Green Boy [Paperback]

Susan Cooper (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2003

Trey and his troubled but sensitive brother Lou live in the Bahamas and have grown up in the home of their grandparents, exploring around Long Pond Cay. Their way of life is threatened when ruthless developers see the financial possibilities of the area. Then they accidentally enter a parallel world called Panagaia, a horrifying vision of the future where greed, overpopulation and technology have shut out the stars and choked everything green. Carried between the two worlds in a zigzag adventure of mounting tension and danger, the children risk their lives not only to save the alien world but also to ward off the threat to Long Pond Cay.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In her 11th affecting fantasy novel for young adults, Newbery Medal-winning author Susan Cooper (The Dark Is Rising sequence) writes again of the clash between good and evil. Bahamians Trey, age 12, and his mute brother Lou, 7, find themselves tugged between two parallel worlds: their own happy island life, threatened by big-business developers, and a murky, sinister otherworld called Pangaia, entered accidentally through a magical window between worlds. In a series of journeys between the two realms, Lou is saluted by underground rebels as their mythic savior Lugh, and the siblings are asked to lead the Greenwar against the Government ("the destroyers"). Along the way, Trey and Lou encounter hideous mutant insects, murderous floods in tunnels, helicopter attacks, and capture by the pro-progress, high-tech Government. Although the plot is occasionally convoluted, Susan Cooper fans will be drawn deep into the story, with its zealous Luddite-styled green guerrillas and the equally ardent progress extremists. Lou and Trey are enormously likeable, and the tropical island setting is beautifully portrayed. Ultimately, nature, myth, and destiny crash together in a breathtaking climax that will leave readers of all ages contemplating the direction our own world is taking. (Ages 9 to 13) --Emilie Coulter --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

Set in the fictitious Bahamanian island of Lucaya, Cooper's (The Dark Is Rising) latest fantasy begins with restful images of whistling ducks, bonefish and casuarina trees, but soon quickens its pace as two worlds collide for 12-year-old Trey and his "strange and special" younger brother. Although seven-year-old Lou is mute, he finds ways to communicate in his own world and in the "Otherworld" of Pangaia (referencing Gaia, also known as the earth goddess). At home, in their world, Lou and Trey's granddad wages a battle against developers who wish to create a resort on their unspoiled island. Meanwhile, in the Otherworld, Lou is the prophesied hero who solves a riddle and then transforms into a giant Green Man flowing with vegetation and rids it of its pollution. The message is clear: Pangaia portends the earth's future. In each setting, the narrative gives way to moments of preachiness or melodrama about protecting our environment; at the island meetings, for instance, winter residents, or "yachties," become contrite about their past sins and the "greenies" in Pangaia are labeled "terrorists" by the government officials. A subplot involving the boys' father wraps up a bit quickly and, in a somewhat contrived scenario, the idyllic Bahamian island is spared from development. As the story unfolds, however, young readers are likely to be pulled in by the sensitive portrayals of Trey and Lou, the mysterious adventures in Pangaia and the whirlwind climax. Ages 9-12.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (May 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0141315563
• ISBN-13: 978-0141315560
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

More About the Author

SUSAN COOPER is best known for her acclaimed sequence of fantasy novels known as The Dark Is Rising which includes OVER SEA, UNDER STONE; THE DARK IS RISING (1974 Newbery Honor book); GREENWITCH; THE GREY KING (1976 Newbery Award book); and SILVER ON THE TREE. Her novels for young readers also include VICTORY, GREEN BOY, KING OF SHADOWS, THE BOGGART and its sequel THE BOGGART AND THE MONSTER, SEAWARD and DAWN OF FEAR. She has written books for younger children as well, including the Celtic retellings THE SILVER COW, THE SELKIE GIRL, and TAM LIN, all illustrated by Warwick Hutton, and FROG, illustrated by Jane Browne. In collaboration with actor Hume Cronyn, she wrote the Broadway play Foxfire and--for Jane Fonda--the television film The Dollmaker, for which they received the Humanitas Prize in 1985. Born in Buckinghamshire, England, Susan Cooper moved to the United States in 1963 and now lives in Massachusetts.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Cooper's Environmentalism Disappoints, May 1, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Green Boy (Hardcover)

I am a die-hard fan of Susan Cooper. I have read all of her books multiple times and never get tired of her incredible talent of weaving flawlessly together the elements of myth, fantasy, magic, and the timeless fight between good and evil. I was very excited to read "Green Boy"...and was very disappointed. Terribly disappointed! The story is basically a heavy-handed environmentalist tract, flimsily placed in a fantasy plot. I can't imagine what she was thinking. It is difficult to connect to any of the characters, and Cooper's usually flowing and descriptive prose is jarring and disconnected. The plot is contrived and clichéd, and I finished the book with a relieved sigh because I got through it, not because I had a desire to read it again. Though I will never pick up this book again, it hasn't tarnished my opinion of her other works, which are definitely worth reading over and over again.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As always, excellently done, July 30, 2006

By 

Kristen Fowler "Reader, artist, teacher" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Green Boy (Hardcover)

I am a big fan of Susan Cooper's work, and Green Boy did not disappoint. The style differs slightly from her other books I have read, but well it should, as it is set in the Bahamas. The plot is compelling and the descriptions of the Otherworld left me haunted by the environmental possibilities of our own world. Clearly she has a message here. However, the story works on its own and is a good read.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantasy blends with more than a touch of realistic settings, July 13, 2002

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Green Boy (Hardcover)

Trey and his silent younger brother love to visit their special Bahamas cay, but when they discover that their visits are bringing them to a frightening future world, linked to their own, their become involved in fighting off an environmental threat to their own beloved home. Fantasy blends with more than a touch of realistic settings in this fast paced fantasy.