The Castaway
| Average rating |
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3.2 out of 5
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| Based on 31 Ratings and 6 Reviews |
Book Description
Veteran illustrator James Stevenson doesn't travel with Hubie nearly enough. The last trip that this reluctantly intrepid little mouse took was aboard an ocean liner bound for France in The Stowaway. Now Hubie's headed for Barabooda Island, a tropical vacation paradise that--not surprisingly--he finds absolutely terrifying, thanks to a scary matinee he saw called "The Island of No Return...
MoreVeteran illustrator James Stevenson doesn't travel with Hubie nearly enough. The last trip that this reluctantly intrepid little mouse took was aboard an ocean liner bound for France in The Stowaway. Now Hubie's headed for Barabooda Island, a tropical vacation paradise that--not surprisingly--he finds absolutely terrifying, thanks to a scary matinee he saw called "The Island of No Return!"
To make matters worse, his refined, upper-middle-class mouse family has decided they'll take the most elegant means of conveyance available in 1937--the Island Clipper. ("My goodness, it's a gigantic dirigible!") Hubie puts on a brave face (especially hard with a bratty older brother around), but he can't shake thoughts of cannibals, volcanoes, and tidal waves. A storm approaches, and Hubie's worst fears come to life when he's thrown overboard. Will Hubie become a castaway? Can he conquer his fears? Can a mouse ever come back from the Island of No Return?
The Castaway's fun comic-book style will keep kids turning pages, while Stevenson balances out his spare ink-and-watercolor illustrations with subtle lines that make sure no frightened hop or smug dismissal goes unnoticed. The wry-humored artist's greatest technical feat, however, can be seen in the way he makes a young boy's fears seem simultaneously very serious, completely ridiculous, and all the while eminently beatable--and that's something that kids and parents should appreciate. (Ages 4 to 8) --Paul Hughes
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