The Green Book (Sunburst Book) [Paperback]

Jill Paton Walsh (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Sunburst Book

"We are at Shine, on the first day, " says Pattie, when, as the youngest member of the group, she is given the honor of naming the new settlement. Refugees from the dying planet Earth, they, along with other ships, have been sent into space in the hope that some of them will survive to continue the human race. But the success of Shine remains doubtful as crops fail and provisions brought from Earth dwindle. Even the excitement surrounding the hatching of the giant moth people from the "boulders" in Boulder Valley doesn't make the group forget the hopelessness of the situation. It isn't until Pattie and her sister Sarah make an important discovery that survival becomes a certainty.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The Green Book is a clever and beautifully shaped little combination of future fiction and metafiction. . .It is the record of the exodus of a group of Britons from a dying Earth to a new planet. . .The naïve courage of the children. . .saves the colony." --Starred, School Library Journal

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) (September 1, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374428026
• ISBN-13: 978-0374428020
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #53,766 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A rare book that both children and adults can love, March 25, 2003

By 

A Customer - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Green Book (Sunburst Book) (Paperback)

I first read The Green Book in fourth grade and finally managed to buy a copy about eight years later. It is a simple but beautiful story that manages to convey the power of family and hope alongside of scientific technology and discovery that anyone can understand. Kids and adults will identify with the excitement and heartbreak of having to leave one's homeland with only a few possessions. The theme of having to leave one's homeland in the first place is full of eagerness, but also sorrow.

The descriptions of the planet Shine are perfectly drawn, enough for us to picture it but not overkill. The discovery of the rock people is excellent, reminding the reader of all the strange and wonderful beings that could be out there. And the twist - the gimmick of "the green book" - is perfectly executed, much the way Roald Dahl ends his beloved book The BFG.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Five Star Book, June 13, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Green Book (Sunburst Book) (Paperback)

I think The Green Book is a great book for kids to read. This book tells about people who have to go to another planet to survive because the earth is dying. This book is great. One reason why it is great is because whenever the planet Shine is in danger, the kids come to the rescue! The kids find food, animals, and a way to survive. I think every kid should read this book. Alexa B.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mrs. Alexander's Class, July 1, 2004

By 

Muriel Alexander (Frederick, MD United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Green Book (Sunburst Book) (Paperback)

Jill Patton Walsh has successfully written a book about a book! In this story she traces the journey of a small band of people as they journey to a new planet from a dying planet Earth. However, the most noteworthy piece of this story is how children who read this book learn the importance of journal writing and recording history. The subtlety Walsh uses to weave the almost thoughtless way the travelers selected the books that would be taken on the journey to the surprise revelation of the existence of Pattie's journal as a recorded history of the beginning of their new life on the planet is nothing short of masterful.