Customer Reviews

Aunt Puff and Missing Minerva

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Late last night I finished Aunt Puff and Missing Minerva by David Whitewolf. And as I read the last page, I thought to myself that I can't remember the last time I read a book which was so fun filled, imaginative and enjoyable.

As Aunt Puff and her niece Alexandra wait for Puff's old friend Minerva, I had no idea what an adventure I would take. From cards that blow bubbles for a charade game to Minerva's cockatoo to flying fish, nothing is as it appears and anything is bound to happen.

In the tradition of Dr. Seuss, Harry Potter, fables and folktales, David Whitewolf has crafted an excellent novel for children with an imagination, young adults who enjoy fantasy and adults with both.

I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading more by the author David Whitewolf in the future.

Lately, I have been reading a fair amount of children books, focusing mostly on those that I think will be enjoyable for adults too. In this case I was not disappointed, since Whitewolf presents a wonderful book, with a set of colorful and interesting characters that will fascinate kids and grownups alike.

Alexandra, the narrator of our story, has been a little depressed lately because her best friend had an accident while the two of them were skating in the pond. Her friend did not sustain serious injuries, but Alexandra is beating herself up for the not reacting as she should have, and been paralyzed by fear instead. She lives with Aunt Puff in a greenhouse and they are both eagerly expecting the arrival of Minerva, Aunt Puff's best friend.

Alexandra is a little frustrated because there is an aura of mystery around Aunt Puff, Minerva and their past together in the Elacrim foundation. Meanwhile, Minerva has some disturbing news about somebody planning to escape from somewhere, but Alexandra does not get a chance to get full details, which makes her even more curious. The plot thickens and the title of the book is honored when Minerva goes missing and Aunt Puff and Alexandra go out looking for her. They will find a myriad of challenges and a never-ending series of unusual events in their path, along with a threatening and disturbing presence.

Whitewolf presents clear proof of his prodigious imagination through the characters, the artifacts and the events in this story. Besides the humans involved, there is a dog, named Ludwig, and a cockatoo, named Ciber, that add a very special flavor to the narration. I have no doubt that this book will delight anyone that dares to go into the realm of the Elacrim foundation!

Every middle school child fortunate enough to read Aunt Puff and Missing Minerva will delight in this brisk-paced, rollicking fantasy. While Aunt Puff and her friend Minerva feature large in the tale, the true heroine is sixth grader Alexandra. She sees herself as an ordinary girl spending a summer with her extraordinary Aunt Puff whose magical powers and garden house fascinate her. Little does she realize that she will be the true heroine with her own genuine magical powers after she helps save her aunt's quirky friend Minerva.
Minerva has been kidnapped by their former friend Dragonus who is not evil himself. He has been bewitched by Malrot. Malrot, with no good in him, has escaped from the Elcarim Foundation and is creating sinister chaos.
Readers will enjoy the provocative descriptions of places, fairies, dragons, sirens, and harpies. They will delight in expressive language such as "Daddle dooks," "Bubble Gum Butterflies," and "Uzooks."
Author David Whitewolf has created an adventurous heroine's journey with a humor and lightness of prose in even the grimmest of moments. It is highly recommended for eight to thirteen year olds, especially as a wonderful holiday gift. Hopefully more adventures of Alexandra, Aunt Puff, and Minerva, or other tales, will come from Mr. Whitewolf's pen in the future!

I have to agree with the other reviews on here that this book reminded me of a combination of the best parts of the Wizard of Oz, Harry Potter, and any number of Roald Dahl books. Aunt Puff and Missing Minerva contains tons of craziness and wacky twists on normal objects. There is even a bowling ball that is a little world.

Unlike Harry Potter, Willy Wonka, and the Wizard of Oz, the theme to Aunt Puff is more apparent. Alexandra needs to learn to have faith in herself, that she is a good person, that while there are times in our life when we let fear lead us, we have a choice to stop fear from leading us and let love, faith, and hope guide us instead. As, Cylenia in the book says, every moment is a miracle, because every moment we are able to choose who we are. Very Buddhist thought. But, the ideas of miracles and faith are also very Christian. So, unlike Harry Potter, I think Christians will enjoy this book and its themes of miracles, hope and faith. Although, this is not necessarily a Christian book. Anyone of any faith, will enjoy the themes of this book.

This book is also great entertainment. It is hilarious at times. Kids should enjoy it immensely. This would make a great bed time read aloud book.

I hope there will be more of Aunt Puff and Alexandra in the future.

This is a great book and I am certain, in time, it will become a classic. It is like a combination of the best parts of Harry Potter, The Wizard of Oz, and Alice and Wonderland with a little mystery thrown in.

The plot is fast paced, always leaving you guessing and wanting to read the next chapter.

The characters, though outrageous and colorful, are believable. And the main character, Alexandra, is a girl that it is easy to identify with. She is a strong character, going from self doubt to learning to believe in herself.

There is a ton of humor in the book, usually centered around Aunt Puff and her crazy gadgets, that will make both young and old smile.

The themes about miracles are true to heart and meaningful.

I highly recommend this book.

Aunt Puff and Missing Minerva captures the outlandishness of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the whimsy of Shel Silverstein, and the fun language use of Dr. Seuss in a miracle of a package that will keep you at the edge of your seat (unless the silly hands push you back in). This is a great read. It has whimsy and fun that will appeal to younger children and themes that will appeal to adults and older children.

