Customer Reviews

The Thief and the Beanstalk: A Further Tales Adventure (Further Tales Adventures)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was asked to review a book for a book fair at school and handed the Thief and the Beanstalk. I kind of groaned when I looked at the length of it, but I needed a read aloud for my fifth grade class in May, so I figured go for it. I am so glad I did. Every day I would read the adventures of Nick and Jack and all the other characters and my kids LOVED it. When I would stop at the end of the chapter, groans could be heard. I was even asked by students in another class if they could come and listen to me read during sustained silent reading time! Now my students are great readers and tough on books, but they LOVED this book right from the get go. And so did I. Not only did they then buy every copy of the book at the book fair, their writing also became better. By listening to the words of P.W. Cantanese, I saw their writing improve by great use of vocabulary and imagery. If you're looking for book to read to your fourth-sixth graders at night time this summer or one for them to read on their own, check out this book. You'll be glad you did.

We read this for my son's school book club (he is in 4th grade) and for the most part everyone in the club enjoyed it. Many of the parents commented that a few of the scenes were a bit grotesque, mainly the parts about the spiders that had baby heads, but on the same note, all the kids thought those same parts were pretty cool.

The story is pretty predictable for an adult but to a child who is not yet familier with typical storylines, the book has plenty of suspense. While the book's main character is a boy, this book was recommened to the club by a girl in the class who had read it several times and had listed it as one of her all time favorite books so it appears that this book is entertaining for both boys and girls.

I bought this book for my kids, but I could not put it down!!!

I give the Thief and the Beanstalk a two thumbs up. I give it a to thumbs up because this is a kind of book that seems to start out slow in the beginning, but after the first five chapters or so it starts to get really
good sense Nick finds these magical beans. It seems to me that the climax lasted until the end because Nick's adventures keep going until the book ends. Also I think the book was one of the best sequles' I have ever read. And last but not least this book was really detailed and I could picture things in my mind very well.

This book is pretty good. It has its good parts and its bad. It was interesting to read about an addition to a childhood fairytale. Jack and the Beanstock was a great story to read as a kid and this addition to it made it even better, because this is more of a grown up version of the story and I liked that. I also liked how the book went into depth and described scenes in great detail. She described the characters to such an extent that I could tell what they looked like. It was like I was actually in the book. It was a very fun book to read.

I picked this book up at random from a book fair at my son's school. We were absolutely mesmerized. The concept is clever, the plot is full of suspense and puzzle and surprises, the writing is beautiful, and the vocabulary is very advanced. This is not one of those stupid "socially relevant" children's books so beloved of teachers and Newberry medal folks. This is an old-fashioned tale of bravery and adventure. We couldn't put it down, and when we were finished I went right out and bought the next book, The Brave Apprentice. Which is even better!

I began reading this book to my kids, but soon my wife was coming in to listen too. Then I sent copies so my brother and sister could read it to their kids, and gave it to an English teacher and an adult friend. I guess you could say that I liked this book.

I was always disturbed by the tail of Jack and the Beanstock, to which this tale is the sequel to. Fairy tales are usually morality tails where the hero is rewarded in the end and lives happily ever after. But Jack was not much of a hero. He was a fool, a wastrel and a bugler, yet where the traditional tale ends, Jack ends up wealthy and happy. What kind of story is that for children?

(Spoiler Alert!!) In the continuation of the story Jack is an old man, wealthy, generous, and respected, but within, he was deeply troubled by knowledge of how he attained his wealth. A young thief appears in his home, and he sees much of himself in the boy, and a chance to resolve his own guilt. Rather than live with what he had done, he sends this young boy into profound danger, and risks disaster for everyone in an attempt to gain solace for his crime. But with this act we can see that for all his trapping of dignity and his wallowing in self-loathing, Jack remains self absorbed, irresponsible, and untransformed, even near the end of his lifetime.

The story centers around Nick, a young orphan in a time of plague and famine taken into a gang of highwaymen and thieves as his only hope of survival. Yet this young thief does become a hero, and in him we see the development of character in the face of adversity that makes this a classic tale.

While many other flawed characters in this book serve their own narrow self interests, Nick who has lived the most deprived life of any of these persons, inspires us with his choices. It is a well told and captivating story.

My 6-year-old son and I got this book through his school's book fair--he picked it up because the cover looked interesting. What a great treat it was inside! We began reading it in the evening before bed, and we could hardly wait to get to the next chapter. The length of each chapter was perfect for this purpose.
The descriptions were just right--enough to get a great picure in mind but not so long that my son got confused or bored. There were some unfamiliar words but it wasn't too hard to explain them quickly and stay with the story.
We loved this book--it was very exciting and fun to read! It also has a great moral without hitting the reader over the head with it. We are going to look for more by Mr. Catanese!

This book was such a wonderful experience. I read nightly to my son, and some of the books I trudge through, others I love. This is one of the best, most enjoyable children's chapter books we've ever had the pleasure of finding. It was so beautifuly written, with clear and exciting descriptions that brought us to another world. I could barely wait each night to read the next chapter, and my 10 year old was just as thrilled to read the next chapter's adventures each night. Keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next! We thank the author for this wonderful, beautifully orchestrated story that both kids and adults will both enjoy.

We were disappointed when it was over...only because we worried about not finding another book we'd enjoy so much as this one ever again. Better than Harry Potter and The Narnia Chronicles...this one comes *highly* recommended! A memorable ride!

Can a thief save the world beneath his feet from a bone-crunching fate? The book The Thief and the Beanstalk is action packed. Also the author P.W. Catanese explains objects with astounding clarity. This book takes a wile to get started but most of the book has page-turning excitement.