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98th out of 444 books
—
433 voters
The Green Book
"We are at Shine, on the first day, " says Pattie, when, as the youngest member of the group, she is given the honor of naming the new settlement. Refugees from the dying planet Earth, they, along with other ships, have been sent into space in the hope that some of them will survive to continue the human race. But the success of Shine remains doubtful as crops fail and pro...more
Paperback, 80 pages
Published
September 1st 1986
by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
(first published 1982)
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I vividly remember reading this book in the fifth grade. I found it unscientific, wildly implausible, vague, and artistically undistinguished.
The book takes place at an unspecified date in the future when the sun is dying for an unspecified reason. The main characters--like many people on the planet--are leaving the earth--however, the nation that they belong to is poor, and cannot afford to take much with them. They can therefore only take a few crops and animals with them, and each person can...more
The book takes place at an unspecified date in the future when the sun is dying for an unspecified reason. The main characters--like many people on the planet--are leaving the earth--however, the nation that they belong to is poor, and cannot afford to take much with them. They can therefore only take a few crops and animals with them, and each person can...more
I first picked up this short little novel because I had heard of several teachers using it to teach about sustainability. However, I was somewhat disappointed in their classroom plans when I found that the earth in the story is "dying" due to what seems a natural aging of the sun rather than over-extension of earth's resources or pollution, making the main "green" thing about the book its title, which refers to the color of a journal. In any case, it is a sweet little story and worth the time to...more
The green book is a very interesting and informative tale, written for elementary school children. Pattie and her family are forced by the dying of the sun to leave earth. But because of the poverty of their country and lateness of their departure they are force to make do with tools, a change of clothes, and one book a piece. Patties father has allowed the children to choose their own books, but that is not without problems on the long four year long journey to another world. Her father has cho...more
A very quick read at 69 pages. My 5th grade son read this book. I read it as well, so we could discuss it. We both originally thought that the title an cover meant that the book would be about bucolic farm life, but it is about people fleeing earth just before a disaster that causes earth to cease existing. A decent 5th grade book with lots of discussion points: survival, journaling, adapting to change, getting along with other people, establishing a new society, etc.
Oh, and each person that le...more
Oh, and each person that le...more
Perhaps if I'd read this when I was 8. Before I'd ever read any other science fiction. But I would still have been bugged by the internal inconsistencies of the story, not to mention the huge gaping holes in it. So all they are going to eat is wheat flour and moth wing soup? ForEVER? And how could they not know how long the day was on a planet they had approached for months? And who was the mysterious Guide? And why didn't they talk among themselves about who was bringing which book before board...more
Interesting book and I can see why it is so popular in classrooms. Perfect intro to journaling, civilizations, inter-cultural (species) relations, priorities, literature... Lots.
It reads like a long short story. Nice vibes about the kids. Bitter words about classism and greed among the adults. Interesting how skills are valued based on what the society needs; they are not valuable in and of themselves, unlike writing, which is both!!
The story is cleverly constructed and I thought the ending was...more
It reads like a long short story. Nice vibes about the kids. Bitter words about classism and greed among the adults. Interesting how skills are valued based on what the society needs; they are not valuable in and of themselves, unlike writing, which is both!!
The story is cleverly constructed and I thought the ending was...more
I remember first picking this book up in elementary school as this was a recommended reading book. I didn't read it at that time but soon after, I found this book in the bargain books section of the book store and decided to give it a try. Ever since I bought it, it stayed on my bookshelf collecting dust. However, what made me pick this book up now, was its size, it's only 80 pages long! I'm currently behind on my 50 book challenge and I thought that reading this book would help me catch up. I r...more
I realize this book is not intended for an adult audience but, I didn't find this book a satisfying read. It was beautifully written- i have to give the author that. She knows how to write! The end of the book was too abrupt. It left me turning the page wondering if there were pages missing. There weren't. I am sure there was a point there somewhere.Whatever it was, I guess I missed it.
And, I don't think my middle school self would've liked it either.
