11.24.2007

The 21 Balloons 1948 Medal Winner ****


The 21 Balloons is a story of a man who decided to travel around the world in a hot air balloon. But one seagull changed all that, and his trip took a very different turn. Stranded on Krakatoa island just before the famous 1883 explosion, he meets 20 families who live quite comfortably in a society based on cuisine and eating out. He is later found alone, ill and traumatized. The whole world is anxious to hear his story, but he'll only tell it in San Francisco to his explorers club.

This is a fun book for children. The author states that he mixed truth with fiction with no attempt to separate the two. The book has several suspenseful moments which would make it fun as a read aloud in a classroom. I have to admit I'm now wanting to research Krakatoa and try to find exactly what did happen.

4 comments:

  1. Anonymous12:56 AM

    Gostei muito desse post e seu blog é muito interessante, vou passar por aqui sempre =) Depois dá uma passada lá no meu site, que é sobre o CresceNet, espero que goste. O endereço dele é http://www.provedorcrescenet.com . Um abraço.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous5:47 PM

    Hello. This post is likeable, and your blog is very interesting, congratulations :-). I will add in my blogroll =). If possible gives a last there on my blog, it is about the SBTVD, I hope you enjoy. The address is http://sbtvd.blogspot.com. A hug.http://sbtvd.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous2:37 AM

    "21 Balloons" was a favorite as a kid, and now it's a favorite of my own kids. I think the appeal comes from how it bridges the gap between plausible and implausible, much like Jules Verne.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love "21 Balloons". I read it over and over as a kid and now that I've found your site, I'm inspired to reread it this summer. Thanks! :)

    ReplyDelete