Reviews (2)

READ THIS
This book proves that M.T. Anderson is one of the most brilliant writers of our time, hands down. Read this book and know it; read this book and pass it on.

Don't miss it
Read this book and give it to everyone you know or love, whether 15 or 55. It's a stunning, extraordinary look at our own history through the eyes (usually) of Octavian Nothing, an African child slave who is, in this first of two books, the subject of experiments by a group of Boston rationalist philosophers. The purpose of the experiments? For the "philosophers" to learn whether Africans have the same capacity to learn as white children do. Because the Revolutionary War is about to break out, the characters' lives change in unpredictable ways.Every single page of this book, which is told in highly-readable and startlingly rich eighteenth-century language, is filled with brilliance and pain, and there are few characters in contemporary fiction that Icare about as much as I care about Octavian. You will, too. Furthermore, there are parallels, resonances, echoes, and consequences for all of us today---your brain will be unusually active as you read, and you won't be able to put the book down or stop thinking about it.
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Subjects:  1. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - History    2. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)    3. Experiments    4. Fiction    5. Freedom    6. Historical - Other    7. Historical Fiction (Young Adult)    8. Juvenile Fiction    9. People & Places - United States - African-American    10. Science    11. Slavery    12. Social Issues - Physical & Emotional Abuse    13. Historical fiction    14. Juvenile Fiction / Historical / Other   

Editorial Review

This brilliantly ironic satire is set in a future world where televisionand computers are connected directly into people's brains when they are babies.The result is a chillingly recognizable consumer society where empty-headed kidsare driven by fashion and shopping and the avid pursuit of sillyentertainment--even on trips to Mars and the moon--and by constant customizedmurmurs in their brains of encouragement to buy, buy, buy. Read more

Reviews (106)

No nuances, everything is over the top.
This book can't find it's niche. Even though it is commonly classified as a "teen" bood, the language in the book is as bad as "Scarface" or "Pulp Fiction", with the "f-bomb" being as common an expression for these teens as "awesome" was for teens in the 80's or "cool" in the 70's. This could be excused if the characters were interesting, but the characters on sit-coms are more interesting than the supporting characters. The supporting characters throughout the entire book are wooden props for the author to make social commentary, and after a while it feels like one is being beat over the head by it.
After reading "Feed" I feel full.
Titus lives in a future time when a technology called "the feed" attaches right into your brain and gives him the ability to send email, chat, watch TV, order merchandise, and listen to the radio all at once.Everyone gets "the feed" installed when they're babies, and it helps them to know what's cool and where to shop for their favorite things.
An influential book that I will never forget.
In Feed, a satirical and tragic science fiction novel, M.T. Anderson takes readers to what is hopefully a distant future.This future is one in which people have computer chips, known as the feed, implanted into their heads that connect them to each other, entertainment, and streams of messages that tell the chip's hosts what the latest trends are.Titus is a young man in this future; he and his friends are like most people their age.They party, they watch the feed, the listen to the feed, they are dictated by the feed; their lives are safe, routine, as is expected when it is the norm to be the same as everyone else, until Titus and his friends meet an abstruse, young girl named Violet on their vacation to the moon.Violet is bent upon shaking the system upon which Titus and his friends, among countless other teenage carbon copies, are so accustomed to, so when Titus and Violet develop a budding romance, tragic events are sure to ensue.
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Subjects:  1. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - Science Fiction    2. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    3. Juvenile Fiction    4. Science Fiction / Fantasy (Young Adult)    5. Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic    6. Science fiction    7. Juvenile Fiction / Science Fiction, Fantasy, Magic   

Reviews (1)

An exciting page-turner for children
Katie Mulligan is sick of life in Horror Hollow: the zombies, the vampires, the horrific practical jokes her mom and dad play --- it's all getting a little bit old. So when Katie's friend Jasper Dash, Boy Technonaut, receives a coupon for a free dinner at the Moose Tongue Lodge and Resort, Katie jumps at the opportunity for a few days away from adventure. When Jasper, Katie, and their friend Lily arrive at Moose Tongue, though, they are surprised to find that most of the guests, like Katie and Jasper themselves, are the stars of adventure novel series past and present.
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Subjects:  1. Children's All Ages - Fiction - General    2. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    3. Children: Grades 4-6    4. Fiction    5. Heroes    6. Horror & Ghost Stories    7. Hotels, motels, etc.    8. Humorous Stories    9. Juvenile Fiction    10. Juvenile Mysteries    11. Mysteries, Espionage, & Detective Stories    12. Resorts    13. Juvenile Fiction / Mysteries & Detective Stories   

Reviews (15)

