Chitty Chitty Bang Bang [Paperback]

Ian Fleming (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2007

Pssst...want to know a secret? Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang isn't any ordinary car. It can swim. And fly. It can even think for itself! Chitty's owners, the Pott family, love adventures. But they've never come across gangsters and explosions and secret underground lairs before! So when they find themselves in a desperate chase to stop the gangsters' evil plan, they know where to turn, Chitty to the rescue!

Editorial Reviews

Review

The car is magical. So is the book. Vogue From the same stable as Thunderball et al: same excitement, same wonderful imagination. The car really lives Scotsman Super-wicked villains ... hairsbreadth escapes --Telegraph --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Inside Flap

Ian Fleming, best known for his James Bond novels, wrote only one children?s book?and it is a classic! Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is the name of the flying, floating, driving-by-itself automobile that takes the Pott family on a riotous series of adventures as they try to capture a notorious gang of robbers. This is a story filled with humor, adventure, and gadgetry that only a genius like Fleming could create.


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

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 149 pages
• Publisher: Puffin Bks; New Ed edition (January 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0141313579
• ISBN-13: 978-0141313573
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.4 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (115 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #615,197 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

78 of 85 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I LOVE this book BUT... January 8, 2005

By Cat Rescuer

Format:Hardcover

...I was so angry when I saw this new version that I sent off a letter to Random House, which I'll copy here since it clearly states my issue with the "new" version (and I also highly recommend that if you intend to purchase this book you find an "old" copy from the 60's):To Random House-I recently bought a few books I fondly remembered from my own childhood so I could introduce my friend's 9 year old grandson to some timeless classics. One of these books was Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. When the copy I ordered from amazon.com arrived I open the package in breathless anticipation only to quickly descend into horrified shock at what I saw before me. The beautifully illustrated book I so fondly remembered was gone and in its place was paper with print, a hard cover, and a few pathetic, poorly drawn cartoons that serve only to disfigure, in an unimaginable and horrific travesty of art sense, what was once a gloriously illustrated treasure....The beautiful, original John Burningham illustrations were an integral and ***irreplaceable*** part of this book and without them you've destroyed what was a perfect marriage of art and story. ... This reissue is a miserable failure and a nasty insult to the readers who will never experience the true joy of what was once a perfect book...Needless to say, this "new" copy is going in the garbage and I've ordered a used copy from 1964.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than Ever March 27, 2013

By Thom Mitchell VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Like many people my first brush with Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was via the movie version, and it was only after seeing the movie that I read the book. This 2013 edition with Ian Fleming's original text and Joe Berger's illustrations might be the best print version I've seen. Joe Berger's illustrations have a graphic novel sensibility which freshens up the book for today's children adding a bit of an edge to the fairy tale quality of the book.

In reading the book to my daughter what struck me was how timeless and exciting the book's story really is. My daughter kept laughing hysterically at certain scenes in the book because Ian Fleming really knows how to tell an engaging story. If you are looking for a good book to give to a kid to read to themselves or for a book to read to kids this is an excellent choice. The illustrations and drawings interspersed throughout the book help the young reader, or listener, by amplifying the excellent story. This is one of those rare books from one's childhood that is actually as good as you remember it being.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars HUMOR IN HIGH GEAR! June 23, 1998

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

This book is perfect for your summer Escape into pure Fantasy--KID LITE enough to fly!!! This is a very special car--one of a kind both in chassis and heart--not to mention that it actually thinks, has feelings and gives orders to the driver when necessary. Yet totally unselfish--only with the owner's best interests in mind.

This almost-defunct car which barely missed the wrecker yard shows its gratitude to the Pott family many times over, for she possesses Super-Mechanical powers which no one suspects. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (so named because of her unique starting up sounds) can even fly (just call her Aerocar) and hover over water with ease. Plus she knows when to give instructions (pull down, push up) to the driver, who admits that even he does not know what all the buttons on the dash do. When ignored, she flashes hints like "Idiot!", ensuring immediate results and prompt obedience. She even has built-in radar to track missing persons (she cares about).

One day Professor Caractacus (Crackpot) Pott finally invents something clever--a candy whistle--which he sells for enough British pounds to buy his dream car. After spending most of the summer tinkering and refurbishing the rare Panther, he unveils the automotive marvel to his adoring family: trembly Mrs. Pott (Mimsie) and the twins, Jeremy and Jemima. Chitty takes charge of their summer adventures from then on, obligingly transporting them to their own private beach when the coastal road is gridlocked--a distant sandbar no less. Barely escaping the encroaching tide, the car whisks them across the Channel to France, where they discover a cave which has mysterious warnings to would-be explorers. What secrets lie buried beneath the chalky cliffs? Possibly treasure?...

This action-packed fantasy reads swiftly; chidlren will enjoy the way the twins outwit the badguys. Amidst all the humor and high-jinks Fleming offers pieces of scientific information gleaned during his career. He includes advice about the need for flotation de! vices in boats and other safety suggestions, but he slips them in slyly, like a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down. A cute story (though my paperback version had disappointing b/w sketches) which will entertain elementary kids--a great summer read. Honk if you like kid and car heroism! Read more ›

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Definitely different November 29, 2011

By Lost John

Format:Paperback

Most films derived from books tell a story that is at least somewhat different from the book; the film of this book is even more different than most. In the book, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang has the same name, a similarly successful racing career brought to an early end by a crash, is re-built by inventor Caractapus Pott, who has children named Jeremy and Jemima, and is revealed to have magical properties, including the ability to fly. Sweets that double as tuneful whistles, and music and dance in the sweet factory also feature in both book and film, but Truly Scrumptious, the eccentric Grandfather, Baron Bomburst and Vulgaria appear only in the film. However, the children in the book do have a mother, Mimsie Pott.

The setting is England. As a first drive in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the family set out for Dover beach, intending to picnic there. They soon meet the back of a long traffic jam. Whereupon Chitty Chitty Bang Bang reveals the first of her special features and they fly to spend a happy day picnicing and playing on a sandbank in the middle of the English Channel.

The sandbank is the notorious Goodwin Sands. Disaster almost strikes when the tide comes in, but Chitty Chitty Bang Bang gets them out of trouble, taking them to the French coast. There they discover and explore a deep cave, which proves to be an ammunition dump used by Joe the Monster and his criminal gang. I won't spoil the story by telling you all that happens, but the fast-moving tale quickly takes us to Calais and then - through Jeremy and Jemima being kidnapped and taken there - Paris....

Eventually, the story ends happily, thanks to the intelligence and gadgetry of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the cool nerve of Jeremy and Jemima, and also to Caractacus and Mimsie Pott, who are as interesting and helpful as parents as any child could wish. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is not quite as pretty as the car seen in the film, but is cleverer and has several features not seen in the film. She also has the registration GEN 11, which Jeremy and Jemima are quick to notice spells Genii.

The book has three separate chapter-adventures. It is a good, solid read for children aged 8 to 10, or it could be read to younger children. I strongly recommend the 1968 edition, illustrated by John Burningham, but for that you will have to buy a pre-used copy. In that edition, most pages have a picture to help things along; many in color. (John Burningham is also known for Mr. Gumpy's Outing, Mr Gumpy's Motor Car, Granpa, and more.) Read more ›