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Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang)

3.89 of 5 stars 3.89 · rating details · 3,919 ratings · 236 reviews

Ian Fleming, best known for his James Bond novels, wrote only one children’s book—and it is a classic! Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is the name of the flying, floating, driving-by-itself automobile that takes the Pott family on a riotous series of adventures as they try to capture a notorious gang of robbers. This is a story filled with humor, adventure, and gadgetry that only...more

Paperback, 160 pages

Published April 26th 2005 by Random House Books for Young Readers (first published January 1st 1964)

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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

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Apr 08, 2013 Glenn Whelan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Fun with our fine four fendered friend...

Most people that would be reading this book today are familiar with the Dick Van Dyke vehicle of the same name. A smaller percentage of them may also be aware that the source material is originally penned by James Bond author Ian Fleming. The connection to 007 seems a logical one. A flying car with super gadgets called upon at the press of a button. Who else but James bond could have a relationship with a woman named Truly Scrumptious.

After a quick read o...more

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Jul 26, 2007 Lynn rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: boys

Shelves: childrens

What a surprise to find just how different the movie is from the book! This is very much Ian Flemming, focused on the car and the adventure. There is no 'Truly Scrumptious'; there is no weird castle with singing toys and a king who hates kids. There IS a wonderful magical car, and exact descriptions of what it does. There IS a great adventure with a trip to France and a scary thief. A great book for boys, and it stands the test of time.

This was Ian Flemming's last book before he died, and his on...more

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Mar 24, 2013 Kristi Bernard rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is the name of a car. But, she is no ordinary car. You see, she has a grand history as a race car and a very famous one at that. She also was a part of a very curious family known as the Potts. They brought her back to life after saving her from the scrap yard. There was Commander Caractacus Pott, his wife Mimsie, and the twins Jeremy and Jemima. The commander was an inventor and known in his community as “Crack Pot” but he didn't mind. The day finally arrived when this m...more

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May 18, 2013 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: i-own

I watched the movie Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang as a child and have vaguely fun and yet confusing memories of it. To this day I still find some of the tunes from the movie jumping into my head at random. Years later I was told that the original book Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang was written by Ian Fleming...yes, the same Ian Fleming who was the creator of James Bond. Naturally my curiosity was aroused. From a very high level, it's not surprising to see both James Bond and Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang as being...more I watched the movie Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang as a child and have vaguely fun and yet confusing memories of it. To this day I still find some of the tunes from the movie jumping into my head at random. Years later I was told that the original book Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang was written by Ian Fleming...yes, the same Ian Fleming who was the creator of James Bond. Naturally my curiosity was aroused. From a very high level, it's not surprising to see both James Bond and Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang as being creations of the same author. Both feature some crazy high-tech gadgets and exciting adventures dealing with spies or thugs across multiple countries. Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang is just written for children while James Bond was written for adults.

I read Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang along with my 9 year old daughter. I haven't seen the movie in many years. She watched it a few months ago. As we started reading, it was quickly apparent some of the differences between the movie and the novel. Strangely enough, after the movie was released and widely enjoyed, they decided to make a "novelization" of the movie version of the story...which goes to show the large amount of differences present. They couldn't simply push film-goers towards the original novel...they actually wrote a new novel based on the film. Strange fun indeed.

As to the original book of Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang: The Magical Car, it starts off introducing us to Caractacus Pott and his family. Caractacus is an inventor who loves to invent but doesn't always find much financial success as a result. His wife and two children are very supportive and they enjoy his quirks and fun almost as much as he does. As in the movie, Caractacus invents the "Toot Sweet" and sells it to a candy shop. He has more success in the book, however, and with the money he earns, the family decides to buy a car. They find Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang in a scrapyard and immediately all four of them fall in love with it. Pott takes it home and spends hours/days in his workshop fixing it up.

I loved the narrative style of the book. It was written to be read aloud or at least for the reader to be very cognizant of the narrator's voice. The narrator speaks to the reader, adds additional commentary outside the scope of the main plot and asks questions about the reader's knowledge or thoughts on a particular point. As I read the book aloud to my daughter, I tried to be sure to add the inflections of the narrator as I read to try and draw her in to answering the questions or commenting on the points the narrator made. In reading the book I pictured the narrator as an extension of Ian Fleming and the style existing to put for the feeling of Fleming reading the story to his own children.

As the plot continues, the family finds out more about the very special and magical qualities of Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang. Not only does the car possess special transformative properties (changing into a boat or a plane) but it also seems to have a true mind of its own. It seems to think and feel. And it certainly seems to recognize and love its new family.