Real fun
I am giving this book five stars because it made me smile and laugh so much, so often. Kids around grade 4 (and up) will love its irreverence, as Anderson skillfully skewers common conventions of kid lit, television, advertising, and all the other stupid stuff which kids today must daily ingest. (The skewering is done in such a fun-loving, cheerful way that it doesn't come across as mean or nasty.) In doing this kind of intelligent parody, Anderson treats the young reader with great respect. Some kids know they are being fed formulaic stuff a lot, and this daffy spree is a welcome antidote. The plot? Absurd as can be. The characters? Ridiculous. The structure? Deliberately outlandish. I think I laughed hardest at the "questions for discussion" at the end - anyone who's ever had to take a standardized test will love it. In short, Anderson goes straight to a kid's funny bone, and a fun read it is.

Whales on Stilts
This book is about a twelve-year-old girl named Lily and the adventure she has with whales on stilts.Lily, along with her two friends, Jasper and Katie, are faced with a huge challenge that they must overcome.
Hysterical Book, Couldn't Put It Down
M. T Anderson has won again. This was our winner for the Eleanor Cameron Awards (Golden Duck Awards for Excellence in Children's Science Fiction) ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Action & Adventure    2. Action & Adventure - General    3. Adventure and adventurers    4. Best friends    5. Children's 9-12 - Fiction - Science Fiction    6. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    7. Children: Grades 3-4    8. Fiction    9. Humorous Stories    10. Juvenile Fiction    11. Juvenile Mysteries    12. Mysteries, Espionage, & Detective Stories    13. Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic    14. Scientists    15. Whales    16. Juvenile Fiction / Mysteries & Detective Stories   

Editorial Review

It looked to be a love story for the ages. They first met as she was handing over his order of a Big O sandwich, six-piece nuggets, small fries, and a medium chocolate shake. He had exact change. They spent a magical night together with a gang of young rebels, traipsing through town on a mission to correct grammatical errors in street signs and graffiti ("Drive SlowRead more

Reviews (41)

Like this book was good, like just good
I had high expectations for this book. It had an unique title, an interesting cover and the back cover made it seem like it would be outstanding. Anderson has a talent for capturing the genuine essence of teenage love, and he also has a talent for making his characters seem like real people, (especially the parents in the story... their dialogue resonates with authenticity.) However, this book wasn't as hilarious as I thought it would be. It was definitely humorous and original, but not hilarious. My biggest gripe about this book was that Anderson made it so that practically every teenage character said "like" after and before every word. If he wanted to establish characters with more realistic individuality he should not have done this, because while it is true that many teenagers say like quite often, not every teenager says it... instead of making seperate characters with seperate unique personalities, he seems to have created all the teenage characters to fit within an adults stereotype of teenagers.. and I think in that respect any discriminating reader or teenager can notice this as a flaw. Also, some of the conversation between a love struck teenage couple seemed far fetched. They talked to eachother in their own secret language, and while I've known teenage couples to be like that, I couldn't picture any teenagers speaking the way they were speaking. My last gripe is that throughout the book the main character is sometimes referred to as a freaky kid or a wild and crazy kid, but to me he basically seemed like a normal teenage guy. At time Anderson did have a way with words and descriptions which is worthy of praise. I like the authenticity of the emotions in this book, and I thought the ending was a great ending because it was realistic and it pulls on one's heartstrings.

Likeably Helpless
A character with a strong voice goes a long way, but mix in a shot of humor and a few dashes of the issues teens deal with, and you've got a winner. M.T. Anderson's Burger Wuss has so many right ingredients that's it's tough for me to tell just what I didn't like about it.
I will never think the same way about McDonald's employees ever again.
Anthony's life is ruined.His perfect life and girlfriend have been robbed from him by some punk named Turner.So when he seeks a job at the world-wide, fast-food restaurant chain, O'Dermotts, as strange as it may sound, he's not doing it for the money.His goal is to unleash a master plan of sweet revenge.
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Subjects:  1. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General    2. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)    3. Fast food restaurants    4. Fiction    5. Juvenile Fiction    6. Readers - Beginner    7. Restaurants    8. Self-acceptance    9. Social Issues - General    10. Juvenile Fiction / Social Situations / Adolescence   

Reviews (37)

