Night Outside [Hardcover]

Patricia Wrightson (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up

Two children in search of their pet budgerigar meet the unusual people of the streets and of the night.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6 Pet budgie William gets thrown out the window during a family fight, and Anne and James run out to find him, encountering instead the word, "a beautiful word," ETERNITY, chalked on the sidewalk. As the children embark on a search for William, Anne senses that this is no ordinary night. This special night is peopled with fantastic characters: old Ruby, friend to a hundred cats; Cyril, the street metaphysicist responsible for the ETERNITYs; Mrs. Haitch and her miraculous antique store. Unlike Wrightson's previous fantasies (for somewhat older readers), this is almost an anti-fantasy, as Anne discovers the trees behind shadows, flashlighted trash cans, the humanity within her "strange spirits of the night": "Don't you go turning us all into fairies, love, or monsters, either . . . We're all old losers, making do ." The novel occasionally veers off into the obscure, particularly when discussing Eternity, and the narrative, like the children, wanders uncertainly before reaching a comforting end. But the language and characters (and Peck's beautifully composed drawings) are evocative of this "special, different, once-only night." Roger D. Sutton, Chicago Public Library
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 67 pages
• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry; First Edition edition (October 1, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689503636
• ISBN-13: 978-0689503634
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,054,558 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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