Customer Reviews

The Blue Man

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The quirky title caught my eye when I was nine years old; I pulled the book off my school library's shelf, sat at a table and read nonstop for an hour. This was my first experience with science fiction, and perhaps my first experience with a truly exciting story.

Steve Forrester, a teen who is trying to find himself, goes to spend the summer at his uncle's hotel. The first guest he registers is bundled up in an overcoat and gloves despite the heat. When Steve takes the man his towels, he learns why: the man's body is cobalt blue, from at least the waist up. Stunned, Steve frets about whether he should tell his uncle and aunt about their guest. The blue man makes up Steve's mind for him the next morning; instead of checking out, the blue man kills Steve's uncle and escapes.

Steve climbs into his uncle's Hudson Hornet and gives chase. Over the course of the next couple of days, he learns that he is suspected of his uncle's murder. Now, as he chases the blue man, the state police are chasing him. A sensible girl gives Steve temporary shelter, but he knows he can't rest until he captures the blue man. At last they meet in New York City, in an exciting confrontation that answers the question of how the man came to be blue.

This juvenile novel, a precursor to Mr. Platt's stellar "Sinbad" books, starts with a memorable paragraph and proceeds through a plot as twisty as a luge ride with an equally brisk pace. There is no good moment to put the book down; fortunately, an average reader can finish the novel in a reasonable time.

When the book was published in the 1960s, America's librarians warned that the characters spoke in ungrammatical English. In other words, Steve and his cohorts sound natural, real. This book was ahead of its time as juvenile mysteries go; Mr. Platt did not concoct a '50s-style sedate story. It has guts, a raw, lively structure that does not shield its intended audience from reality. As such, Mr. Platt deserves praise for being willing not to treat his audience with condescension, and the book makes as good a read for adults as it does for nine-year-old boys who are lucky enough to discover it at the library.

This great book has been out of print too long. Fans will be glad to know The Blue Man will be back in print, in hardcover, from Two Lakes Press this summer. You can get info at their site, and they are looking forward to featuring the book here on Amazon.com. Enjoy!

My fifth grade teacher read this book to the class twenty six years ago and I have never forgoton how I couldnt wait everyday for him to read it. This book made me want to read more. I am buying for my sixth grade son hopeing it will do the same for him.

I have read this book for years to fifth and sixth graders. My paperback copy is falling apart. Every year the kids are just on the edge of their seats and beg for me to read it. Nearly every chapter leaves the reader (or listener) with a desire to go on.

I found the blue man in the school library in 1963.
It was my first book that I read under the covers
with a flashlight.
Once you start it you cant put it down, its just great
read for anyone who likes to lose their self in a book.
Just watch out if your lights start turning blue.

I read this book in Junior High School (early 70s) and really enjoyed it. Out of curiosity, I decided to see if the 'fascination' held up -- but I couldn't find the book. I gave Amazon.com a try - and there it was!! I was so excited! Ordered the book, read it, and ENJOYED it again! I received the book very shortly after ordering it. The synopsis is already here, so I won't add that.

I was first introduced to this book when I was in grade school and read it at least once a year for 5 or 6 years. I remember going to the school library one year and discovered it was gone...probably checked out and never returned. I felt like a special friend had moved away and no one told me. So when I found The Blue Man again, I was so excited. Reading this book was a sentimental journey for me. It was a fun read and even though Kin Platt wrote this book for pre-teens of the early 60s, I enjoyed the journey almost as much as I did as a young girl.

Probably my all-time favorite during my early teens, this book has non-stop action. A teenaged boy goes to help his uncle run a secluded motel. There is something very strange about the first customer he checks in. When he takes him some towels, all heck starts breaking loose. Soon he is on the lam, driving his uncle's old Hudson, cradling a rifle, and staring down the nose of a Mack truck driven by a blue alien from outer space! Wow!!!!

I first read this book while in Junior High School (1962-64) and it remains one of my all time favorites. It was probably one of the few non-Hardy Boys book I read with a hero only a few years older than I was. I must have checked this book out nearly a dozen times and would read it at least twice each time, sometimes beginning it again almost immediately. Some friends bought me a yellowed paperback edition about ten years ago and it sits on my bookshelf even now.

As a teacher for 20 years, I have read a lot of middle school books. Out of 100's that I have read, many have been quite good and many have not. To be completely honest, for books that are less than 300 pages, The Blue Man is the #1 most exciting book from start to finish that I have ever read. I read this book first over 30 years ago in junior high. My friends and I all agreed that this book was amazing. Each and every chapter is filled with a twist or a turn that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I recently read this book again, and it was the only book in the last four years that I couldn't put down. I honestly don't understand how this book is out of print. It has the excitement and outstanding writing that Harry Potter and Redwall has--probably even better. I hope that someday this book will be published again so future middle schoolers will be able to enjoy it. This book deserves to be a classic.