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Michael Ende

Ralph Manheim

The Neverending Story Hardcover – Illustrated, March 1, 1997

by Michael Ende (Author), Ralph Manheim (Translator)

2,686 ratings

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Read the book that inspired the classic coming-of-age film before it's back onscreen in select theaters this September!

From award-winning German author Michael Ende, The Neverending Story is a classic tale of one boy and the book that magically comes to life.

When Bastian happens upon an old book called The Neverending Story, he's swept into the magical world of Fantastica--so much that he finds he has actually become a character in the story! And when he realizes that this mysteriously enchanted world is in great danger, he also discovers that he is the one chosen to save it. Can Bastian overcome the barrier between reality and his imagination in order to save Fantastica?

"An instantaneous leap into the magical . . . Energetic, innovative, and perceptive"—The Washington Post

"A trumpet blast for the imagination."—Sunday Times

Reading age

10 - 13 years
Print length

400 pages
Language

English
Grade level

5 - 6
Lexile measure

930L
Dimensions

5.75 x 1.21 x 8.56 inches
Publisher

Dutton Books for Young Readers
Publication date

March 1, 1997
ISBN-10

0525457585
ISBN-13

978-0525457589
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for The Neverending Story...

"An instantaneous leap into the magical … Energetic, innovative, and perceptive"—The Washington Post

"A rich, enjoyable read … Succeeds by drawing in the most potent elements of fairytale, myth, and invented fantasy."—The Observer

"You might just get in touch with the child in you who clapped her hands for Tinker Bell."—Glamour

"A trumpet blast for the imagination."—Sunday Times

About the Author

Michael Ende was born in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, in 1929. After attending drama school from 1948 to 1950, he worked variously as an actor, a writer of sketches and plays, a director of the Volkstheater in Munich, and a film critic for the Bavarian broadcasting company. His first novel for children, Jim Knopf and Lukas the Engine Driver, was published in Germany in 1960 to great popular and critical acclaim, and both radio and televsion series based on the Jim Knopf books were soon produced. In 1973 he published another award-winning children's novel, Momo. When The Neverending Story was first published in Germany in 1979 it immediately became the number-one bestseller arnd remained in that position for three years. It has since been published in many different languages all over the world, including Japanese, and has enchanted readers in each country in which it has appeared.

Product details

Publisher : Dutton Books for Young Readers; Revised ed. edition (March 1, 1997)
Language : English
Hardcover : 400 pages
ISBN-10 : 0525457585
ISBN-13 : 978-0525457589
Reading age : 10 - 13 years
Lexile measure : 930L
Grade level : 5 - 6
Item Weight : 1.25 pounds
Dimensions : 5.75 x 1.21 x 8.56 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #33,541 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #601 in Children's Classics
- #1,219 in Children's Fantasy & Magic Books
- #1,797 in Children's Action & Adventure Books (Books)

Customer Reviews:
2,686 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		87%
4 star		8%
3 star		3%
2 star		1%
1 star		1%

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Top reviews from the United States

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KEHBeth

Hardback has the colored ink!!

Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2019

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I first found the Neverending Story at my middle school library - hardback, colored ink, and the perfect book to take me away from the hellish world that only preteens can create. I don't know why this book struck me so; maybe it was the fantasy, maybe the terrifying, existential nature of the "Nothing," or maybe it was the unabashed way the author included the flaws in his characters.

I have a first edition already but I wanted a copy to gift to my niece. My biggest concern was whether the copy offered here had the red and green ink of the original I read so long ago. Trust me, it makes a difference. That is why I am here to confirm that the hardcover copy ordered from Amazon (not sure about other sellers) is indeed in color, with the full page chapter illustrations to boot.

182 people found this helpful

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Keen07

Love this book

Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2016

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NO SPOILERS!!! My husband first read this book in German, while living in Germany. He had seen the movie when he was little and thought the book might be as entertaining. Well not only was it entertaining, but it was so much better than the movie. He loved the book so much that he bought an English version for me and told me that I had to read it. This book is unlike anything else I've ever read, its a story within a story. The magical world that Michael Ende creates is captivating. The characters are well thought out, and it's hard not to fall in love with them. We are now reading this to our little children and they are enjoying it just as much as we did. I highly recommend reading this story, by yourself, or to your children.

94 people found this helpful

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Rain

Never judge a book on its cover

Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2017

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First of all, please don’t judge this book on its movies. The book is split into two movies. While I liked the first movie (which was close to the book), I thought the second movie (which wasn’t close at all) was a bit of a joke. I also felt like Bastian in the movie was almost useless, and I wanted a better conclusion.

The book is a completely different matter. Never before have I cared so much about a character in a book. Bastian is a self-conscious, unpopular kid who makes up stories all the time and wants nothing more than to escape the humdrum of life to live in fantasy. I was exactly the same as a kid, and I read every fantasy book I could get my hands on. When I couldn’t find the story I wanted, I made it up. Sometimes, I wanted to hug Bastian, and sometimes I wanted to smack his stupid face, because he could be such an idiot, but he just wanted to help everyone.

