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Jan 31, 2011

Kristine rated it:

I won this book from a Goodreads contest last summer--it was a surprise treat to receive it in the mail (signed) from Laurel. She also included a sticker, and a bookplate for another book (BAXTER, THE PIG WHO WANTED TO BE KOSHER). Unfortunately, I wasn't able to pick up the book until the late fall.

I read the first few chapters in November. Laurel's writing reminds me of timeless middle grade adventures from my childhood, updated for today. I mean, two of the kids have cell phones, More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 26, 2011

Cheri added it

In Laurel Snyder’s second middle-grade novel, Any Which Wall, long-time friends Henry, Roy, Susan and Emma are out of school for the summer and bored, bored, bored in their sleepy little town, until, hidden in an Iowa cornfield, they discover a mysterious wall—and an even more mysterious key.

“They pedaled forward slowly, and in a few minutes, the tall dark thing became a bigger dark thing. Finally it turned into a wall made of gray and black stones, heavy rough squares, each about the More...

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May 22, 2011

Caren rated it:

Ms. Snyder has set out to continue the everyday magic found in the books of Edward Eager, and she has succeeded magnificently. She acknowledges her debt to him by mentioning his books within the story, and by including him in the list of people she thanks for making this book possible. As in Mr. Eager's books, the magic happens to four children who are neighbors and friends. The magic is found quite by accident, and then its rules must be uncovered and understood. I love, love, love Mr. Eager's More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 17, 2010

Suebee rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

1 comment like

Oct 30, 2009

your neighborhood librarian rated it:

When you develop a team of siblings whose job it will be to solve a mystery, survive an adventure, or deal with magic, you have three choices. You can establish verisimilitude by making them sniping, squabbling siblings who insult each other and barely endure each other's company, like the Grace family in Tony DiTerlizzi's Spiderwick stories; you can make them react believably to danger and uncertainty by banding tightly together, viz the Baudelaire siblings, who are as supportive and encouragin More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 25, 2009

Raina rated it:

Put together a Narnia-like plot device, Neil Gaiman's quirky narrative voice, and a setting which combines the modern world with throwback innocence. Add time-travel, a couple of great secondary characters, episodic structure, and didactic magic.
This is good old fashioned storytelling fun. At first, I thought the plot might be a little cliche. Four kids (two boys, two girls - aged 6-12) discover a wall in the middle of a field which will transport them to other times and places. The na More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Aug 02, 2011

Kat rated it:

it's a little impossible and perhaps for a younger crowd, nevertheless i enjoyed it's fun story about magic. :)

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 22, 2010

Lizz rated it:

I can with confidence award this gem four stars. This book is what I imagine it was like growing up Burton: discovering magic walls, scientifically determining how said magic worked based on books read, and being generally adorable.

Snyder pays sweet, snarkish homage to Edward Eager's magic books of old. But the snark is loving and winking without being over-the-top, mean or too grown-up. This is one of the first books I've read in a long time in which both kids and adults can appreci More...

5 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 03, 2011

Colby rated it:

If you would wish yourself to any place at any time how would you use that wish. In Any Which Wall by Laurel Snyder four children find a wall that turns out to grant these wishes. Watching these children figure out how the magic works was tons of fun!

One thing that I struggled with in this book was separating the characters. I had no trouble keeping track of the oldest child Susan and the youngest Emily, but the two boys Roy and Henry kept getting mixed up in my head. This didn More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 13, 2009

Jason rated it:

I wish that I could give half stars, because 3 seems too low a rating for such an entertaining book. Yet, overall Any Which Wall does not quite measure up to the books to which I've given 4 stars.

The novel kept me turning the pages with an always-advancing plot, and I was interested in the characters' growth (except for Henry, whose character lacked a clear arc). I would certainly recommend it to 10-12 year old who is into adventure.

Unfortunatetly, at times the novel sl More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 11, 2011

Litland.com rated it:

“Is it a boy’s book or a girl’s book?”, I wonder. Neither...it is a fun book! And even the book tells us “...fun does matter. It matters a lot.” So next I wonder why this book is fun. Why is it different from the numerous adventure stories in the bookstore today? I’ve decided because it is true, sincere and pure fun. It is not the facade of fun had at the expense of the dignity of the characters or the reader. It’s the real thing. Without being “preachy” in any way, the author has taken us into More...

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Dec 27, 2011

Wendy rated it:

I'm hoping this will be a million times better than the last Edward Eager homage I read, Magic By the Book. I'm skeptical, but it sounds great: http://jkrbooks.typepad.com/blog/2009/06...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Jul 14, 2011

Jenn rated it:

3 1/2 really. light fantasy very much in the tradition of old school authors like edgar eager, whose actually mentioned more than once in the text. quick, enjoyable and should be fun to recommend to kids.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jun 15, 2009

Monica rated it:

Charming read. My dad introduced my sister and me to Edgar Eager during our bedtime read alouds when we were very young. Later I happily read and reread his books (and those of his inspiration, E. Nesbit) on my own and then again to my students when I began teaching. So I was eager (pun intended) to read this title.

Snyder does a terrific job channeling Eager --- the voice is pitch perfect. So are the kids, their adventures, and the gentle humor. I did wonder about the narrator now More...

