I remember reading this when I was about eight years old and really liking it... Great for younger kids. Also read "Mandy" by the same author. ( )

This is such a classic children's fantasy book! I'm kind of disappointed that I didn't get to read it as a kid, but I am glad that I found it later on. It seems like it would make a really great read-aloud to a group of students. As often seen in children's fiction, a lot of it is really convenient, parts of it are really predictable, but it all makes for a great story, and there are some great suspenseful bits along the way. There are a lot of smaller conflicts that quickly get resolved, under the umbrella conflict of finding the Whangdoodle, and then the greatest conflict of all that isn't revealed until near the end. A really cool part of this book is its exposition to vocabulary through the Professor's narration. I'm really glad we didn't get the cop out "it was all a figment of their imaginations/a dream" ending. I'm also really glad that in the end, it's a story about the Professor and the realization of his dream, rather than a focus on the kids, although they are still a big part of the story. There are parts of the book near the ending that do get a little preachy, but it's still a fantastic fantasy read for kids and their parents/teachers. ( )

I would love to be Lindy at the end was the best part for me Oh i wonder how happy the whangdoodle felt. ( )

Genre: Fantasy because the children go to a completely make-believe world with fictional characters. Media: none ( )

Julie Andrews as she is known to most is a beloved children's author, the type who gets re-read, at least by my children. This book was read to them at camp, and they insisted on hearing it again from parents, and then in reading it themselves (or at least the boy did). Rarely are there actresses who are also wonderful singers who make such a perennial contribution to the literature of late childhood. It would be as though Lewis Carroll was earlier known for starring in Gilbert and Sullivan operettas and going toe to toe with Edwin Booth in drama as well. I know my timeline for this analogy might not be on point, but that's the gist of it. Julie Andrews is not the mere product of some publicity machine. She is a gifted artist who deserves her popularity. Her facility with writing reminds me of J. K. Rowling - the purists may disdain it at first, but eventually they come to see the power behind that rush of well-chosen words.