The family head off on what should be a simple and fun family picnic at the beach. But after traffic jams, bad turns, rising tides and bad weather, they find themselves lost and on the verge of new trouble as the family stumbles into a gangster hideout. I loved the sense of adventure mixed with the nervous anxiety of wondering just what might happen next. I love the reckless and whimsical attitude of the father as he disregards the danger when forced to choose between making a safe choice or making the right choice...the "good" choice.

As the adventure continues, the children find themselves in the thick of it. And in true "children's literature" style, they do whatever they can to solve the problems on their own and be the heroes of the story. At the same time, the book is titled "Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang" so it's only natural that the car should also share in the heroics (with the aid of his adult drivers).

The edition I read had some cute, whimsical illustrations. I'm told that the original publication (and early reprints) had tons of absolutely wonderful illustrations. I certainly can't discount the fun pictures in the version I read, but I am interested in finding some of the original illustrations, just for enjoyment sake. My daughter loved keeping an eye out for the pictures and made sure I paused and gave her time to study the images intently when they showed up.

All in all this is a simple story and a quick read, which is what should be expected from a children's book. In some ways it's a little dated since some of the concepts and technology are obsolete or incredibly improved in our modern day. Still, it is a very clever and fun story with a lot of ingenuity and imagination. The plot is fresh and fun and definitely enjoyable to younger readers and to adults willing to step back into simpler memories. The thugs and gangsters are definite caricatures and as such it's hard to have any real fear for the safety of the family. Though to a child, just the idea of a gangster or criminal poses enough danger to give the proper degree of tension.

The story is absolutely charming. The narrative writing style is very fun and lovable. The characters are great fun and the lessons learned are entertaining. Overall this is a great heartfelt story that is worth reading with kids and reading again as an adult. Even if you've seen the movie, this book is different enough that you should find plenty of new entertainment. And if you haven't seen the movie, that's another avenue to explore after reading the book. Either way, there's plenty of opportunity for good clean family fun.

****
4 out of 5 stars(less)

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Apr 06, 2013 Cruth rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013-read-aloud-personal-challenge, childrens-chapter-book, read-aloud

Author: Ian Fleming
Illustrator: Joe Berger
First Published: 1964
Original Illustrations: John Burningham

Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond, wrote only one children's book, while recovering from heart attack. Fleming died from a further heart attack on 11 August 1964, 2 months before "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" was published. Published in three volumes over four months, it was released as a single volume in 1968.

A fun, simple story with a light adventure and a few scary bits, Fleming fills the bo...more

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Mar 15, 2012 Valerie added it · review of another edition

I think that different editions of this book must vary widely, so I tried to find the one that looked the most like the one I'd read.

When I read the book I hadn't seen the movie. Since then I have. The edition I read seems to have been a novelization of the movie, rather than the original book.

I don't know if this IS the edition I read. But I liked quite a few of the elements. The inventor invents other things besides cars, and many of them are intended for his children. I found the travel to a...more

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Feb 11, 2012 Penny Peck rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: children-ya

The new follow-up to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by Frank Cottrell Boyce, sent me back to original to see how they compare. I was struck by the brevity – the original Chitty is 114 pages in length, written in three long chapters. The original British version was actually published in three volumes. The U.S. version also had plenty of ink illustrations, something that would be welcome in more novels for readers in grades 3 to 6. Roald Dahl’s books also had a fair amount of random illustrations in eac...more The new follow-up to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by Frank Cottrell Boyce, sent me back to original to see how they compare. I was struck by the brevity – the original Chitty is 114 pages in length, written in three long chapters. The original British version was actually published in three volumes. The U.S. version also had plenty of ink illustrations, something that would be welcome in more novels for readers in grades 3 to 6. Roald Dahl’s books also had a fair amount of random illustrations in each chapter, and because young people are so visual I am sure they would enjoy more artwork in their fiction.
I remember reading the original Chitty when I was about 9 or 10, definitely before the 1968 film was released. Upon seeing the film, I remember being shocked that the father was now a widower – I knew in the original book he had a wife. I also remember the film as being very long, even for a musical, and not as engaging as the book. In 2005, there was a Broadway musical based on the movie.
The story begins with the relatively modest Potts family in need of a car. Luckily, the father invents a candy that also serves as a whistle, and makes enough money that they can purchase a car. He adapts the car into the magical flying automobile of the title, and off they go on adventures. The author, best known for his series of “James Bond” spy novels, died the same year Chitty was published; otherwise, it is likely he would have written some sequels featuring this car and the delightful Potts family.
In the new book, the middle child is named Jem, a nod to the two children in Fleming’s original. The twins Jeremy and Jemima are pleasant enough, but it is the father who is the strongest character in Fleming’s book. Boyce’s book also includes a section where the children are kidnapped, by a villainess named Nanny – in Fleming’s the twins are kidnapped by gangsters. The similarities actually add charm to Boyce’s story; a kids’ novel often needs a strong villain yet some authors seem fearful of including a “bad” character.
Fleming’s book concludes with a recipe for fudge, always a welcome in children’s books. You can still recommend the original Chitty Chitty Bang Bang to those who like action-packed adventures; certainly it is a great choice for those who have read all of Roald Dahl’s books and would like something similar.
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Nov 01, 2011 Bobscopatz rated it 3 of 5 stars