Thirsty
Thirsty is about a boy named christopher who is slowly terning into a vampire.Christopher is enlisted by a celestial being to destroy the vampire god in exchange for his life back.Suddenly everything turned up sid down and everything christopher new about the agrment is wrong.
You just don't "get it".
I thought those words would never leave my lips (or fingertips), but it does seem that many people who gave negative reviews for this book were missing the entire point, at least as I understand it. It even says in the back of the book that the author wanted to write about how someone can struggle "with the isolation of wanting to do the right thing when there was no right thing to do." The hopelessness of the novel at the end was intentional. There are not always concrete conclusions, let alone HAPPY concrete conclusions. In life, there are no definite beginnings and ends, except for birth and death of course. And that would be a long book. So if it ends on a kind of "well, what now?" note, it's all the more realistic.
A completely awesome vampire book
So many people say bad things about this book, but it is truly wonderful. I loved it immensely. It was beautifully written, and, personally, the simplicity of it made it complex. Teenagers beg to differ that their brains are much more complex than Chris' is--but what I believe M. T. Anderson was trying to do was get you thinking about Chris as a whole, and get to know him more. In most books, the teenagers tell you what they think and feel flat out--no beating around the bush. "Oh my god, she was so mean! I like, couldn't believe she did that," or something of the sort. But with Chris, it would have been, "What she did was perplexing." Simple and to the point. But, when you look at it deeper...what did he find perplexing about it? You have to get to know Chris...
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Subjects:  1. Children's Books - Young Adult Fiction    2. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)    3. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    4. Fiction    5. General    6. Horror & Ghost Stories    7. Horror / Ghost Stories (Young Adult)    8. Horror stories    9. Juvenile Fiction    10. Social Issues - Adolescence    11. Vampires    12. Juvenile Fiction / Horror & Ghost Stories   

Subjects:  1. Action & Adventure    2. Action & Adventure - General    3. Adventure and adventurers    4. Best friends    5. Children's 9-12 - Fiction - Science Fiction    6. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    7. Children: Grades 4-6    8. Fiction    9. Humorous Stories    10. Juvenile Fiction    11. Mysteries, Espionage, & Detective Stories    12. Whales    13. Juvenile Fiction / Mysteries & Detective Stories   

Editorial Review

Have you ever read a children's book about a boy or girl who visits an eccentric relative's mansion for vacation? Oh--of course you have. Well, M.T. Anderson's Read more

Reviews (18)

Pure, unimaginable BOREDOM!
This book has about one or two mildly interesting parts, but it reminds me too much on Jumanji. This book was recommended to me by a friend, and after reading the book, i wanted to hit him! This book was hideously boring and confusing as times. Once i put it down, it fealt like i was taking a VERY heavy burden off of my shoulders. I reccomend that you do not read this book.

I am a 6th grader
The Game of Sunken Places
Delicioulsy Convincing!!!! An Instant Classic!
Filled with non stop action, intrigue, and excellent, witty humor, the Game of SUnken Places is a true classic that belongs on every shelf.
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Subjects:  1. Action & Adventure    2. Action & Adventure - General    3. Children's 9-12 - Fiction - General    4. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    5. Children: Grades 4-6    6. Fiction    7. Games    8. Humorous Stories    9. Juvenile Fiction    10. Juvenile Science Fiction / Fantasy    11. Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic    12. Vermont    13. Juvenile Fiction / Science Fiction, Fantasy, Magic   

Reviews (3)

The Bad Book
The book is about a serpent that came to Gloucester.Everybody is really scared and they're trying to hunt it down. When they were fishing they thought they saw it but they actually got a huge humongous trout.In the end it leaves and everybody is really sad because they liked seeing it jump around and have fun.It's the worst book in the whole world because it repeats all of the same words like sea and gloomy and dark, icy, terrible, and serpent.It won the Southerland awards and I didn't want it to!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!My whole class wanted for Leonardo the Terrible Monster to win, and it didn't, so the day wasn't too fun and a lot of other classes were bragging because they had all voted for The Serpent Came to Gloucester.

LOVELY, LUMINOUS ILLUSTRATIONS AND LILTING RHYME
It has been documented that in August of 1817 the residents of Gloucester, a small Massachusetts fishing village, saw a rather frightening sight - a gigantic sea serpent swimming off the coast.Evidently, these reports caused a bit of a stir as a number of people came to study this sea creature and others came in hopes of capturing it.All to no avail.
It's a keeper!
Just what you hope for in a picture book! A beautifully illustrated tale told in mesmerizing rhythms that just beg to be read out loud. In the classic tradition of well-made books, the entire book--from concept to cover--is thoughtfully conceived and executed. All the pieces work together to create a memorable experience for readers young and old. The surprising fact that the story is based on historical events in Cape Ann, Massachusetts-revealed in an author's note at the back of the book-just adds to the wonder of it all. It's a keeper! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals - Marine Life    2. Children's 4-8 - Picturebooks    3. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    4. Children: Grades 2-3    5. Fairy Tales & Folklore - General    6. Fairy Tales & Folklore - Single Title    7. Fiction    8. Fishers    9. Gloucester (Mass.)    10. Historical - United States - 19th Century    11. History    12. Juvenile Fiction    13. Juvenile Folk Tales / Mythology / Fables    14. Sea monsters    15. Stories in rhyme    16. Transportation - General    17. Juvenile Fiction / Fairy Tales & Folklore / Single Title    18. Picture books   

