Customer Reviews

Rare Beasts 1 (Edgar & Ellen)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The story was really great! Edgar and Ellen's mischief-ness is great! Each chapter is pretty short, so it may be finished in 2 or 3 days or so, but it's great entertainment. You might as well finish the book in one day because of curiousity! The illustrations was very great, very like the Lenore comic books. If you like the cute little dead girl Lenore, you'll sure love these two little devils! A MUST BUY!

I really enjoyed the first Edgar and Ellen book. It follows a pair of twins whose parents are off on an extended vacation and leave the twins to their mischief and an empty 13-story mansion! The twins dress up the towns' pets and peddle them as "rare beasts" for exorbitantly high prices (thus the title.) It's great watching the twins think up their plans and put them into action.
Some people argue that these diabolical twins set a bad example, but they are intelligent and creative, and don't spend all day sitting in front of the TV! Kids that I babysit for loved hearing about their ridiculous schemes...and, for nervous parents, Edgar and Ellen didn't escape without punishment for stealing everyone's pets. This is a great story that teaches kids without being condescending or preachy. I'm ready to move on to the next books in the series!

I couldn't put it down. It is very light weight, wonderfully illustrated and full of great fun. My 10 yr old buddy Ardon loved it too (he is planning on being pet for Halloween with an illuminated plastic egg for an eyeball).

I loved this book! I thought the story was funny and smart and the illustrations were gorgeous! I've purchased several copies as gifts for adults and kids and have received rave reviews in return! It gives me hope that independent work like this is finding a home in the marketplace! It's not Disney and isn't that a good thing? I think so! Read it!

I thought this book was very exciting. It had alot of details and made me want to keep reading on. Although it was an excellent book there were some difficult words. I knew what they were but for a younger person it might be harder to understand. I enjoyed reading the book and can't wait for the second book in the series.

I really liked the book. My opinion is it is a 5 star rated. I just really like the mischievous personalities of Edgar and Ellen. The plot was very clever, and well written. It was also very lively. There really just isn't much more to tell. I just really liked the story!

This is a great book for kids just starting to read, also a fun read-aloud before bedtime. The illustrations bring an errie and adventurous feel that make the kids want to keep turning the pages. My seven-year-old loved it.

It was very interesting, that out of all my books, I remembered this one. I read this book a long, long time ago, and I've read it again recently. It's just so good. The characters are appealing and cute, the plot funny and the mischeif interesting and creative. The book has a cute basis, and it's a nice and short story to read, with around 11 chapters.

Edgar and Ellen are brother and sister and live on the unpleasant half of the very beautiful town of Nod Limb. Nod Limb is a town where everything is perfect. Neighbours are pleasant, children are obediant and pets are well-trained and cute. Then one day, evil twins: Edgar and Ellen decide to make some money by selling pets after watching a How-to-Make-Money show. They steal the town's pets and change their charicterisistics, dying and colouring them. Then they moved off out into town to try their luck.

A very cute and appealing book that comes from a very cute series. I haven't read any of the other books in this series, but I soon will, the series is so original and so funny. It is an all-rounded book with humour, mischief and a little cunning. Bravo.

Rare beasts is a funny and good book for ages 8 and above. It starts out with Edgar and Ellen, two pale, bug-eyed, black haired twins in striped pajamas. They live in a gloomy 9 story mansion (also along with two attics, a basement, and subbasement), along with Pet, a creature of pure hair an eyeball, and their caretaker Heimertz, who never talks and always has a huge creepy grin on his face.
Through the long boring summer Edgar and Ellen play hide and seek in their ratty mansion. Eventually they get bored. They also LOVE pranks. But their is a problem: they don't have enough money to play big pranks on the poor residents of Nod's Limbs. Edgar and Ellen are inspired by a nature programme about the value of exotic creatures.
Edgar and Ellen steal puppies, kittens, bunnies, hamsters, and a python named Mr. Poo Poo. They then decorate the pets with paint, glitter, and ornaments to disguise the animals as exotic pets! They roam through town trying to sell the poor creatures to a number of people.

In the end the pets are retured to their owners. Edgar and Ellen didn't make any money and on top of it they are soaked in mud.
At the very last chapter we all find out somthing very ironic. This is that the rarest of all creatures in the world is Edgar and Ellen's Pet, that was under their noses the WHOLE time!

What a treat! This book is clever, fast-paced, and marvelously illustrated. I love the world that Ogden has created. It's great for kids and adults... Bring it on, Charlie. We want more!!