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12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Toby Alone, April 28, 2009
This book is not appropriate for children. Some chapters toward the end contain disturbing violence, sadistic cruelty, and torture that make the book unacceptable. That much of this seems to be written to be humorous actually makes it more, not less disturbing. I made the mistake of reading this book to my kids, who are 7 and 11. Although we enjoyed most of the first half of the book, which is beautifully written, the children became increasingly upset as we kept reading and when we reached the last few chapters I decided to stop and did not finish the book with them. I do not think that books for children need to have happy endings or that, within reason, they cannot contain violence but this book crosses the line.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Book Review: Toby Alone, April 6, 2009
This review is from: Toby Alone (Hardcover)
Tiny characters have a rich history in children's lit. Stuart Little, The Borrowers, Despereaux, and The Littles have all been keeping it real for the diminutive for quite some time. Hey, even Alice got shrunk down for a bit. It makes sense that kids are drawn to tiny - it brings the world down to a size they can manage. The entire universe? Hard to grasp. A single oak tree? Now you're talkin'. Toby Alone, originally published in France and translated into 22 languages, is a great example of this type of small-scale world building. It is also a great example of thoughtful, complex storytelling. Be warned - if you pick this book up under the assumption you're about to read a light-hearted adventure about cute little characters, you'd be assuming wrong. Chock full of betrayal, environmental allegory, and social commentary, Toby Alone is a wonderful first half of a two part saga. Alone indeed. One and a half millimeters tall and on the run, Toby Lolness cannot trust a soul. The reasons for this manhunt are not immediately clear, but are slowly revealed through flashback. Toby's parents have been imprisoned due to his father's refusal to divulge the secret for turning tree sap into fuel. Behind it all is Joe Mitch, a vile opportunist who has parlayed his success running a tree-destroying development company into political power. After Toby eludes his pursuers and finds safe haven with Elisha Lee in the Low Branches, the pair set out to rescue his parents. Things don't go as planned, however, and Toby finds himself defeated, living among strangers, and trying to forget his past. But a visit from an unexpected guest changes everything, renewing Toby's mission to save his mother and father, and setting the stage for part two. Did I mention the flashbacks? Be prepared for a multitude. While I like how Fombelle begins the story on an exciting note and then goes back to slowly add context, a couple of the flashbacks (particularly toward the end) feel a bit like speedbumps on the path to conclusion. For an astute group, this would make a good classroom read-aloud. With themes at every turn, there's plenty to discuss. Most of these big ideas can be attributed to Toby's father, who's lifelong dedication to studying the tree brings all kinds of controversial theories to light. Is the tree growing? Is there life elsewhere? Are leaves individual plants, or part of the tree? Joe Mitch's development company also provides the opportunity for a number of environmental comparisons to be drawn. Toby Alone contains a sense of imagination that will stick with readers, who will marvel at how this tiny, well-realized civilization works. They have food, shelter, roads, and many other recognizable elements of life, but they are created in ways that are entirely unique. Frombelle smartly kept this world close to reality, providing for countless clever adaptations - many of which are given clarity through the intermittent sketched illustrations. Even ordinary tree-related things like bark, leaves, and shade take on whole new meanings when the characters are millimeters tall. While it can be difficult to fully assess the first half of a larger story, I can judge with certainty whether Toby Alone left me wanting more. It did. And I don't think I'll be alone here.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Although Toby Is Small, His Story Is Not, June 3, 2009
This review is from: Toby Alone (Hardcover)
Life is difficult when you're 13 years old. Life is even tougher when you're 13 and one-and-a-half millimeters tall. And life possibly could not get any worse when you're 13, one-and-a-half millimeters tall, and on the run with a secret that people would kill for --- even if it means killing an innocent child. Toby Lolness, however, takes it all in stride as he plots to save his parents and clear the family name from the misunderstanding that started the whole mess. Toby and his parents, the brilliant scientist Sim and the lovely Maya, were exiled to the lower branches of the great oak Tree years ago after Sim discovered an amazing fact about the home of their great civilization --- it's alive! With his family looking on, Sim demonstrates to the grand council how the Tree's sap works and how harming it will kill their only home. This alarming news is not met with open arms by one particular member of the council, Joe Mitch, who is making a gold mine with his deep digging operation at the center of the tree and who hopes to harvest the sap for his own benefit. When Sim refuses to share the secret of the power of the sap, Mitch leads the effort to banish Sim, Maya and Toby from the summit of the Tree. At first Toby is apprehensive about the lower branches. His family is starting from scratch, it is close to the grasslands and the mysterious (if not dangerous) grass people, and Toby is without a friend his own age. Slowly but surely, Toby begins to adapt to his surroundings. He has an uncanny sense of direction among the rugged wilderness and has befriended the beautiful Elisha Lee, a girl his own age with whom he spends much of his time. Over the years Toby grows up healthy and happy, even if he is short. A letter proclaiming the death of Toby's grandmother propels the family back up north for the first time since they were banished. Even though many years have passed, Mitch hasn't forgotten --- or forgiven --- the Lolness family for refusing to share the secret of the tree's sap. Sim and Maya are captured, but Toby escapes and is indeed alone as he flees his pursuers, attempts to return to Elisha and his home among the lower branches, and figure out a way to free his parents. Numerous dangers wait at each turn as Toby battles both the people of the tree and the elements of nature. Timothee de Fombelle seamlessly weaves flashbacks among the main action to provide much of the back story to the world Toby and the people of the Tree inhabit. It is easy to spot the environmental allegory in the story, but it does not come off as preachy by any means. Instead, it lets the readers see what happens when a society becomes greedy and turns a blind eye to protecting its home. A fold-out map in the cover and many clever illustrations add an extra element to the book. Although Toby is small, his story is not, and readers will not be disappointed with the swift storytelling and the big hearts of many of its main characters. TOBY ALONE is just the start of a larger story with bigger implications to be revealed in the next book. --- Reviewed by Benjamin Boche
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