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Nov 11, 2011

Joshua rated it:

So far I like it... But it is very derivative of eager and lewis and looks dated. I know librarians will enjoy, kids? It was a cute book, but that cover...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 13, 2011

Alice rated it:

This book is sort of a tribute to Edward Eager's delightful "Half Magic" (which I recommend, by the way). Four children discover a magic wall which dispels their summer boredom, and, of course, they learns some lessons along the way. It's not as original as Half Magic (because, as the author will admit, she stole ideas from it), but it's lots of fun and kids will enjoy it. I appreciate books like this that entertain without using bad language or crude behavior, and have plenty of ad More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jun 17, 2009

Vania rated it:

Though Any Which Wall by Laurel Snyder is not in my young adult realm it is still a fantasy book and on that I greatly enjoyed. Despite its appeal to younger kids this book is filled with magical and adventurous schemes. The story goes like this: Susan (the oldest) Roy, Emma (the youngest) and Henry find a massive wall beyond their houses in a field. Accidentally they find out that they can be transported anywhere. But before they figure the secret of the wall they have to figure out the rules More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 26, 2010

Emmag. rated it:

I loved this book! Why? Because it may be short but the author found a way to fit in all of Susan, Emma, Roy, and Henry's adventures into 244 pages. Also because it is a very simple book in some ways but very complicated in others, if you realy think about it. My favorite part was the chapters about the 'pirate'. I liked it because it was one of the longest adventures that they had and it really suprised me that when Henry wished to go to the house of the worst pirate in the world that the wall More...

4 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 28, 2010

Becky rated it:

One summer day four bored kids discover a magic wall in an Iowa cornfield that can transport them to other times and other places.

Fantasy...adventure...magic (even Merlin makes an appearance)...kids should like this book. But they seem to not be picking it up because of the cover design. The cover color choices and graphics make this title look like historical fiction...or ???? I like the artist, who also did the illustrations for the Alvin Ho books, but the cover may be off-putting More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 09, 2009

Connie rated it:

Initially I was indecisive as to whether to give this 3 or 4 stars! I finally enthusiastically settled on 4 since I did "really like" this quaint and gentle fantasy which blatantly channeled Edward Eager. Maybe it's because Henry, Emma, Roy and Susan remind me of my own childhood friends and the magic we could find in our own neighborhood. Plus, it reminds me that the magic of childhood is as real as we would like it to be no matter what our age. Now if I could only find that wall.. More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 02, 2009

Sarah rated it:

Like The Penderwicks, this book has a wholesome, timeless(or should I say "retro"?) feel. It's a fun and creative magical adventure, but the author's voice occasionally intrudes to talk about what the story is doing, sometimes through overt references to the genre or writing style.

But what else can an author do, if she's setting out to write an Edward Eager-style magical tale for kids today? If she didn't make her debts known, we'd criticize the book as derivative. So, in t More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 25, 2009

Emily rated it:

This middle grade fantasy is a quick fun read which was written very specifically in the tradition of Edward Eager, whose books are cited several times in the text. Because I am lazy and not particularly good at reviewing, I'm referring interested parties to my sister's review on her blog (http://charlotteslibrary.blogspot.com/). I pretty much am of her mind on this one except I don't agree that the illustrations are appealing.. I found them unpleasantly cartoon-ish and distracting.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 03, 2009

Jenny rated it:

In the middle of an Iowa cornfield four children find a magic wall that enables them to travel through time and space.

While Henry and Emma's parents are at work over the summer they allow a neighbor girl named Susan be their charge. Susan's parents who also work is also in charge of her younger brother Roy who is best buddies with Henry. On a very boring and hot summer day they decide to embark on a long bike ride where they encounter this magic wall.....or is it magic.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 05, 2010

carissa rated it:

Recommended Ages: grades 4-6

If you had a magic wall that could take you to any place and any time, where would you go? Would you want to visit castles and desert islands? Would you want to meet famous wizards, terrible pirates, beautiful queens, and dastardly outlaws? If so, then you are just like Henry and Emma, and Roy and Susan—and you will probably like this story a lot. In fact, you might even wish something similar would happen to you!

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 25, 2010

Rachel rated it:

Friends, magic, wishes, and old fashioned fun make this book a winner! Henry, Emma, Roy and Susan are wasting away their summer waiting for something exciting to happen when on a bike ride they discover a large dark wall, in the middle of a corn field. In a very Narnian event the children rest against it and in doing so mistakenly active the wall which whisks them immediately into a nearby soda shop. This happens to be the exact wish of Susan as she sat down to rest and they realize the poten More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 03, 2011

Tanja rated it:

I was hooked on this book from page one and loved the overall message that there is magic all around us but that we are often just too busy to see it. This is a book for all those - young and old - that haven't outgrown magic or simply need a little reminder to make time for it. I loved accompanying the four children on their travels through time and space. Definitely a great family read-aloud!

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 07, 2009

Ramarie rated it:

there's a wholesome tone to this book. Four children find a magic wall in a field. When they touch it and wish to be in a certain place, the wall magically takes them there! Each child has their vision, revealed by Merlin on one of their time travel trips, come true in some form or another. The author's voice was a little intrusive and the pacing for me was a little slow, so am only giving it 3 stars.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 16, 2009

cj added it

Fantasy fiction for younger kids (grades 3 & up). Older kids may not enjoy as much. It's a good story, well-written; my hesitation is with kid appeal. Written in an old-fashioned manner (similar to Edgar Eager or Phillipa Pearce's "A Finder's Magic") the pace is slower than many newer books. (It's a clean read, so good for more conservative families.)

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 24, 2009

Michelle BF rated it:

My kids couldn't get enough of this one. Readalike for Edward Eager. There's a little bit of magic in these four kid's summer in their sleepy town of Quiet Falls as they stumble upon a magic wall one summer. Oh, the places they go!

Any Which Wall

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 12, 2009

Jennifer rated it:

ANY WHICH WALL is an admirable volume in the "careful what you wish for" genre, perfect for fans of Edward Eager and E. Nesbit. If you like books about plucky children, and magic, and adventure, and summertime, and dogs, you will like ANY WHICH WALL.

And the illustrations by LeUyen Pham put WALL firmly into "modern classics" territory!

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

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