Our kids LOVE this movie. I appreciate it as well, but the Disneyfication of it turns out is really appalling in comparison to the original novel. I'm not saying that someone SHOULD make a movie that is more true to the book, but I do think that it would end up being a better movie overall. Especially since it would lack the execrable song "You're my little Schmoopy Face" (or whatever that title is.

At any rate, this book is a fast read. It's about the level for a 7-year-old, I imagine. Our kids...more

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Aug 20, 2011 Dan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is an odd combination of age appropriateness. The short length, coherent chapter arcs that exist as short stories in their own right, and simple plot are perfect for younger children. Fleming does a good deal of stage whispering that is also something more common in younger children's narratives. Yet he introduces several elements of "mortal danger!!" that small children may find frightening, especially in the final chapters, that reads like a simple Nancy Drew or Hardy B ...more

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Feb 02, 2013 Jonathan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classic-literature, books-with-films-2, children-s-literature, classic-challenge-2

Once upon a time there was a young boy named Jonathan Terrington. He didn't have any magical abilities save for the power of his imagination and what he could gain from reading and watching incredible movies. Some of his favourite childhood movies and books were all fairytales. He particularly liked more modern 'fairytales' like Toy Story or Mulan. Then one day he discovered a fairytale movie he'd never watched before. A movie about a magical car that travelled away to a fascinating land with b...more
Once upon a time there was a young boy named Jonathan Terrington. He didn't have any magical abilities save for the power of his imagination and what he could gain from reading and watching incredible movies. Some of his favourite childhood movies and books were all fairytales. He particularly liked more modern 'fairytales' like Toy Story or Mulan. Then one day he discovered a fairytale movie he'd never watched before. A movie about a magical car that travelled away to a fascinating land with bizarre characters. Jonathan particularly remembered the dreaded child-catcher from this movie. Years passed and Jonathan retained his love of fairytales. Then it reached the start of 2013 and it so happened that Jonathan owed his grandmother an outing to a special musical. It so happened that a musical about a flying car was to be help in Melbourne in March. So Jonathan decided that he would go and see this musical with his grandmother. And as a reminder, he decided to read the book associated with the musical. A classic children's fiction book called Chitty Chitty Bang Bang . What follows next is the review of his reading of this book.

Ian Fleming is one of those classic writers whose works seem to be always better remembered for their film adaptations than their original novel form. Which is a shame because his novels are classic in their own right. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang may not be quite what I was expecting based on the classic musical film but it was a decent solid children's fiction novel and deserves to be considered as one of those classic 'modern' fairytales alongside Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

The book was not quite what I expected. It was a simple children's book with hardly special writing and very little to mark it as connected to the film I remembered. The one thing I can say is that the book started the same as the film and then diverged into something different. Not a bad kind of different but not a great kind of different. An endearing kind of different.

I will admit that unfortunately the writing of Ian Flemming comes across as a touch patronising for the reader. His asides, while charming, also had the air of a writer who was superior in his knowledge to his target audience. Which doesn't surprise me since Ian Flemming was, I believe, a touch arrogant and a known chauvinistic womaniser. It is something that has come to my attention recently in children's literature. That that literature will err on the side of simplicity (not necessarily bad) or shoddyness (which is bad) on the excuse that it's just children's literature and that children can't tell what a good story is. Well I can tell you that linguistic research indicates that children know a lot more than they can communicate from a young age. And personal experience has shown me that the children's books I best remember are those that can be read at any age.