And, I don't think my middle school self would've liked it either.
This book was very short and kind of fun to read. It had quite a bit of symbolism, but I'm sure I never would have noticed them if not for Sister Willburn.
Summary: Patty and her family escape from a dying Earth with several others. After four years of traveling in a spaceship, they land on the small, unknown planet Shine. After building a small community, encountering strange giant moths and despairing that nothing edible can be grown on this planet, Patty and her sister Sarah discover that the...more
Summary: Patty and her family escape from a dying Earth with several others. After four years of traveling in a spaceship, they land on the small, unknown planet Shine. After building a small community, encountering strange giant moths and despairing that nothing edible can be grown on this planet, Patty and her sister Sarah discover that the...more
The first chapter of this was the last chapter of my fifth or sixth grade English book--right after an excerpt from A Wrinkle in Time.
Great story about the colonization of a planet in realistic terms for younger readers. Unfortunately, no hostile aliens, but somewhat hostile folage if you forget to wear your shoes. Everybody in the colony is allowed to bring one book from Earth, and the heroine brings a blank green book.
Great story about the colonization of a planet in realistic terms for younger readers. Unfortunately, no hostile aliens, but somewhat hostile folage if you forget to wear your shoes. Everybody in the colony is allowed to bring one book from Earth, and the heroine brings a blank green book.
This title surfaced as a recommendation for a good 4th grade fantasy read. I think it is probably more sci-fi than fantasy, but it was really excellent. A short but rich story about a group of settlers who leave earth to colonize another planet...and the troubles they encounter once they reach their new home. It's also nice a short (69 pgs in the paperback)...so a good choice for a reluctant reader as well.
My fifth grade teacher read this book to us over the course of a couple of weeks, and it stuck with me so much that I spent about eight or nine years tracking down the title, author and a copy of the book. It is a simple, sweet story, but one that should be shared with children and adults alike more often. This book is close to being pretty much out of print, and very much forgotten, which is a shame.
If you're looking for sci-fi for the beginning chapter book reader, this is the book for you. At less than 70 pages, it is a quick read that children will enjoy. When Earth becomes uninhabitable, refugees escape to another planet where everything is made of a glass-like substance. Each passenger is only allowed to take one book from Earth with him. What would you choose?
I think this may have been the first science fiction book that I ever read. For some reason, I vividly remembered the part at the beginning where the old photographs are yellow because the light is getting bluer and colder, and of course the glass grass and crystalline wheat, but I had completely forgotten about the (view spoiler).
Imagine leaving Earth for a planet years away... and finally landing on the planet Shine. Will this new home be everything you hope it will be?
I first read this several years ago in library school for a sci fi and fantasy class for kids and teens. I loved it then... and I still enjoyed it again the second time around.
I first read this several years ago in library school for a sci fi and fantasy class for kids and teens. I loved it then... and I still enjoyed it again the second time around.
at least twice people have asked for help at http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1... so it must be a book that makes an impact...
ETA - there's now a been a third request...
And so I got it from the library. And the blurbs on the back emphasize the grace of the language, but I didn't really see that. I can't find one line worthy of quoting.
It just seemed like a simplistic story with a simple moral about being open to new ways of thinking. That one theme explains why the father, a mere mechanic on...more
ETA - there's now a been a third request...
And so I got it from the library. And the blurbs on the back emphasize the grace of the language, but I didn't really see that. I can't find one line worthy of quoting.
It just seemed like a simplistic story with a simple moral about being open to new ways of thinking. That one theme explains why the father, a mere mechanic on...more
I read this because my 5th grader was reading it. He tends to be overly literal with distopian stories and I wanted to see what he was reading so I could help him understand it. This was by no means as good as The Giver and some others I've read but it was a good easy read for a non-differentiated language arts class.
Also read Jill Paton Walsh’s The Green Book which is really short. It’s children’s fiction, so I’m trying to go easy on it, but I had a ton of questions and problems with the background and the world. I think that’s not meant to be the focus here, but the story itself is so slight that I couldn’t help but notice.
