Eloise in Hollywood [Hardcover]

Kay Thompson (Author), Hilary Knight (Author), J. David Stem (Author), David N. Weiss (Author), Ted Enik (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up | Series: Eloise

In 1957 on the set of Funny Face Kay Thompson and Hilary Knight first thought Eloise might go to Hollywood

Now forty-nine years later she'll finally have her silver screen debut

It's rawther extraordinary really

with apes and biplanes and thrills

and starring of course ELOISE

Here's the thing of it dahlings

Buy your popcorn now

and do find a seat quickly

The show is about to start

And you absolutely

cawn't miss it!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

If your mother is even one-half worth her salt then sooner or later she's bound to make the acquaintance of a famous Hollywood Movie Mogul who will insist you simply must must must drop in for a visit." And that's how Eloise, Nanny, Weenie and Skipperdee land in glittering Hollywood in this rollicking if overlong caper penned by screenwriters Stem and Weiss, who competently mimic the distinctive voice created by Kay Thompson. Choosing the mode of transport favored by "many famous studio types," Eloise and her traveling companions board a train for Los Angeles, where the Mogul's chauffeur gives them a tour of the town's hot spots before delivering them to the pleasingly pink Hollywood Hills Hotel. Not surprisingly, the aspiring young actress manages to steal the show as she eventually (in the book's last third) gets her (brief) moment in the spotlight in a movie starring a "boy genius who solves crimes for the President." Enik's (Love and Kisses, Eloise) flourishes-filled, animated pen-and-ink illustrations feature pink and turquoise watercolor washes, and pay homage to Knight's Eloise art. A bustling, full-color gatefold reveals Eloise joyfully romping through a studio back lot. The text and pictures have a more contemporary feel than those in the original tales, but the creators have mostly kept the essentials intact, and that's rawther good news. All ages. (Oct.)
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Review

"After [50] years, a rambunctious 6-year-old named Eloise is poised to become an overnight sensation in Hollywood and on the bookshelves."

-- Daily Variety

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 70 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers (October 24, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689842899
• ISBN-13: 978-0689842894
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,085,935 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Terrible book, May 29, 2008

By 

Carolina (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eloise in Hollywood (Hardcover)

I hated this book. It's probably the worst children's book I've read to my children. It's not even really a story at all. It's pages of very small writing without punctuation and just pages of comments on Hollywood. There's really no theme, no characters, no storyline. We love the Eloise movies and other books but this book does not follow the pattern of the other books. We were very disappointed. My kids love almost all books (even the poors ones) and even they hated this book. My seven-year-old didn't even want to finish it. They said the movie is much better, however. But don't waste your money on this book.

2.0 out of 5 stars Faithful, but still a fake, December 4, 2011

By 

Privacy, Please (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eloise in Hollywood (Hardcover)

My biggest problem with this book is that it's clearly an imitation of the earlier Eloise books by authors who are not Kay Thompson and an artist who is not Hilary Knight. While everyone involved does a good job of mimicking the original styles of Thompson and Knight, it doesn't quite ring true, and smacks of being an additional product brought out to try and capitalize on the continuing popularity of the originals. I'll stick with the "real" Eloise, thanks.

3.0 out of 5 stars Not your mother's Eloise book, but would probably appeal to her more than to actual 21st Century kids..., October 30, 2010

By 

Beachgirl61 (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eloise in Hollywood (Hardcover)

Mind you, when I was a little girl, I was always more about "Madeline" by Ludwig Bemelmans, but I also have fond memories of the "Eloise" book, too, so I was intrigued by this "new" title when I saw it recently at a local used book store. So I sat there, right in the kid's section and read it from cover to cover.

First the positives:

The drawings, of course, were delightful...and the basic premise of the storyline was fun. After all, who hasn't dreamed of going to Hollywood and being in the movies and meeting movie stars? I know I did when I was a girl, and was very fortunate to be able to live that dream as an adult. The book is well researched in that way and much of what it says about the "business" is accurate.

Now the negatives:

If one is going to have Eloise go "Hollywood" they need to decide which era they're going to stick with, and then keep Eloise there. Time travel doesn't work in this case. Parts of the book deals with what is clearly 1940s-1950s Hollywood and part of it is placed in the present. Think about it: who takes a train to H'wood nowadays?

Also there are certain things where artistic license just doesn't cut it: the "pink" hotel with the bungalows is NOT the Hollywood Hills Hotel but the Beverly Hills Hotel...at least get that part right. Yes, we're being "imaginative" but some things still should remain in reality such as the names of actual places and landmarks. Was there some trademark issue with the BHH that didn't allow the use of the actual name?

At any rate, I doubt that children today could really appreciate the various references in this specific book. Sure, kids seem more "sophisticated" than when I was a child in the 1960s, but they're not that sophisticated! Most of the humor, the descriptions about how Hollywood "works" and various scenarios in the book would go right over the heads of the average 4-8 year olds whom this book is allegedly geared for. Either that, or it might quite possible bore them. Let's face it, the reference to Shirley Temple is passe and Eloise herself is no Hannah Montana, Raven, Cheetah Girls or Disney Princess...the kinds of Hollywood stars kids today like.

Eloise In Hollywood is a book written in a "kid's style", and it may be intended for kid's reading... but more likely this book will have a greater appeal for their MOTHERS or even GRANDMOTHERS, the women who are Baby Boomers or early Gen X'ers (age 40-60) who may have been Eloise fans in their youth and who want to re-live the story in newer settings they may identify with. As long as the book is marketed that way, and read in that spirit, then it's not so bad.

Mind you, Kay Thompson the author of Eloise would probably turn over in her grave at this thought, but it might actually work to have Eloise marketed towards adult women instead of kids (perhaps as a gift set with gourmet coffee, a pink cup, or biscotti or something): Just think of the franchise that could be launched if appropriately marketed toward women of a certain age: Eloise gets psychotherapy, Eloise gets plastic surgery, Eloise and her mid-life crisis, Eloise the Cougar lol, Eloise's Croning Ceremony hahahaha j/k

Overall, I think this book may make a cute gift for a grown up who is still a "kid at heart" who also happens to like Hollywood culture (maybe for a "landmark" birthday such as 40, 45 or 50), but as a gift for actual chronologically aged kids? Uhhh...No. I think that would fall flat. Best to stick with the classic Eloise books in that case.