Still, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang despite its flaws as a novel has an interesting story. It is certainly a classic story and a unusual, original story in some ways. Recommended for those who want to see the real Chitty Chitty Bang Bang story...(less)

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May 13, 2007 Colin Kinlund rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone who wanted a flying car

Another classic I treasured, and another Disney adaptation I loathed. The movie is similar to the book in that there is a car with the given name of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. In fairness though, this is a very short story, with only three chapters (each fairly long chapter being one act), and would have been very difficult to do as a movie. But still, this is vastly more entertaining, inventive and scary than the movie. And I still want a toot-sweet to this day.

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Oct 08, 2012 Sam Woodfield rated it 4 of 5 stars

I thought I knew the story of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang being a huge fan of the musical, and so this book really took me by surprise.
The story follows the Pott family as they buy their first car - a car full of mystery which will take them on a journey across the sea and place them in grave danger. However, with the help of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the family escape unscathed and help to catch a notorious criminal for good measure.
This is a really lovely little story, which Fleming tells so well....more

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Feb 16, 2013 Miles rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-with-allie

A fun, quick read-out-loud book that I read with my 11-year-old daughter. It's fast-paced and engaging, as you'd expect from the creator of James Bond. I must admit to being partial, having loved the movie as a kid. It was interesting for me to see how much Roald Dahl added to Fleming's book for the screenplay of the movie (and the musical - the book contains no Truly Scrumptious, Grandpa Pott, Child Catcher, Toymaker or Baron Bomburst). Still, the heart of the book is the adventurous family, th...more

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May 20, 2013 Gale rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-young-adult

FANTASY HUMOR IN HIGH GEAR

This book is perfect for your summer Escape into pure Fantasy--KID LITE enough to fly!!! This is a very special car--one of a kind both in chassis and heart--not to mention that it actually thinks, has feelings and gives orders to the driver when necessary. Yet totally unselfish--only with the owner's best interests in mind.
This almost-defunct car which barely missed the wrecker yard shows its gratitude to the Pott family many times over, for she possesses Super-Mecha...more FANTASY HUMOR IN HIGH GEAR

This book is perfect for your summer Escape into pure Fantasy--KID LITE enough to fly!!! This is a very special car--one of a kind both in chassis and heart--not to mention that it actually thinks, has feelings and gives orders to the driver when necessary. Yet totally unselfish--only with the owner's best interests in mind.
This almost-defunct car which barely missed the wrecker yard shows its gratitude to the Pott family many times over, for she possesses Super-Mechanical powers which no one suspects. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (so named because of her unique starting up sounds) can even fly (just call her Aerocar) and hover over water with ease. Plus she knows when to give instructions (pull down, push up) to the driver, who admits that even he does not know what all the buttons on the dash do. When ignored, she flashes hints like "Idiot!", ensuring immediate results and prompt obedience. She even has built-in radar to track missing persons (she cares about).

One day Professor Caractacus (Crackpot) Pott finally invents something clever--a candy whistle--which he sells for enough British pounds to buy his dream car. After spending most of the summer tinkering and refurbishing the rare Panther, he unveils the automotive marvel to his adoring family: trembly Mrs. Pott (Mimsie) and the twins, Jeremy and Jemima. Chitty takes charge of their summer adventures from then on, obligingly transporting them to their own private beach when the coastal road is gridlocked--a distant sandbar no less. Barely escaping the encroaching tide, the car whisks them across the Channel to France, where they discover a cave which has mysterious warnings to would-be explorers. What secrets lie buried beneath the chalky cliffs? Possibly treasure?

This action-packed fantasy reads swiftly; chidlren will enjoy the way the twins outwit the badguys. Amidst all the humor and high-jinks Fleming offers pieces of scientific information gleaned during his career. He includes advice about the need for flotation de! vices in boats and other safety suggestions, but he slips them in slyly, like a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down. A cute story (though my paperback version had disappointing b/w sketches) which will entertain elementary kids--a great summer read. Honk if you like kid and car heroism!

(June 23, 2012. I welcome dialogue with teachers.)
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Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang 0394819489 Ian Fleming Random House Books for Young Readers Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang Books HUMOR IN HIGH GEAR! This book is perfect for your summer Escape into pure Fantasy--KID LITE enough to fly!!! This is a very special car--one of a kind both in chassis and heart--not to mention that it actually thinks, has feelings and gives orders to the driver when necessary. Yet totally unselfish--only with the owner's best interests in mind.

