The Two Thousand Pound Goldfish [Paperback]

Betsy Cromer Byars (Author)

Book Description

Abandoned by a mother who is hiding from the FBI, Warren escapes into horror movie fantasies while he waits for her return.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The story outstrips [Byars's] finest achievements." -- -- Publishers Weekly --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Betsy Byars is a widely read and loved author of many award-winning middle-grade books for children, including Summer Of The Swans (Viking), a 1971 Newbery Medal winner. The Pinballs was an ALA Notable Children's Book in 1977 as well as the basis for an ABC Afterschool Special. Other books she has written for HarperCollins are Good-bye, Chicken Little; The Seven Treasure Hunts, illustrated by Jennifer Barrett; and three I Can Read Books, the popular The Golly Sisters Go West, Hooray For The Golly Sisters!, and The Golly Sisters Ride Again, all illustrated by Sue Truesdell. Ms. Byars lives in Clemson, South Carolina, with her husband. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks (October 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590423681
• ISBN-13: 978-0590423687
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,989,512 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Betsy Byars began her writing career rather late in life First, she married and started a family. The writing career didn't emerge until she was 28, a mother of two children, and living in a small place she called the barracks apartment, in Urbana, Illinois. She and her husband, Ed, had moved there in 1956 so he could attend graduate school at the University of Illinois. She was bored, had no friends, and so turned to writing to fill her time. Byars started writing articles for The Saturday Evening Post, Look,and other magazines. As her family grew and her children started to read, she began to write books for young people and, fortunately for her readers, discovered that there was more to being a writer than sitting in front of a typewriter. "Once a wanderer came by my house and showed me how to brush my teeth with a cherry twig; that went in The House of WingsThe Summer of the Swans." Since that time, Byars has written more than 45 books for young readers and has won numerous awards, including The American Book Award, which she received in 1981 for The Night Swimmers. The humor, compassion, and insight Byars brings to each of her books won her a large audience of admirers both in the United States and abroad. Six of her novels were presented on national television, and her books are translated into nine languages. Six of Byars' novels have been named ALA Notable Books, and in 1971, The Summer of the Swans -- a story about a 14-year-old girl and her mentally retarded brother -- won the Newbery Award as the most distinguished contribution to literature for children in the year of its publication. Byars was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, on August 7, 1928. Unlike many of the characters in her books, Byars grew up in a normal, loving family. Her father was an engineer and worked as a bookkeeper in a cotton mill. He was stern and hardworking and had a strong sense of humor. Her mother was a lively woman who loved acting and music. Byars's sister, Nancy, two years older, was sometimes an inspiration and sometimes an evil nemesis. Byars has always been adventurous and never allows a few setbacks to prevent her from doing things she wants to experience, like petting a blacksnake and flying planes. The snake was named Moon and became the subject of her 1991 autobiography, The Moon and I. Betsy Byars and her husband live on an air strip in South Carolina, and have traveled widely throughout the United States in pursuit of their interest in gliding and antique airplanes. They have four grown children and seven grandchildren.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars matty's revew, March 5, 2003

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The two-thousand-pound goldfish (Hardcover)

In the sewers of L.A. there is a 2,000 lb. Gold fish that craves humans because it ate XX-109. This book is about an 8 year old kid that daydreams bizarre movie scripts (this movie is about a 2,000 lb. Gold fish that lives in the sewer) the boy is name is Warren and misses his mom who is on the run from the FBI.
This book is fine but has some unexciting parts. And it can get very perplexing at times. It varies at times from a 3* to a 5* but more often than not incredibly first-class more than ever at the end. I give the end a faultless 5*. You would have to remember things to get the story line of warrens movie but if you concentrate and remember things its a great book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Warren misses his mom, November 24, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Two-Thousand-Pound Goldfish (Harper Trophy Books) (Paperback)

This is a pretty good book Betsy Byars wrote.At first I was wondering about the title of the book and the connections it has with the story.Later on I figured out that it represented Warren's anguish about an absentee mom. The author has effectively made us feel the depth of Warren's inner emotions by switching back and forth from his imaginative movie production to his real life situation.I was deeply touched by how Warren understood his family's situation and came to grips with his anger and sense of abandonment.