The Island of Dr. Libris

by Chris Grabenstein Narrated by Kirby Heyborne

Overview

New from the author of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library and coauthor of the I Funny series with James Patterson! Celebrate the power of imagination with this action-packed New York Times bestseller that shows that sometimes the real story starts after you close the book!*
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What if your favorite characters came to life? Billy's spending the summer in a lakeside cabin that belongs to the mysterious Dr. Libris. But something strange is going on. Besides the security cameras everywhere, there's Dr. Libris's private bookcase. Whenever Billy opens the books inside, he can hear sounds coming from the island in the middle of the lake. The clash of swords. The twang of arrows. Sometimes he can even feel the ground shaking. It's almost as if the stories he's reading are coming to life! But that's impossible . . . isn't it?
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“A wonderful tale. . . . This book is like no other I've read. It's a complete original.” -James Patterson

"Kids will enjoy the cartoonish mayhem, especially given Grabenstein's breezy narrative voice and jaunty wit....as in 'Lemoncello', there is a winning generosity and sweetness to the story's telling."--The New York Times

"Chris Grabenstein gleefully plunders great works of literature for his cast of secondary characters . . . a madcap mash-up that 8-to-12 year olds will want to devour in big gulps."-The Wall Street Journal

"Effortlessly readable and a whole lot of fun." - Booklist Reviews

Editorial Reviews

The New York Times Book Review - M. T. Anderson

This kind of mash-up is in the air right now—witness the Night at the Museum movies and Into the Woods. Though the premise is familiar, kids will enjoy the cartoonish mayhem, especially given Grabenstein's breezy narrative voice and jaunty wit…there is a winning generosity and sweetness to the story's telling.

From the Publisher

"A wonderful tale… This book is like no other I've read. It's a complete original." — James Patterson

"In this entertaining literary romp, the author includes references to over 20 classic tales, from Aesop's Fables to Holes. For curious readers, he's listed the titles at the end, but familiarity with these stories is not required to appreciate this fast-paced fantasy. Readers will wish their summers were so eventful." - Kirkus Reviews  

"Readers will appreciate Billy’s cleverness in solving his ever-growing problems, as these literary characters make plenty of trouble outside the confines of their intended stories. Effortlessly readable and a whole lot of fun." - Booklist Reviews  

Kirkus Reviews

2014-12-06
Billy Gillfoyle discovers that a powerful imagination can bring characters from books—and comic books, video games and role-playing-game cards—to life.Unhappily spending the summer with his mother in a lakeshore cabin she's rented from a university colleague, the 12-year-old finds no Internet or TV but plenty of books in a locked cabinet. (Finding the key is a relatively easy puzzle.) When he reads The Trials of Hercules in Dr. Xiang Libris' library, he hears the voices of Hercules and Antaeus outside. They're fighting on an island just offshore. Reading Robin Hood, he hears the sound of swordplay. When he explores the island the next morning, he meets the characters he heard, not only brought to life, but also interacting with each other. Grabenstein's similarly powerful imagination unfurls a grand series of adventures in which Billy and neighbor Walter Andrews are pursued by the Sheriff of Nottingham, search for buried treasure with Tom Sawyer and save Billy's parents' failing marriage. In this entertaining literary romp, the author includes references to over 20 classic tales, from Aesop's Fables to Holes. For curious readers, he's listed the titles at the end, but familiarity with these stories is not required to appreciate this fast-paced fantasy. Readers will wish their summers were so eventful. (Adventure. 9-13)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169409864
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	03/24/2015
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

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