This almost-defunct car which barely missed the wrecker yard shows its gratitude to the Pott family many times over, for she possesses Super-Mechanical powers which no one suspects. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (so named because of her unique starting up sounds) can even fly (just call her Aerocar) and hover over water with ease. Plus she knows when to give instructions (pull down, push up) to the driver, who admits that even he does not know what all the buttons on the dash do. When ignored, she flashes hints like "Idiot!", ensuring immediate results and prompt obedience. She even has built-in radar to track missing persons (she cares about).

One day Professor Caractacus (Crackpot) Pott finally invents something clever--a candy whistle--which he sells for enough British pounds to buy his dream car. After spending most of the summer tinkering and refurbishing the rare Panther, he unveils the automotive marvel to his adoring family: trembly Mrs. Pott (Mimsie) and the twins, Jeremy and Jemima. Chitty takes charge of their summer adventures from then on, obligingly transporting them to their own private beach when the coastal road is gridlocked--a distant sandbar no less. Barely escaping the encroaching tide, the car whisks them across the Channel to France, where they discover a cave which has mysterious warnings to would-be explorers. What secrets lie buried beneath the chalky cliffs? Possibly treasure?

This action-packed fantasy reads swiftly; chidlren will enjoy the way the twins outwit the badguys. Amidst all the humor and high-jinks Fleming offers pieces of scientific information gleaned during his career. He includes advice about the need for flotation de! vices in boats and other safety suggestions, but he slips them in slyly, like a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down. A cute story (though my paperback version had disappointing b/w sketches) which will entertain elementary kids--a great summer read. Honk if you like kid and car heroism!

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Mar 08, 2009 Anna rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: chapter-books

My family listened to this on the road trip to St Louis and loved it. The story is perfect for a car full of boys, with lots of details about inventions and the features of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, not to mention the discovery of a stash of guns and bombs. The man who reads the book does a nice job of reading in a way that is really entertaining to kids. It's perfect long car ride material.

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Jun 05, 2012 Kristina Seleshanko rated it 4 of 5 stars

Set aside any thoughts of the movie starring Dick Van Dyke. The original book by Ian Flemming is 99% different.

In the Flemming story, Mr. Potts and his wife come into a little money after selling a unique candy to a manufacturer. They decide to buy their first car. Potts finds an old, not-working race car, buys her, and the whole family (Dad, Mom, a boy and a girl) fixes her up. Despite the fact that Mr. Potts is an inventor, the car already has lots of features he doesn't understand and he doe...more

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Mar 25, 2013 Tracey rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: libraryread-tcpl, ya

Picked this up from the library to prep for a project; I'm sure I must have read this at some point in my life, but I honestly don't recall the story.

The plot of this slim volume varies considerably from the movie - the wife of Caractus Potts is alive and well, and the main adventure deals with gangsters, not spies and dictators - and has some excellent dry British wit.

Having recently read two James Bond novels ( Casino Royale and Live and Let Die) - also for the first time, I could see some s...more

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Feb 11, 2013 Megan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013-read-to-son, home-library-shelf-amg, read-fiction-20th-century, read-to-my-son

In short, it's a book about a magical automotive marvel, a car that's been engineered to transform into both an airplane and a speedboat. The car also thinks and feels! It's a brilliant book, absolutely brilliant! It's clever, witty, fantastical, and humorous, and it's such a madcap caper, you can't tell where Fleming's heading next with the plot, which is exactly what you want in a children's book. Fleming's writing is especially engaging because of the little "asides" that his omniscient narra...more

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Apr 14, 2012 Marsha rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, children, classic, mystery-thriller

The Potts have acquired a new car—a beat-up, sadly neglected, rusty green Paragon Panther. Once a noble racecar, the only one of its kind ever built, it has fallen into disrepair and is destined for the scrap heap. But the Potts see something special in this car. At least, it’ll be different from all the other beetle cars out there that all look alike from the front or back, so you can’t tell whether they’re coming or going.

This is a classical children’s tale about a family’s favorite car and su...more

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Aug 14, 2012 Arjun Mishra rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: literature

It is important to read children's literature, no matter your age, stage of life, maturity, etc. Good children's literature speaks to adults and conveys moral lessons and wisdom to all ages. This same theme is evident in many Disney movies and is salient in Bugs Bunny, where the humor and lessons are available to children, but part of the overall parcel of layers for adults. Fleming deviates from his normal style of writing and Bond thrillers to a children's adventure book, which contains many o...more

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Aug 14, 2010 Maggie Wolfe Riley rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: children-s, fantasy, classic

This book was my first experience with loving a book, then being horribly disappointed in the movie. I read this book before it was a movie - something like 4th grade, and I loved it! Fun, adventure, mystery, and good writing (to my 9 or 10 year old mind, anyway!) Then I remember being excited that they were making a movie of it - and imagine my disappointment when it was a ~musical~ starring Dick van Dyke! It wasn't anything ~like~ the book, and they not only changed the plot, they changed the...more

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Feb 03, 2009 K rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: ages 7-8

Shelves: childrens

Had never seen the movie, so did not know what this book was actually about (in my mind, I confused it with Bedknobs and Broomsticks, which I also haven't seen).

