Bartlett and the Ice Voyage [Bargain Price] [Hardcover]

Odo Hirsch (Author), Andrew McLean (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 4, 2003

"This is a splendid quest adventure, with larger than life but believable characters, natural but humorous dialogue, and a storyline driven by whimsical inventiveness There is a refreshing originality about the story" Books for Keeps A young queen who rules seven kingdoms is far too busy and important to leave her palace, so her loyal subjects send gifts from far and wide: monkeys, flamingos, giraffes, exotic fruits. But the thing that she longs for most of all has never survived the journey. Who can bring the Queen her heart's desire? Only Bartlett has the inventiveness, desperation and perseverance to complete the task. Does the Queen have the patience to keep her side of the bargain? A flamboyant adventure story full of atmosphere, wit and suspense by a wonderfully talented author.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Be careful of what you wish for and what is required to get it-is only one of the lessons covered in Hirsch's (author of the Antonio S. series) charming fantasy about the perils of desire. Legendary "mouth-watering melidrops" grow in the young Queen's empire, faraway in the south in a time when refrigeration, air travel and electricity have yet to be invented. "The Queen had tasted every fruit that grew in her seven countries, every single fruit except the melidrop." After hearing about the delicious fruit that must be eaten the day it is picked, nothing else will do. Laced with humor, the novel, told by an omniscient narrator, deposits little gems along the way (when the Queen pretends the melidrop does not exist, for instance, the narrative advises, "When you try to pretend something doesn't exist, you end up spending more time thinking about it than you ever did before"). Sutton Prufrock, ancient world traveler and expert on melidrops, suggests that it will take "Inventiveness, Desperation and Perseverance" to locate a melidrop for her Royal Highness and bring it back while it is still fresh. The explorer extraordinaire Bartlett is the man for the job-if she can wait seven months. The merits of honesty and resourcefulness waft through this lighthearted adventure tale. Even the Queen herself learns a lesson she doesn't bargain for as she waits for the melidrop to be procured-the importance of patience and trust. Ages 8-14.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6-A young monarch may rule over seven lands, but she can't stop obsessing over tasting a delicious fruit that grows far to the south of her realm and is only edible on the day it is picked from the tree. Because she is too busy being queen to make the journey herself, she sends the intrepid adventurer Bartlett and his trusty friend Jacques le Grand to fetch her a melidrop by any means possible. Bartlett's solution to the problem of how to transport it by boat for months without its turning to mush is both obvious and deliciously inventive. While the two are meeting people and having exciting experiences, the queen slowly and reluctantly comes to terms with her preoccupation and, in the process, becomes a better person and ruler. This fantasy/parable is funny, and the characters are drawn with a deft touch that raises it above many others. While similar in its timeless, fairy-tale setting to Gail Carson Levine's fantasies, this story, with its wry wisdom, is most reminiscent of James Thurber's Many Moons (Harcourt, 1943). The small black-and-white illustrations offer understated yet poignant depictions of the characters, the royal court, and the seafaring life, nicely complementing the text. A quiet gem.
Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public Library
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 175 pages
• ISBN-10: 1582347972
• ASIN: B000HWYRMI
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,374,537 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bartlett's Ice Voyage Adventure, April 7, 2007

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Bartlett and the Ice Voyage (Hardcover)

In the novel Bartlett and the Ice Voyage, a very powerful queen is not satisfied with the taste of the fruit she is provided with, and wants to taste a melidrop, a rare and delicious fruit that spoils the day it is picked. The queen asks one of her most trusted advisors what she should do. The advisor recommends a certain explorer named Bartlett to retrieve a melidrop from across the ocean. The queen finds it hard to believe that someone could bring it on a nine-week voyage across the sea without spoiling. Bartlett and his partner, Jacques le Grand, ponder how they could get a melidrop back to the queen without spoiling. They go on a long trip across the sea to the country where melidrops grow most abundantly. They ask the owners of a melidrop field what they should do. One of them, a mere boy, offers to help them with this seemingly impossible task. His family offers to give them shelter, food, and water for a night while they recuperate. Then, while Bartlett is thinking about how cold the water is, his train of thought triggers an idea. He goes to the harbor and looks for a captain who is willing to take his ship into the frigid waters of the arctic sea. They find one captain who agrees to take them up to the Arctic Ocean. They want to find an iceberg large enough to preserve a melidrop for nine weeks on the voyage back to the queen's palace. After searching in vain for an iceberg the right size, they decide to go back. Along the journey back however, they find a stray iceberg just the right size. They go back to the melidrop farmers and ask for the tastiest melidrop in the orchard. It is given to them, and the challenge now is to get to the queen within the deadline time. They make it and the queen is so grateful that she funds an exploration of the Margoulis Caverns; the largest chain of unexplored caves in the world.

I liked this story because it had funny characters and twists and turns that really left you thinking. This imaginative tale will be cherished for a long, long time. It is a true masterpiece, and should be read by anyone and everyone who enjoys quirky tales with unusual but hilarious characters

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Charming!, March 20, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Bartlett and the Ice Voyage (Hardcover)

What a lovely book! I would recommend this to those who have enjoyed the Gail Carson Levine Princess Tales books, as well as anyone who like a story with a little adventure, a little humor, and a good ending. The author's descriptions of the luscious melidrop made me long for them to be real!

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome adventure story for kids, November 15, 2008

By 

M. Heiss (USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bartlett and the Ice Voyage (Paperback)

This is a marvelous adventure story for children. A spoiled Queen demands the impossible -- she wants to taste a melidrop, an amazing fruit that grows far away. No one can bring her one, because the fruit spoils after only a day. Gallant nobles have tried and failed to bring her one, and with each failure, the Queen's irritation grows. Finally, she commands the services of Bartlett the explorer, who agrees to try.

He gives her an honest assessmant -- this project probably will not succeed, and he will need some time. (He will also need inventiveness, perseverance, and desperation!) He tells her it may take 7 months! The queen agrees, and Bartlett leaves.

He finds the fruit, but can he get it to the Queen?

This is a wonderful story to draw up self-confidence and forthrightness in your child, particularly your son. There is no "bad guy" per se, apart from a few annoying people at court. Time is the antagonist. Time, and distance, and the warmth of the sun.

I'm a parent and a grown-up, and I enjoyed the story. I wish more fiction for boys could be written this way.