Features

• Audiobook
• Unabridged

Subjects:  1. Action & Adventure - General    2. Children's All Ages    3. Children's Books/All Ages    4. Children's audiobooks    5. Children: Grades 4-6    6. Fiction    7. General    8. Hotels, motels, etc.    9. Humorous Stories    10. Juvenile Fiction    11. Juvenile Mysteries    12. Mysteries, Espionage, & Detective Stories    13. Mystery and detective stories    14. Juvenile Fiction / General   

Reviews (3)

Nice looking, but poorly written book
I was dissappointed to read this book. First, I wondered, who is going to read this? It's too long for younger readers, and its a picture book, so older children will never pick it up. The narrative is poorly written and lacks cohesiveness. Based on reviews, I thought it would be terrific, but I was very dissappointed.

Fresh, Spirited...A Delight to Read.....
On the opening page of M.T. Anderson'sand Kevin Hawkes' new picture book biography is a portrait of Handel with a bit of commentary attached."This is George Frideric Handel.He looks very satisfied with things.He's smiling a little, as if he's very sure of himself.You'd have to be sure of youself to wear a wig that gigantic."And that, in a nutshell, describes this world famous composer.Handel was a man who knew what he wanted.Even as a child he was headstrong and decisive.He knew what he liked, he didn't care what others thought, and he made it happen.He was a man of force and spirit who controlled his own destiny, and in doing so became one of the most beloved and respected composers in the world;a man who's music has lived on for centuries.....M.T. Anderson's witty and irreverent text is full of history, marvelous anecdotes of some famous and not so famous events, fun facts, and trivia, and enhanced by Kevin Hawkes lush and expressive artwork.Young and old alike will relish the drama, humor, and brilliant detail in each pictureWith sidebars within the text explaining musical terminology, and a timeline of Handel's life, and lists of recordings and other biographies at the end, Handel:Who Knew What He Liked, is a joyous, fun-filled masterpiece that is sure to whet the appetites of youngsters 8-12.One of the best new books of 2001, this is definitely a biography that shouldn't be missed!

Great Non-Fiction
This is a biography that is fun enough to use as a read aloud.According to Anderson, Handel was quite a character, sneeking things behind his father's back and dueling with his best friend.The funny personal anectdotes spice up the great historical information on each page.The illustrations give a good sence of Handel's personality, and of the period.I especially liked the rococo frames and end pages.Anderson has included a time line, list of recordings, and further reading at the end of the book. Grades K-3. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1685-1759    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography - Music    4. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Biography    5. Children: Grades 3-4    6. Composers    7. Handel, George Frideric,    8. Historical - Renaissance    9. Juvenile Fiction    10. Juvenile literature    11. Music - Classical    12. Juvenile Nonfiction / Biography & Autobiography / General   

Reviews (1)

A storyline far more real than make-believe
The narrator of this picture book is a young boy who lives alone at the edge of a cliff.He leads an idyllic life in a paradise of his own creation, away from the demands of modern civilization.His time is his own and he spends it exploring, reading, and whistling to his mule.Enter the intruding Constantine Shimmer, Professional Visionary, who finds the place so wonderful, he wants to turn it into a tourist attraction.And he succeeds.The boy is temporarily caught up in the excitement, making new friends with youngsters who come to vacation away from the city.But eventually he realizes that he misses the solitude and the sound of the wind.He leaves to find it elsewhere.
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Subjects:  1. Amusement parks    2. Children's 4-8 - Fiction - General    3. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    4. Children: Grades 2-3    5. Fiction    6. Juvenile Fiction    7. Nature & the Natural World - General    8. Social Issues - Emotions & Feelings    9. Social Situations - Emotions & Feelings    10. Solitude    11. Juvenile Fiction / Nature & the Natural World   

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    2. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    3. Classics    4. Fiction - Science Fiction    5. Juvenile Fiction    6. Science Fiction - General    7. Science Fiction / Fantasy (Young Adult)    8. Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic    9. Science fiction   

Features

• Audiobook
• Unabridged

Subjects:  1. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - History    2. Children: Grades 4-6    3. General    4. Historical - Other    5. Juvenile Fiction    6. Juvenile Fiction / General   

Subjects:  1. Children's 9-12    2. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    3. General    4. Juvenile Fiction    5. Spanish: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)   

Subjects:  1. Action & Adventure - General    2. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    3. Humorous Stories    4. Mysteries, Espionage, & Detective Stories