Great story, but definitely meant for young kids. For once, the movie was better. Could be enjoyable for kids as a read aloud or on their own, though. It has plenty of adventure, fantasy, and (lightheaded) horror. ;) ( )

00011354

00002167

This improves greatly on the movie, since you don't have to deal with the crappy acting. My students loved this book as an introduction to genres. ( )

The adventures of the obsessively fearful Richard in this oversize, garishly illustrated allegory begin when he reluctantly ventures out on his bike, even though "most traffic accidents happen within three blocks of the home." In the library, he bumps his head (shades of The Wizard of Oz ) and finds that he must travel across a fantasy landscape teeming with characters from fiction--Moby Dick, Dr. Jekyll, Long John Silver, Thumbelina--to reach the exit. Three personified books--the piratical but cowardly Adventure, schoolmarmish Fantasy (an odd, sexist characterization) and ugly, eager-to-please Horror--accompany him on his pseudo-epic journey. At the end he must confront a dragon (and his fears) on his own. ( )