Customer Reviews

The Trolls

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When the sensible baby sitter comes down with plague, and all other avenues are exhausted, Aunt Sally is allowed into the house for a week of emergency baby sitting. And what stories she brings with her! Did the family really chew sticks? Did the neighbor shoot cougers? And... will Pee Wee have to dress as a stepsister for Halloween? This story has its dark moments. The wacky beginning leads to more wistful stories of loss and family estrangement, but it ends on a hopeful note. My 8 & 10 year olds enjoyed it immensely.

I read this book laughing out loud, sometimes with such gusto that tears streamed down my cheeks! Unlike some books targeted toward younger audiences, it doesn't "talk down" to the reader-which can often produce a watered-down and sleepy result. With an engaging, imaginative plot and language rich in flavor and tone, "Aunt Sally" spins a yarn that children and their parents can both enjoy "eavesdropping" into. Parts of the book deal with less carefree issues, but they are presented with such warmth and humor that it makes the moral (kindness) an entirely un-adverse pill to swallow. Don't expect the main focus of the plot to center around magical creatures, though. This is a story about Family, and all the crazy things that make a family what it is.

Aunt Sally brings family history to the Anderson children, something that their father has neglected to do. She gives them humorous accounts of her brothers and sister as they grew up in a place that she describes in beautiful, loving prose. The children are enchanted. Best of all, however, is the way she treats Melissa, Amanda and Frank with respect. The children learn to enjoy Aunt Sally, and she leaves them with a lot of food for thought. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I could relate it to my father's family, to my brothers, and also to my own children. It's thought-provoking and humorous at the same time . . . not an easy thing to do. I found it a gentle reminder to value one's family.

I was more than pleasantly surprised by Julie Hagerty's perfect reading of "the Trolls", as was my 10 year old daughter, who will hardly listen to anything but the Harry Potter tapes for the 85th time these days(for all three volumes! )

The story is charming, and in this audiobook version is accessible to even younger children. Because the action has some aspects which are more complex, but not necessary to understand to enjoy the narrative, the audio version could be understood by the average seven or eight year old quite easily, but still hold the interest of an adolescent. This greatly expands the range of children who can enjoy listening to the tape, and as a parent I found it held my interest as well.

Two little girls, who delight in torturing their little brother, find a curious reflection in the stories their eccentric Aunt Sally tells them during their parents' week away. Aunt Sally is a "long lost" sister of their father's, and hearing the stories of his childhood in the third person is a fascinating and more important experience for them than is first apparent to the girls or to the reader/listener.

The humor in the story is nicely captured by Haggerty's reading, and the the voices of the different characters she is able to portray is impressive. Aunt Sally's eccentricity is well-conveyed, as well as not a little regret, though the overall tone of the story is quite upbeat.

Aunt Sally is quite an admirable character, and her recounting of childhood adventures demonstrates a healthy respect for children on the part of the author, Polly Horvath. Though nothing particularly frightening happens that would scare a young listener, a refreshing discussion of the darker side of sibling behavior is the somewhat hidden revelation in some of the stories of the children's father's experiences as the youngest child. Such a recognition that children are not all sugar and innocence is quite welcome, especially given the sophistication of many young readers today, and gives this book a weight that is unusual in such an otherwise gentle and humorous story.

Estranged Aunt Sally comes to babysit for Amanda, Melissa and Pee-Wee while their parents are in Paris, and then relates their hilarious, sometimes sad family history. A funny, bittersweet book about family and the good things, funny things, and sad things that can often happen. Horvath doesn't pull any punches when it comes to such topics as death or family feuds, and while not all the stories work, some transcend into something warm and wonderful. If you only read one story in this book, make sure it's the one about Fat Little Mean Girl -- her name alone makes the story worth reading!

This is an excellent book. It was very funny and some parts made me laugh out loud. Although it was a humorous book, at some points it was just a little bit scary and the end almost didn't belong. Why would so funny a book have such a "tragic" ending? When I finished the book I was confused by its sad and half-scary conclusion. It being a children's book, I was expecting a happily-ever-after type ending. But when I thought about it, it made sense. The reason Aunt Sally was sympathetic towards PeeWee was because he reminded her of Robbie. And after they gave Robbie to the trolls, the family changed forever. I love what Aunt Sally said, "I guess knowing that your own trusted family could give you away, even in jest, well, it changes things." This book made me want to hug my little sister! "The Trolls" is very imaginatively written, and definitely worth reading.

I read this book in 6th grade and I never liked to read. When i got htis book from the library i thought it would be just another book but i just couldnt put it down. Its just one of those heart warming stories that makes you feel good. I recommend this to anyone even adults.

Because their parents have gone to Paris for a week and their usual sitter is not feeling well,Melissa,Amanda,and Pee Wee are being taken care of by their father's sister from Canada.It turns
out that Aunt Sally is full of fascinating stories all about her and their father growing up on Vancouver Island PeeWee,Amanda, and Melissa are kept in thrall by the eccentric characters Aunt Sallybrings to life, particularly the trolls, who changed Aunt Sally's family forever. . .

Hi my name is Cheyenne. When I read this book I thought it was very funny and full of stories. Aunt Sally is a very funny character,the fiddleheads are the funniest part of this book. Great-Uncle Louis is the funniest out of the whole book. I think you should read this book.

I have just finished reading this book and sort of liked it.
I couldnt really find the climax or the problem of the book. Aunt Sally, the aunt and babysitter for the Anderson family (since their old babysitter has gotten the boboes), has been telling these three kids, Pee Wee, Amanda, and Melissa stories about the trolls, Fat little mean girl, cougars, and much more, but i dont think it has anything to do with the problem of the story, which i cannot seem to figure out. But the stories she told were entertaining.
You can give this story a try, but I dont highly reccommend it...there are other stories by Polly Horvath that you will enjoy.

My third graders loved this book and were very sad each day at the end of story time! Polly Horvath draws the reader (and listeners) in through Aunt Sally's tales and makes it very difficult to put the book down. The Trolls is full of exciting, humorous, and sometimes suspenseful stories. Hidden underneath Aunt Sally's stories is a wonderful message about the importance of family. I enjoyed reading this book and look forward to reading it to my new group of third graders next year!