of the rare individuals to actually outsmart Holmes. Love her character.

"The Five Orange Pips" is another fantastic story, which includes mention of the KKK.

In general, I enjoyed each and everyone one of these stories, even the few in which I guessed the perpetrator of outcome. The stories do not always involve criminal cases and Holmes does not always catch his villain. I love that not all the stories have a clean resolution. Sometimes Holmes just doesn't bother giving the client justice as modern readers would expect a hero to do. Sometimes he is denied achieving resolution due to powers outside of his control. It all makes for great reading.

Holmes is such an enigmatic and interesting character. His addiction to cocaine is mentioned but not expanded upon. His ego and love of revealing his cleverness is clear. I didn't notice Watson's annoyance with these qualities (except for once), so much as I noticed his awe over Holmes' mind and intelligence. In fact, Holmes seemed to be a bit less put-offing here than I've seen in shows or movies.

Anyway, the writing is great and concise, the characters are interesting, and the mystery reveals are fun — I'll definitely be reading more Holmes stories in the future.

Originally written in 1897 by HG Wells, then adapted by Malvina Vogel and illustrated by Brendan Lynch in the 1980s this 'Great Illustrated Classics' edition of 'The War of the Worlds' is most definitely geared towards a younger audience.

This being said, it is however still an enjoyable & quick read. Brendan Lynch's 1983 illustrations now also add a rather humourous edge to the tale in that the aliens in the story somewhat resemble Rovio Entertainment's Angry Birds.

Worth a look for a light science fiction end of the world read, but probably best to pick up the original (and not the Great Illustrated Classics edition) unless buying for a child/youth.½