Dory Fantasmagory

Dory joins a soccer team, and it goes exactly how Dory fans expect. Mrs. Gobblegracker explores space, Mr. Nuggy comes up with a new mode of transit and communication (bubbles instead of bananas), and Dory faces an old enemy, Valentina. Dory's parents and older siblings take a backseat this time around, while George reverts to babyhood in the face of his mother's pregnancy, and Rosabelle is obsessed with all things old-fashioned.

An absolute joy to return to Dory's world.

Quotes

When I'm done with the dishes, my mom says, "Just go to bed before anything else breaks."
"Why is everything in our house always breaking?" I ask.
"Are you joking?" asks my mom. (61)

Six-year-old Dory gets no respect from older siblings Luke and Violet, but that's all right by her, because she has a rich imagination, populated with friends and villains who seem just as real to her as the people in her family. She has fabulous adventures with these imaginary creatures, but when she sacrifices her sister's favorite doll to one of them, will she find that she has finally gone too far?

This is a quirky little story that may appeal to readers familiar with other trouble-making youngsters who populate the world of early chapter books. I found Dory a little irritating, myself . . . but then again, I am an older sibling!

Dory is the baby of the family and of course not welcome to play with her older sister and brother. But no matter, she has a wildly funny imagination that keeps her happily occupied in her own little world. Dory pretends to be a dog, plots to get rid of the evil Mrs. Gobble Gracker, consults with her fairy godmother Nuggy, and her imaginary friend is a monster named Mary who gets into everything. A fun read-aloud for young children and a funny read for newly fluent readers.

Знайомтесь, це Дорі і вона має уяву. Вона кумедна, смілива і неабияка вигадниця! Дорі як наймолодша дитина в сім'ї дуже хоче уваги до себе, а понад усе бажає, щоб із нею гралися брат і сестра. Але вона для них занадто мала, й тому лишається самотою - сам-на-сам зі своєю нестримною уявою та невичерпною енергією. Хоча її брат і сестра закочують очі, дивлячись на її дитячі ігри, в Дорі безліч справ: вона обводить show more круг пальця монстрів по всьому будинку, тікає з в'язниці (тобто від покарання) та мститься улюбленій ляльці сестри. Коли ж відважна Дорі знадобиться їм по-справжньому, вона доведе свою хоробрість і нарешті отримає саме те, чого шукала. show less

Imaginative six -year-old Dory's older siblings, Violet and Luke, want nothing to do with her (they call her Rascal), and Dory's mom appears to be at the end of her patience (no telling how long her rope was to begin with); the father makes only a minor appearance.

Although Dory has her imaginary monster friend, Mary, to play with, she still wants to play with her siblings. Every attempt Violet and Luke make to get Dory to leave them alone backfires sooner or later, especially the invention of Mrs. Gobble Gracker, which leads to the (temporary) loss of Violet's doll, Cherry. More successful is when Dory pretends to be a dog named Chickenbone - it turns out Luke has always wanted a dog. But when it's time for Dory's annual checkup, all show more she will say is "woof!" - and then she uses her lollipop stick to give the doctor a shot. For a finale, she rescues a rainbow bouncy ball from the toilet, earning her siblings' grudging appreciation.

Dory has strong echoes of Ramona Quimby and Clementine, though with less sympathetic parents (at least in this first book). Could not get my 4yo interested, but we'll try again in a few months.

*

Update/re-read September 2020: Almost-5yo sat and listened to the entire book cover to cover in one sitting and asked for it again the next day! show less

This story celebrates kids with wild imaginations! Even though Rascal exasperates adults and her siblings with her antics , she will definitely remind you of what it was like to be a kid and there was no limit to what you could imagine.

This is a perfect book for young elementary. I received the audio book through Early Reviewers and I loved the narrator. She really brings the characters to life. Dory has such a vivid imagination and her adventures are really fun. This would be great for fans of Clementine by Pennypacker.