Simon's Dream (Fog Mound) [Hardcover]

Susan Schade (Author), Jon Buller (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Fog Mound

The truth about the past of both humans and animals is finally revealed in this third installment of the lively and endearing Fog Mound Trilogy, cited as having “echoes of The Wizard of Oz and Planet of the Apes in a glowing review in the New York Times Book Review. Delightful artwork, clever storylines, and captivating twists and turns earned the trilogy this honor, and are sure to please fans as well!

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6–The chipmunk hero Thelonious is back, along with his companions from the earlier volumes–bears, a porcupine, a renegade lizard, and the shrunken scientist Bob, who may be the last human on the planet–to stop the burgeoning war between the mutant crabs with their robot soldiers and the army of ratminks led by the vainglorious Dragon Lady. Along the way, Thelonious learns secrets about the ultimate fate of humanity and more about the origins of the varied clans of intelligent animals. The illustrator and author continue to alternate between chapters of illustrated prose and comic-book narrative. The conclusion is satisfying, but events leading up to it raise as many questions as they answer, and a rushed final journey of discovery as to how the humans made the planet uninhabitable for themselves feels too much like a visual recap of earlier exposition than a satisfying final revelation. On the other hand, the book does provide enough of an ending to give a sense of closure while still leaving the door open for future episodes. The lessons about trust and prejudice work well, even though the environmental moral lacks punch. The book demonstrates increased skill on the part of the storytellers, despite the poorly paced denouement.–Benjamin Russell, Belmont High School, NH
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Review

"Echoes of The Wizard of Oz and Planet of the Apes." -- New York Times Book Review, Editor's Choice --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Aladdin; 1 edition (May 6, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689876882
• ISBN-13: 978-0689876882
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #441,757 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Susan Schade has written over 40 kids' books, most of then done in collaboration with her husband, Jon Buller. Susan does most of the writing, and Jon Buller does most of the illustrating, but they both do a little bit of each. For more details of their lurid and scandal-filled lives and careers, visit their website, www.bullersooz.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The perfect adventure for a mother/son reading team!, May 28, 2008

By 

Leo's Mom (CT) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Simon's Dream (Fog Mound) (Hardcover)

My seven-year old son and I somehow stumbled across Susan Schade and Jon Buller's first book about the Fog Mound, and we've become devoted readers ever since. This writer/illustrator duo have come up with the perfect combination of prose and comics to keep the plot moving and the reader engaged. The story involves the adventures of Thelonious, a talking chipmunk, and the other animal friends he meets including Fitzgerald the porcupine librarian and Olive, the bear with a helicopter. The reader soon learns that these creatures live in a world that is no longer populated by humans but only the crumbling remains of their civilization.

The graphic sections are charming and full of wonderful details. The prose sections are engaging and leave the reader eager to turn the page. As with the first two books, "Simon's Dream" is full of humor, originality, daring escapes and fascinating mysteries. What I enjoyed most of all, however, was my son begging "One more chapter! I'll read this one...just one more chapter!". This series really turned my son on to reading. We've now moved on to other less-illustrated animal adventures like "Stuart Little" and "A Cricket in Time Square". If you're the parent of an ordinarily less-than-enthusiastic reader, "Simon's Dream" and the Fog Mound books are a dream come true.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good book!, July 13, 2008

By 

SarahP (Iowa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Simon's Dream (Fog Mound) (Hardcover)

I'm typing this for my eight-year-old son, who has read all three of the Thelonius books. He says:

I love the idea of the flying sofa! It's a good book because mistakes turn out to be a good thing, and the animals are good at thinking and they have good legends. They're cool! Especially Wally, who is a porcupine. I think it's funny that they think the snapping turtle is a dinosaur. It's funny that there are good rats and bad rats.

Of the three Thelonius books, the second one was my favorite, but this one was good, too.

5.0 out of 5 stars Book Three Is The Best!, November 3, 2011

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Simon's Dream (Fog Mound) (Hardcover)

SPOILERS!

I am writing about The Fog Mound Book 3 Simon's Dream. It starts at the Mattakeunk Institute. It is an institute on an abandoned island. Then the main characters go to the City of Ruins, and the Fog Mound after that. It takes place after the humans go extinct.
Thelonious, Cluid, Brown and Bill are all main characters. Thelonious is a chipmunk, male, good person and small, and he always wears a Barbie sweater. Cluid is a chipmunk, female, good person and small, and she is the only female main character. Brown is a lizard, male, good person, small and he is the only reptilian main character. Bill is a human male know-it-all scientist, small, and he is the only living human.
They go to the Mattakeunk Institute. Bill takes them to a time machine which takes them to a different part of the island. They meet jumbo turtles and they think they're dinosaurs.
The Dragon Lady tries to take over the Fog Mound! Bill, Brown, Cluid, Thelonious and Upsilon the Wolfman try to fly to the mound not by plane or helicopter but by sofa.
Thelonious freezes the Dragon Lady in Bill's freezing chamber by telling her it is an elevator to the fog mound. Thelonious writes a book called Travels of Thelonious which is also the first book of this trilogy.
My favoite part is that the sofa actually flies! I would recommend this book to anyone who has books 1 and 2 or else you wouldn't get it.

written by Matt Smith