The Giants and the Joneses [Hardcover]

Julia Donaldson (Author), Greg Swearingen (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

“All wet!” said Poppy.
“Yuk!” said Stephen. “Was that a kiss?”
Before Colette could answer, it was her turn. She was lifted up and brought toward the shining pink lips. She closed her eyes. The next second she felt a dampness all over her cheek and an explosion in her ear.
She dared herself to open her eyes, and caught a glimpse of a hairy nostril before she was lowered again and pushed through a door.

Tiny people and a GIANT adventure!

Jumbeelia the young giantess loves to hear the old story about the iggly plop who climbed up the bimplestonk to the giants’ land of Groil. Then, one day, she throws a bimple over the edge of Groil.

Down, down, down Jumbeelia climbs—right down into the land of the iggly plops, where she discovers Colette, Poppy, and Stephen Jones; puts them into her canvas bag; and carries them back to Groil.

Soon the children find themselves shut in her dollhouse, with no visible means of escape. With danger surrounding them at every turn, the children must use all their wits to survive and figure out a way to get back home . . .

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-5–Most giants in Groil disregard the fairy tale about the tiny thief who once climbed a plant up to their land, but young Jumbeelia is sure that the pocket-sized iggly plops must exist. She drops a mysterious seed over the cloud edge, and, sure enough, a bimplestonk grows in the night. She climbs down to the miniature world where she collects some souvenirs, including three children–Collette; her brother, Stephen; and their baby sister, Poppy. The humans attempt to communicate with their huge captor, but, like all giants, Jumbeelia speaks only Groilish, and, in any case, she is too large to hear them. She installs the children in her dollhouse and plays nicely with her new toys, but her brother is jealous and wants the iggly plops for his own. When he gets hold of them, he plays cruel, dangerous games with them, even forcing Stephen into deadly combat with a colossal wasp. The children resolve to escape, but the giant world is filled with dangerous objects and enormous creatures, including a very hungry cat and a mad old giant with a grudge against humans. The use of Groilish adds the appeal of a secret code to the story. All dialogue among the giants is written strictly in their own language. In-text translation is rare, although almost everything is clear in context. Dictionaries are provided so that young readers can become proficient in the lingo. An exciting story with a subtle message about respect and cooperation.–Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL
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Review

“The Giants and the Joneses had humour, suspense and an invented language that enthralled me.” —The Evening Standard (London)

“Children will love this miniaturised adventure . . . it’s set to be a giant hit.” —The Herald (England)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); 1st edition (August 11, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805078053
• ISBN-13: 978-0805078053
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,743,069 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Julia Donaldson is the author of many successful books for children, including the classic THE GRUFFALO, which has won the Smarties Prize and the Blue Peter Award for the Best Book to Read Aloud. THE GRUFFALO'S CHILD was one of the biggest best-sellers of 2004 and won WHS Children's Book of the Year at the British Book Awards. Julia has also written many children's plays and songs, and runs regular storytelling and drama workshops. She lives in Glasgow with her family.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Totally engaging, November 16, 2005

By 

B. Bly - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Giants and the Joneses (Hardcover)

My girls - 5 and 8 - love this book. I read it to them three months ago and we still talk about "igglyplops" and "bealy" things. The story is compelling -- three kids in a world of giants. The giants have their own language, but kids can identify with the giant childrens' normal everyday lives. There's an imagined world, suspense, and siblings who grow to love one another -- who could ask for anything else?

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Visit the Land of the Giants, November 7, 2005

By 

L. L. Petersen (Wisconsin) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Giants and the Joneses (Hardcover)

The Giants and the Joneses begins where Jack and the Beanstalk leaves off. In our time, the Giants of the land of Groil still tell the story of "Jack and the Beanstalk." But no one really believes in the "Iggly Plops" or the Little People. No one except an eight-year old giant named Jumbeelia. Jumbeelia drops a bean over the edge of Groil and the next day she climbs down a giant beanstalk where she collects a few new toys - including the three Jones children.

This is a fun story with the added challenge of a make-believe giant language to decode. (A dictionary is included.) The story does get a little scary when Jumbeelia's brother captures the Jones children and mistreats them, but this shouldn't be enough to put most children off. In addition, this story may lead readers to contemplate sibling relationships, treatment of smaller, helpless creatures, and whether there may be truth in legends.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Haley's Review- Age 10, June 1, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Giants and the Joneses (Hardcover)

The book Giants and the Joneses was great. I liked how the book was based on Jack and the Beanstalk. I liked how the book had its own dictionary too. I recommend this book to a lot of people. I hope she writes a sequel. I can't wait to read her other books.