Professor William Waterman Sherman intends to fly across the Pacific Ocean. But through a twist of fate, he lands on Krakatoa, and discovers a world of unimaginable wealth, eccentric inhabitants, and incredible balloon inventions.

This was an odd, whimsical short story. The plot was intriguing and kept me interested - although it wasn't overly exciting or adventurous as described. The cover of the edition I read was gorgeous. Simple and easy to read. ( )

Enjoyable children's adventure tale about a man discovering a secret society. A bit like 'The Beach' or 'The Village' but without the darkness.
The story starts off quite similar to the movie 'Up!'. A 66 year old man decides to spend a year ballooning to get away from things. He's a retired schoolteacher and therefore really dislikes children. Since he is going to be up there for so long he designs the basket of the balloon to resemble a small house complete with balustrade all around like a porch.
Its funny and interesting, however it loses some suspense since it's told in flashback so you already know the ending. ( )

My!, how Newberry Winners have changed. I feel like the more modern ones are more for adults than children. This book was very much aimed at children and very fantastical. Not my favorite but much better than the "stories about children for adults" that win these days. ( )

Charming and quaint. Lucinda's uncle reading plays to her reminded me of all the bowdlerized versions of Shakespeare intended for young kids. I see there is a second book about Lucinda, Jubilo. I'll have to try Interlibrary Loan. ( )