How to Live Forever [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Colin Thompson (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up

Book lovers of all ages can take an enchanted journey through a labyrinthine fantasy library filled with every book ever written, where the shelves come alive at night, like teeming miniature cities.  One night, a young boy who resides in a cookbook stumbles upon a long-lost file card for a book called How to Live Forever and sets off to find the missing volume.  Thus begins a journey through mystifying literary mazes in Colin Thompson's tour de force of wit, wisdom, and boundless imagination.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Libraries will never look the same now that Thompson (Ruby; The Paper Bag Prince) has gotten ahold of them. Readers of his new picture book are plunged into a realm of boundless imagination, a library where, after hours, the shelves come to life. Rows of books become rows of townhouses with cozily lit windows, and walkways through the stacks become canals full of bustling traffic. The story centers on Peter, whose home is a cookbook, and who is searching high and low for a missing tome entitled "How to Live Forever." He eventually finds it, of course, but after considering the advice of an odd creature called the Ancient Child, decides not to read it. The plot is almost beside the point?what fascinates is the quirky, highly precise world Thompson has created. His art is exquisitely detailed, full of wry embellishments that beg for extended viewing. Many of the visual puns are too sophisticated for younger readers but will delight adults. When Peter visits a Chinese garden, for instance, a turn of the page moves him from full-color environs to the cool blue-and-white of the classic Blue Willow china pattern. And a shelf devoted to food contains such sly titles as "The Guns of Macaroni," while the automotive section sports "Kind Hearts and Cadillacs." A multilayered book that excites interest on several levels, it issues an open invitation to a world readers will want to visit again and again. All ages.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-4?This story about a library that comes alive after hours doesn't quite meet its promising premise. Young Peter, a cookbook resident, discovers a card for the title How to Live Forever. He is determined to find the long-lost volume and its secret of immortality. His two-year search takes him through many tomes and the secret worlds they contain. Finally, Peter meets the Ancient Child, who warns him not to read the book, for "To live forever is to not live at all." Most children won't understand the adult message, and some young readers may not be able to follow the twists and turns of Peter's long, mystical journey. Certainly, the idea of a library coming to life will entice young readers, as will the unique pen-and-ink illustrations. Colorful pictures of the library's other world are filled with detailed images of castles, streets, and villages built of, on, and around books. There is much here for the eye to explore. Unfortunately, the illustrations are not enough to sustain the confusing, ephemeral text.?Heide Piehler, Shorewood Public Library, WI
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 1 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers; 1st US edition (April 9, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 067987898X
• ISBN-13: 978-0679878988
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 9.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #441,821 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Do we read too much?, November 10, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: How to Live Forever (Hardcover)

Thank you Mr Thompson; you have provided delight to a 45 year old child. Your book makes me wonder ... "Do I read too much?" Maybe I should choose what I read with more care.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Book. Beware, however, of the "ancient child", November 16, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: How to Live Forever (Hardcover)

My son (8 years old) and I found this amazing book at our Public Library. He was so delighted with the illustrations that he sat himself right down with the book and was completely enthralled...until he came to the page where the illustration of the "Ancient Child" appears. He was so completely shocked by it
that he didn't want to check to book out to take home! (and he isn't a child that scares easily). So use a little bit of caution when reading this to your young ones. As for older children and, of course, the children who happen to be parents as well, this book is just incredible.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A vivid picturebook, July 21, 2002

By 

glass_jar (Providence, RI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Live Forever (Hardcover)

I chose this book because of its illustrations -- Colin Thompson has come up with some very vivid and tantalizing illustrations that gave the work life. While the idea on living forever is clear through the pictures, I feel that the text could have supported the story's development and message better, especially towards the end. Overall, a fulfilling look-see. A must-buy for book-lovers.