Clearly beloved by many people, but just didn't do much for me. And yes, obviously it's a kids' book, but I've read plenty of kids' and YA books that I either enjoyed or knew I would've enjoyed when I was in the target age group. With this one, I can't tell how I would've felt if I'd laid hands on it as a child.
I love this story because it is science fiction for very young readers. It leaves a lot to the imagination while proposing an interesting possibility for the future of our world. I have read it with students as young as 1st grade and had good success in discussing it with them.
I read this book in 4th grade and LOVED it! I should probably re-read it again before giving it stars, but I just have great memories of this book and thinking about this book long after I'd finished it (which, to me, is a sign of a great book).
Feb 01, 2010
Rebecca Anderson
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Young Children
Shelves:
kiddies
This is another one of those 'gems' from my childhood. Once again, however, it's a gem I don't really remember with too much detail. However, I enjoyed it, and have finally remembered the title. I'm awful when it comes to titles...
Very strange narration. It slips from an unknow first person narration to third person. At the end the strange narration is explained.
As I was reading the book I thought it came from the sixties and was surprise it came from the eighties. It has the cold war attiude that Earth is doomed. It made me also think of The Little Prince which also wasn't my cup of tea.
The science of the book also seems to belong more to the sixties than the eighties. For example it skips over how a group of people coul...more
As I was reading the book I thought it came from the sixties and was surprise it came from the eighties. It has the cold war attiude that Earth is doomed. It made me also think of The Little Prince which also wasn't my cup of tea.
The science of the book also seems to belong more to the sixties than the eighties. For example it skips over how a group of people coul...more
I loved this book it really holds your attention and when you got to the end you were just overwhelmed with all of these emotions. I read this book as a child and would LOVE to read it again. I think I'll buy myself a copy.
I don't seem to have annotated this when I read it, but I remember enjoying it. The date shown will be today, but that isn't when I read it. It was probably several years ago.
Good introduction to SF for kids.
Good introduction to SF for kids.
Read this one (required reading) with my fifth grade son. He actually liked it, probably because it was so short. We finished it in two sittings and it prompted a little interesting conversation. Enjoyable family read.
I was pretty surprised to read such mixed reviews of this book. I loved it! It was sweet. Narrated by a child and with such a lovely perspective that you were totally transported. Short book, but a total delight.
This book was an amazing glimpse at the truthful reality of what will happen if we continue to abuse the earth and it's resources. It created thoughtful conversation and reflection between myself and my 9 yr old son.
I read this book because my 6th graders are and we are doing a collaboration between science and English class. Easy read and fun to think about when it comes to humans surviving on another planet
I read this back in 3rd grade. I loved this book so much. I don't remember much of it, except for like the grass made of glass or something and the moth people, but I thought it was a cute book.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What's The Name o...: Little kid lands on planet with survivors and they nearly starve cause the plants grow like crystals. [s] | 9 | 40 | May 01, 2013 10:35pm | |
| What's The Name o...: wheat fields of glass [s] | 6 | 27 | Jan 27, 2013 07:58pm | |
| What's The Name o...: YA Science Fiction book about girl moving with family to new planet to escape the uninhabitable earth [s] | 3 | 44 | Jun 15, 2012 08:59am |
Jill Paton Walsh was born Gillian Bliss in London on April 29th, 1937. She was educated at St. Michael's Convent, North Finchley, and at St. Anne's College, Oxford. From 1959 to 1962 she taught English at Enfield Girls' Grammar School.
Jill Paton Walsh has won the Book World Festival Award, 1970, for Fireweed; the Whitbread Prize, 1974 (for a Children's novel) for The Emperor's Winding Sheet; The...more
More about Jill Paton Walsh...
Jill Paton Walsh has won the Book World Festival Award, 1970, for Fireweed; the Whitbread Prize, 1974 (for a Children's novel) for The Emperor's Winding Sheet; The...more
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