It turns out to be about a family's adventures with their magical, sentient car, which they name Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, after the sound she makes starting up. Ian Fleming tells this slight, jolly story with many capital letters for emphasis. As you might expect from the creator of James Bond, there were some explosions, encounters with...more

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Feb 07, 2011 Charity rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: addie-shelf

Audio book on CD - lovely! The voice actor is spectacular and I enjoyed the story immensely. The film is loosely based on this light-hearted book. (No child napper, no widowed Mr. Potts - their mother is alive and well! - and no Grandpa Potts either, no mysterious childless land with a spoiled king.) The book does have some spooky scenes, bad guys and a kid-napping scene that I chose to skip for my 5 year old daughter. She enjoyed the first half, and doesn't seem to realize the story continues a...more

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Apr 06, 2009 Jack Cheng rated it 2 of 5 stars

Read this to my son (6); my daughter (4) lost interest pretty quickly. Like the movie, and like other books by Fleming, there is a magical car that can fly and do other remarkable things. Not much else is similar to the movie, but lots that recall the Bond books: a secret hideout in a cave, an international gang of mobsters, and a girl named Pus--no, just kidding on the last bit. It's been years since I read Casino Royale, but I remember the writing to be similarly clunky (lots of adverbs, lots...more

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Jan 12, 2008 oriana marked it as to-read

Holy crap this movie was so much better than I remembered it. And even more insane is that it's based on a book by Ian Flemming???

This... this I gotta see.

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May 02, 2013 Life Between Coffee Spoons rated it 2 of 5 stars

It was disappointing and surprising when I finished this book and didn't like it. I genuinely tried to set aside my knowledge and love of the movie, which was successful, but even that didn't help. It seems silly to say a book about a flying car was over the top, but it's the truth. The situations were too silly to be seen as realistic, and yet too grounded in reality to overlook their silliness.

That being said, it is easy to see how some children (especially boys) would find this book engrossin...more

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Jun 05, 2012 Jerry Peterson rated it 4 of 5 stars

It's hard to believe that Ian Fleming, who wrote the sexy, sophisticated, violent James Bond spy novels, also wrote one of the best-loved children's stories, "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang". Most of us know it from the 1968 movie musical that starred Dick Van Dyke. Fleming wrote "Chitty Chitty" while he was recovering from a heart attack in 1961. The writing provided him with something to do. For inspiration, Fleming drew on a bedtime story he had been telling his son, Caspar.

The book came out in 1964...more

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Aug 26, 2011 Jen rated it 5 of 5 stars

I must be one of the few of my generation that has never seen this, and my expectations going into the book were fairly low. I thought it would be a cutsie kids' book and that's all. I found that I was listening to the audiobook by myself in the car, looking forward to the next time I had to run errands or something so I could listen to it again!

It's a kids' book for sure, but it's just a delightful and engaging and innocent story. The actor who read it (can't remember his name--from "Fawlty To...more

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Jan 10, 2011 Lisa rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I enjoyed this book. The writing style was fun and clever. At just over 100 pages this is a quick read. The book has virtually nothing in common with the movie musical. It was interesting to see how much had been changed,

The book is definitely plot driven with lots of adventure. I did miss the fleshing out of the characters. Although they are totally different, it is hard not to compare the book and the movie, especially since the movie is so well known. I must say that the film had a lot strong...more

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Mar 21, 2012 Julie H. rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kids-timeless

We recently re-read this book at our house as a way of celebrating National Read Aloud Day (1/19/2012). While quite dated in many respects, it's still a fun read--particularly given the number of times one fantasizes about a flying car while trying to keep one's temper when stuck in traffic. I had quite forgotten the fact that the recipe for M. Bon-Bon's secret "fooj" was provided at the book's close. Proof positive that we can benefit from returning to some of our well-loved stories from childh...more

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About Ian Fleming

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Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Ian Lancaster Fleming was a British author, journalist and Second World War Navy Commander. Fleming is best remembered for creating the character of James Bond and chronicling his adventures in twelve novels and nine short stories. Additionally, Fleming wrote the...more

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