Aunt Puff's friend Minerva has disappeared while trying to teach Alexandra, a twelve year old girl and the ture hero of the story, how to blow bubbles to play bubble gum charades (just one of the many wacky, highly imaginative creations of the author). Aunt Puff, Ludwig (a perfect characterization of a Great Dane), Alexandra, and Ciber (who is Minerva's cockatoo and is completely "Marbles!) face a whole bunch of out of this world obstacles to find Minerva and save the Elcarim Foundation in the process.

Be sure to buy this book. You won't be dissapointed.

Luring Lemonade. Boundery Boogers. Bubble gum charades. And a patchwork purse with glowing purple neon hearts. These are just some of the highly original and imaginative elments of this fantastic fantasy.

This book is as imaginative as a Willy Wonka or James and the Giant Peach.

The plot is tight, with the heroes facing many dangers, building on top of each other to a final climax, in which Alexandra, must find her courage to save the day.

There are wonderful themes about miracles, faith, hope, and love that permeate the book, especailly the second half of the book.

There is also beautiful poetry, some original, some Yeats. The poetry might be a little too advanced for some young readers, but it is fitting and older readers will appreciate it.

The ending is ripe for a sequel. We get a glimpse of Elcarim. And we never see the real antagonist, Malrot. I trust we will see more of Malrot and Elcarim in the future. I look forward to more.

When I first began this book, I wasn't sure I'd like it. The central characters were a bit extreme to my first impression. Afterall, I grew up with an eccentric mother, and her exploits were legendary in our family. My favorite was that about her catching rattlesnakes on the cliffs near her college to sell to the biology department for spending money. We spent most of my childhood in a small town where, despite their rather conservative attitudes, they accepted my mother and her oddity, because she was "an artist." Specifically she was their artist. And she did all this without purple and green hair or a leopard cowboy hat (although she did join a clown club and learn to walk on stilts at 62), which of course made the central characters of the book seem a little too over-the-top to me at least!

Giving the story a chance, though, I read on and became quite enchanted with the tale of Aunt Puff and Missing Minerva. Although I rarely have a feeling of genuine joy when reading a children's book, I found myself smiling at the antics of these characters. I especially enjoyed the dog Ludwig probably because I have Great Danes of my own and the character is so often like my two. For all their over-the-top personalities, the characters and their activities made one feel genuinely delighted. The episode of Lilly's Luring Lemonade was particularly fun. The story moves right along, pulling the reader from chapter to chapter. Each is filled with novel activities leading to the conclusion. The narrative is well structured with a logical beginning, middle and end, and there is character development with issues of self-discovery all along the way.

My only problem is that I still am not quite certain to whom I'd recommend the book. This is partially because, while some of the earlier chapters are well composed for very young readers, the later chapters are more complex and might be better directed to older readers. The simplicity of the earlier chapters, however, might put off a somewhat older child as too "silly." It's a difficult call. Certainly much of the vocabulary is for an older child, but it would be nothing that would not make sense to the younger sibling if read to him or her.

In general I think that the book would make a delightful read-to-me book for pre- to early school age children. I could see a library volunteer or a grade school teacher reading the book to smaller children to great effect because of the issues and odd points that might be brought out to teach children about the world and reality, even about subtle, common sense physics. Is it possible to put 15 suitcases into a woman's purse? Why not? Do you know what a green house is? Do people live in them? Could people live in them? What changes would a person have to make to a green house to live in it? Can you take photographs with a magnifying glass? What are magnifying glasses used for in the real world? Could you make a boat out of ice? Etc.

For older children, one might let them read aloud and discuss the issue of responsibility for the well-being of others and the realistic limitations of such responsibility as it's discussed in the story. There are also many classical allusions to creatures from mythology that might become part of a study project. There is also some use of poetry in the text to illustrate points more clearly to the central character Elizabeth. One might look at poetry and its construction as opposed to prose and its construction. Why is poetry effective in so short a space? Etc.

For all its oddness I enjoyed this little book, and I think it is a mine of learning gems that would easily suit the classroom or a library reading program. For one thing, the topics that might be used for discussion seem almost limitless. They are so varied that any teacher, no matter what type of background, would be able to find topics that suited their own knowledge base well enough to lead a discussion. A clever book, well written and a gem for the teacher or librarian.

This is a very well written book, in which the author has thought of every gismo, animal, contraption, and anything else you can imagine up. The author does an extremely good job of making you feel that your actually there. The only problem was that the ending should have been about twice as long, but was needed to be done was done. The book is absolutely terrific and I am happy to add it to my collection. I suggest this to any young reader with a large imagination. From Chinese water dragons to teleporting gum, from flying fish to hordes of crabs, from great authors imagination into a great book. Awesome job and I can't wait to read his next book!

I bought this book for my 9 year old daughter. I don't know who liked it more, her or me. This is such a funny, imaginative book. I can't tell you how many times this book made my daughter and me smile.

What an adventure! This book has everything you could imagine and more from Boundary Boogers to thinking caps that are shower caps. What a hoot!

This is a great book for kids. It will entertain them and teach them too.

My daugther and I loved this book and your child and you will also.