Rem World [Hardcover]

Rodman Philbrick (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up

When Arthur Woodbury orders a weight-loss device from a comic book, he suddenly finds himself trapped in REM World, the endangered realm of dreams. If he doesn't figure out how to save REM World, no one will - and the future will cease to exist.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Imaginative characters and a string of cliffhangers make Philbrick's (Freak the Mighty) science-fiction novel a fun and fast-paced read. Eleven-year-old Arthur Woodbury, tired of being called "Biscuit Butt," orders a weight-loss device advertised in his comic book: "Lose weight while you sleep! REM World Products." When the device arrives, Arthur discovers that the helmet transports him to a magical REM world. But because he did not follow the instructions carefully, he's stuck there, and even worse, he's unleashed a force that could destroy the universe. Through a series of fantastic adventures, in which he's forced "to do stuff like pull-ups and row a boat, and fly, and ride the giants," Arthur finds a way to return home and save the universe, losing weight along the way--and, more important, gaining self-esteem and courage. The REM world he enters is populated with the Cloud People (who use their wings to glide in the World Above), the giants Grog and Droll (who rip apart continents as they run) and Morf, a cat-like creature who changes shape but consistently holds onto his caustic wit ("Try not to look too appetizing" are his only words of advice to Arthur when they crash inside a demon's cave). These vivid personalities will usher readers quickly through the chapters. Ages 9-14.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6-This fantasy may appeal to a young audience unfamiliar with the genre, but it leaves much to be desired. Arthur Woodbury, 10, has had enough of fat jokes, so when he sees an ad for a sleep device that guarantees weight loss, he wastes no time. However, he fails to read the instructions completely, and the magic helmet deposits him in REM World, creating a conundrum that violates the laws of the universe. Arthur must get home, or the creeping Nothing will envelop Everything and the universe will cease to exist. In action-packed, cliff-hanging chapters, Arthur is helped by REM World beings ("Morf," "Grog," "Mr. Pockets") and earns himself a new name, Arthur Courage. The plot wanders from one surprising encounter to the next, with only a cursory mythology to explain Nothing and Everything, and an underdeveloped setting, so that REM World never quite feels like an actual place. Arthur is miraculously thin when he returns home, but the explanation that he's been unusually active over the course of a few days doesn't suffice. In fact, the issue of Arthur's body shape drops out of the picture while he's in REM World (it's the "courage" issue that surfaces there), so this framing device for the story seems hollow. It also is conspicuously reminiscent of Norton Juster's The Phantom Tollbooth (Knopf, 1961), in which this device is carried through and developed. Despite the thinness in plot, REM may hold appeal for some reluctant readers; Philbrick's narrative voice is exciting and pulls the right strings.
Nina Lindsay, Oakland Public Library, CA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Blue Sky Press (May 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439083621
• ISBN-13: 978-0439083621
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,530,821 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Rodman Philbrick grew up on the New England coast, where he worked as a longshoreman and boat builder. For many years he wrote mysteries and detective novels for adults. Inspired by the life of a boy who lived a few blocks away, he wrote 'Freak The Mighty', the award-winning young-adult novel, which has been translated into numerous languages and is now read in schools throughout the world. The book was adapted to the screen as 'The Mighty', starring Sharon Stone, Gillian Anderson, James Gandolfini, Kieran Culkin, and Elden Henson, with original music provided by Sting.

Rodman Philbrick's novels for young readers include 'The Fire Pony', 'Max the Mighty', 'REM World', 'The Last Book In The Universe', 'The Journal of Douglas Allen Deeds', 'The Young Man And The Sea', and 'The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg', a 2010 Newbery Honor book.

The Private Eye Writers of America nominated two of his T.D.Stash series as best detective novel, and then selected Philbrick's 'Brothers & Sinners' as Best Novel in 1993. A gothic tale of slavery and sea captains, 'Coffins' was published in 2002. Writing under the pen name 'William R. Dantz' he has explored the near-future worlds of genetic engineering and hi-tech brain control in books like 'Hunger', 'Pulse', 'The Seventh Sleeper', and 'Nine Levels Down'. He has published three thrillers under the pen name Chris Jordan - 'Taken', Trapped', and 'Torn' - featuring Randall Shane, a former FBI Special Agent who specializes in recovering lost children. He's just now undertaken a new Chris Jordan series about the very private investigator Naomi Nash, set in Boston. The first volume, 'Measure of Darkness', will be published in December 2011 by Mira Books.

Rod and his wife Lynn Harnett, who have collaborated on a number of series for young readers, including 'The House on Cherry Street' and 'The Werewolf Chronicles', divide their time between Maine and the Florida Keys.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars One of the strangest books I have ever encountered, June 16, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Rem World (Hardcover)

Make no mistake, I like strange books and fantasy, but REM WORLD had one of the most peculiar storylines I've ever heard. it is about a boy named Arthur (or "Biscuit Butt" as the kids at school have dubbed him) who sees an ad in the back of a comic book for a helmet that, when you fall asleep with it on, makes you thin. Naturally Arthur orders it, and falls asleep in his basement with it on.

He wakes up in a different world still wearing the helmet. He takes the helmet off, and when it disappears, Arthur's adventures start, because without the helmet he needs a new way to return home. Galump, the leader of these giant toadlike creatures who live in REM world, alerts Arthur to another problem: Arthur is still REALLY asleep in his basement in OUR world, and because the Arthur in REM world got rid of the Helmet, there are now two Arthurs in two different worlds, which causes Nothing to come. The Nothing is sort of like a blackness that just eats away at the universe, destroying everything. Of course, its up to Arthur to find a way home so he can get rid of the Nothing.

Arthur has quite a journey and meets up with many strange characters, like Morf, who was dry and cardboardish but still rather amusing, and the Cloud People. The story had an extremely rushed and fast pace, with short chapters. All the action happened quickly; never did it slow down and dwell for long on anything. Although many chapters ended in cliffhangers, I did not feel much suspense. REM World was a quick read for me, and although it wasn't GREAT, I still enjoyed it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Loved it, April 18, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Rem World (Hardcover)

I loved this book. Arthur enters the magical REM world. This science fiction novel has great characters ranging from Cloud People to Morf. It definitely ranks with Philbrick's Freak the Mighty in my book.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fun Fantasy, October 19, 2003

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Rem World (Paperback)

I think this book is a brilliant piece of work with a lot of fun parts.
The author writes about what we can relate to ,and what we like to read
about in a book. This book is a very interesting fantasy. In this book a boy
named Arthur Woodburry finds in a magazine an ad where we can go to
sleep fat ,and wake up thin. So he bought the device and he put it on ,and he
went to sleep. Then he woke up and he wasnt thin. He took the device and
threw it at the floor and he said what a waste. He walked out of his room ,and he was in a beach. He looks back and there is no door. Then he meets a
creature called morph who is his guide. Arthur does not have his helmet on
,so he does not have a way to go back home. So he goes on a journey to find a way home . I give this book two thumbs up.