Boogie Knights (Richard Jackson Books (Atheneum Hardcover)) (Hardcover)

by Lisa Wheeler (Author), Mark Siegel (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
*Starred Review* Monsters galore show up at a spooky castle for a whimsical Madcap Monster Ball. There are werewolves hustling, zombies bustling, mummies doing the mamba, and wicked witches, the waltz. Upstairs seven knights with unusual names are awakened at various times and join in the fun. At the same time, a young prince investigates the commotion. A wild and crazy time is had by all with the final spread picturing the knights back in their places dreaming of next year’s ball. The prince is asleep in his bed. The cartoon illustrations perfectly catch all of the high-flying whimsy with small figures dancing and whirling across each double-page spread. When the ball begins, the illustrations are monochrome, but when the seven knights join in, the style changes and more color is added. To enhance the surreal and chaotic nature of the story, many art styles are used on each page, but it all works fantastically well. Readers will want to return so as not to miss any of the amusing details. Great for Halloween or any time spirits need a lift. Grades K-3. --Randall Enos

Review
"A pitch-perfect Halloween-time poem...Siegel's tinted charcoal-and-pencil illustrations are charming and fun, and the energetic design is as movin' and groovin' as a Madcap Monster Ball should be." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Wheeler's rhythmic text is filled with taut rhymes, alliteration, and vivid images. The raucous verses detail the events and spirit of the upbeat party with lively zeal, while the narrative's wordplay makes it worthy of repeated readings...Siegel's sophisticated, graphic-novel-style artwork also demands a second look...[his art] cleverly underscore the plot elements and keep the pages interesting. Kids will eat this one up and beg for more." -- School Library Journal, starred review

"The cartoon illustrations perfectly catch all of the high-flying whimsy with small figures dancing and whirling across each double-page spread...readers will want to return so as not to miss any of the amusing details. Perfect for Halloween or any time the spirits need a lift."-- Booklist, starred review

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum/Richard Jackson Books (August 5, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689876394
• ISBN-13: 978-0689876394
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 8.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #157,780 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Handsome and clever book, September 23, 2008

By	T. M. Wheaton "tmwheato" (Syracuse, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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Boogie Knights is a delightful book of rhymes and clever wordplay. It is a counting book that follows the escapades of seven knights in armor as they unbend enough to join a madcap party.

The pictures of done in sepia, brown and black with figures capering delightfully across the page. It is just the thing for Halloween season reading as the story is filled with witches, ghosts, goblins and banshees.

My five year old really like the rhymes and the silly pictures. I especially like the clever word play. Each knight has a descriptive name such as Sir Veillance (he over hears the party going on) and Sir Loin (he cries out "our honor is at stake!").

Fun book which I recommend for younger kids.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun and silly!, September 15, 2008

By	*rose* (USA) - See all my reviews

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This is a beautiful hardcover book with wonderful illustrations and a fun story. I enjoyed reading it and I will share this with my nieces now that I know it's 'ok'.

This book is like many of the stories that my nieces have. It's fun, interesting, and it has great pictures. It's a story about knights coming out to dance at the yearly Madcap Monster Ball. Slightly spooky, it's perfect for a cozy evening read in the cool weather with my nieces and some hot chocolate.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A LITTLE VAGUE FOR LITTLE KIDS --, August 30, 2008

By	Pamela A. Poddany "Book Freak!" (Toledo, Ohio) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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BOOGIE KNIGHTS -- VINE VOICE REVIEW

I ordered this book because I love kiddie books and have grandkids I love to read to.

The story line takes place at a haunted castle where the Madcap Monster Ball is taking place. The little prince who lives in the castle cannot sleep as the music is just too loud! There seemed to be two story lines here -- the cute little prince and his "ghost" princess girlfriend. Plesae note the picture of the princess on the wall and how it changes throughout the book. We also have the Monster Ball and the "Boogie Knights" who wake up to attend the dance of the year. Others in attendance include werewolves, vampires, ghosts, etc. What fun!

As an adult, I thought this book lacked personality for younger kids. I also thought they would not understand the book as it seemed rather vague, even to me, a 57 year old kid. Illustrations were good.

My daughter read this book to her first-grade class this week. While they liked the book, they were not enthralled. They fidgeted and moved. It did not hold their interest and they stopped Kim quite often to ask such questions as WHAT IS A CONGA LINE? WHAT IS A GREMLIN? WHAT IS A DISCOTHEQUE? You get the drift.

What the first graders did like about this book was that it was funny and a little spooky and they thought it would be a good Halloween book. They liked the dancing. They said it "kinda rhymed, but not that good".

Out of the mouth of babes.

She read another book to them later in the afternoon and it totally held their attention, not one question asked, not one twitch or twitter.

Perhaps this book was too old for little first graders?

While we ALL enjoyed the book, it seemed to be lacking some pa-zazz! However, the names of all the "Boogie Knights" were really funny, cute, and clever.

Thank you!
Pam