My favorite part, and the one that made me care about him, was when Bastian said that he didn’t like books that tried to convince him that it was real; he wanted pure fantasy. Life was full of humdrum. Nobody understood why I never read anything but fantasy, and the less believable, the more I wanted to get lost in it. And that is exactly what this book gave me. It is absolutely, utter fantasy. It’s a journey.

I liked Atreyu as well, as he is consistently brave and heroic, yet mortal, throughout. There wasn’t a single character or creature that I thought was unnecessary or underplayed. I disliked a number of them, but they made the story better. The writing was excellent, especially for a book translated from German. The scenes were well-done.

The narrator did this book justice. Except for Atreyu and Bastian, I could always tell everyone apart. Again, there were voices I didn’t like, but that was because of the characters/creatures themselves. He even did the rhyming, poetry, and singing better than I’ve ever heard from an audiobook. Fortunately, there was no music in the background. There were some times when the characters were whispering when I had to sit there with my thumb on the volume rocker, turning it up and down, but the story was just too good to let that bother me.

Overall, in the top ten books I’ve ever read in my entire life. It doesn’t matter if this book is meant for children, because it reminds me of the utter freedom I felt when I was a child and discovered a masterpiece of fantasy.

62 people found this helpful

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F. D. Kaplan

Amazing story. Great value edition but be aware it's monochrome (black)

Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2015

Verified Purchase

The story is fantastic and even though its vocabulary and the narrative is truly intended for older kids my 6 year old daughter asks me to read it to her every night. I consider this a must read book for everyone.
About this edition. Priced under what a medium latte goes for these days, this is a very affordable edition so I can't complain. It's light and the cover has a nice texture to it. However, the low price comes at the cost of the dual color printing of the original edition (as the story unfolds in both the real world and Fantastica, the original had green letters for one world and reddish letters for the other world, so having all black letters takes a bit away from the atmosphere). Ultimately there is no real harm done and black lettering may be better for some eyes; but if the colored printing is important for you, look at another edition.

36 people found this helpful

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Jesse V.

and then the book just gets super weird and meanders through some possibly unnecessary terrain

Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2015

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This is such a weird book. So far beyond the movie. The movie ends maybe a third of the way into the book, and then the book just gets super weird and meanders through some possibly unnecessary terrain. It's trippy and vaguely psychedelic. It's an interesting look at loneliness, and at jealousy and ego and the various negative sides to personality. And it both praises and critiques creativity and imagination (the dark side of which is suspiciously missing from the film version). There's a certain amount of philosophy and metaphor that can be drawn from this, if you're looking for it.

37 people found this helpful

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Jennifer Wiggins

An even better read than other editions!

Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2017

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I read this book in high school, but it was a newer edition that didn't have colored text. It was a fantastic book then, but reading this first edition was an absolute joy. It makes the book much more dynamic and easier on the eyes when it switches between reality and fantasy. Additionally, the illustrations for the first letter of each chapter are amazingly detailed and beautiful (better than the cover art, too). Don't judge this edition by its cover, just read it.

Now, as far as the actual book as it is to read...you probably already know the basic story from the first couple of movies. I'm happy to say that, as per usual, the book is MUCH better than the movie. You even get more story than what you can find from those movies, which makes this book even better!

15 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Scarlet Aingeal

But that is another story and shall be told another time...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 30, 2017

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The Never Ending Story is one of my favourite books from childhood, I read and re-read this book many times and also watched the movie over and over until the tape was basically unplayable. It's been a long time since I last read it and as my hubby bought me a new copy for Christmas I thought, why not? There's no time like the present. My childhood copy is now owned by my daughter along with my original copy of The Hobbit. No chance of me ever seeing those again.

I went into this book with lots of fond memories and I was a bit apprehensive that reading it now would possibly spoil those memories, but I am glad to say that didn't happen. I enjoyed it just as much as I did as a child. I had forgotten how vivid and imaginative the world of Fantastica was. Even now I still felt the same wonder I had as a child at the possibility of being able to physically travel through the world within a book. I have to say, it felt a bit neverending once I moved into the second part of the book. The grown up me found the second half a bit of a slog and somewhat of a flop, just like the second movie.

Reading it for the first time as an adult, I picked up on many things that I had missed as a child. The hidden meanings and messages that had gone over the head of the younger me were there for the older me to dissect and ponder on. I remember as a child always getting frustrated when I was completely immersed in the story and then bam, up pops those dreaded words “But that is another story and shall be told another time.” I remember being desperate to know what became of those stories, I didn't want to move on until I had journeyed to the end of one story. The Adult me sees the cleverness behind the words, all stories are at their heart a neverending story, each could branch off into another, and another, and so on. There's a world of endless possibilities out there, stories waiting to be told.

28 people found this helpful

Alistair

Enjoyable

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 25, 2018

Verified Purchase

As a child of the 80's, this was one one of my favourite films that sparked my imagination. It is a shame that it is only now that I discovered the book as I am sure I would have loved this as a child. If reading this as an adult, the beginning can be a little slow and may begin to put you off, but stick with it and you will be rewarded. The latter half in particular is excellent and you get a better appreciation of the themes. At over 500 pages it's a fairly lengthy book for its target audience, but one which they will enjoy.

6 people found this helpful

SuperMcFluffyPants

Interesting, In A Way, But Soooo Slow And More Then A Little Confusing…

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 25, 2020

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This is the first book I've reviewed with lower than four stars. I usually enjoy most books, or if I dont, I just give it four star, but I'm sorry to say that this book dissapointed me. Yes, it was a fascinating idea. Yes, the world and species were intriguing. Yes, it was strange in a good way, and yes, the theory behind it was fab, BUT…
Ende just doesn't have it in him to put this down on paper. The characters were absolutely fab! They were magical and full of imagination! They had challenges and they overcame them!…… but they were selfish… over heroised. Every time they dod something, there would be a big long paragraph about jow brave and amazing they were as they did it, and around two sentences about them doing it. They were also lacking in depth, no actual feelings, they were just 2D shapes. Their personalities were wholly unlikable and even those meant to be noble and good were unlikeable. I just didn't feel for any of them, wasn't able to visualize them. While the original idea of them was good, Ende just didn't do it right. And what's more- they were actually good and vividly real as the story began… but just as it seemed we were about to stop reading recounts, and I was getting excited… they suddenly went flat. Disappointing, as they would have been an amazing cast of characters if they were portrayed by a better author.
Then there was the plot, which I can't really describe because it was so confusing! This is not a kids plot- to confusing, slow and boring, and this is not an adults plot- babyish, full of flaws and slow. So- who is it for? I dunno, but nobody, in my opinion. Perhaps the reason I was confused was this- I skim read it. This rarely happens. But that brings me to another issue. I could not finish pages. So boring. So so so old fashioned. SOOO SLOW! I just turned page after page words slipping through my mind, wondering when I would finally be finished (it is incredibly long, worsening my problem)! Here is a basic description of the plot: (May contain spoilers, but there is no point in wasting your money so it's OK if I spoil. But if you insist on buying, maybe give this next paragraph a skip!)

Bastian Balthazar Bux (Ack) finds a book called the never-ending story. He then stealsit and hides in his school attic to read it. The story is about Atreyu, a boy who is sent on a mission to stop 'The Nothing', heal the Childlike Empress and save the magical land of Fantastica. He encounters monsters and magic, and a dragon ( can't remember what breed!) named… oh sorry folks can't remember cuz I read another book with a dragon named Fyrian, so I can't recall his name >_<… whatever, so Dragon and Atreyu realize they need a child from our world and BBB is summoned and he saves the world and he gets spoiled in Fantastica and learns a valuable lesson… bla bla bla. Typical and predictable.

This was a fabulous idea, this was a great imaginative theory, but holds already stated flaws. Sorry, this was not up to standards.
However… all that said, it was a fascinating and interesting story at times, and there were good bits, so it earned 3 stars. I would feel bad giving it 2, so hence 3/5. I won't reccomend it,it was definitely bad, but it is OK for people who don't like action or prefer books to be slow moving so they can process it.
Yours Truly,
The Bookworm On The Hill xxx
PS all my other reviews can be found on the Bookworm On The Hill web (coming into existance 30 August or early September 2020)!

2 people found this helpful

Narwhal

Great book, and worth reading whether you've seen the film or not.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 9, 2018

Verified Purchase

This is magical, and I'm so disappointed that I didn't read it as a child! I have fond memories of the film, so I could easily recall my feelings towards the main characters.

It's fascinating that the film only looked at the first half of the book - what a lot they missed out on, particularly when it came to the whole purpose of the story. I know it would have been too much material for a single film (especially at 90 minutes), but still - shame.

Everyone is as great as I remember from the film - Fankor, Atreyu and the Childlike Empress are all there, and thankfully Bastian has far more of a character - and character arc - than he did in the movie.

2 people found this helpful

Rovanite

Brilliant 1st Edition, with vibrant colour throughout.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 9, 2015

Verified Purchase

This was bought as a gift for my wife. She's a massive fan of "The Neverending Story" but only ever owned a black and white paper back copy, which was getting a bit tatty. So, I went looking for a hardcover version, when I discovered this one!

This particular version is a Hard-cover, 1st edition and has a different cover to the more modern versions. It shows all the characters in a more medieval style appearance. Please note it is the 1st edition of the English translation which was published in 1983. The original was written in German and was published a few years earlier, in 1979 under the name "Die unendliche Geschichte".

I won't go into the plot, as I'm sure most people know the story by now, especially if you are looking at this version, but it's basically about a troubled boy who finds a book in an old book store, and is drawn into a fantasy world through the pages of that mysterious book, and so the adventure begins.

Inside the book the writing is beautifully split into two colours, red and green. I can't remember which way round the colours are, but in the real world the text is one colour, and when something is happening in the book the colour changes.The illustrations at the beginning of every chapter are also in the same red and green colour, making this a much more visually vibrant book compared to the more modern black and white versions.

So, if you like ready fantasy novels, or simply love this book are you are looking for a more "special" version, then this is the one!

8 people found this helpful

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