The Twenty-One Balloons
by William Pene Du Bois
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 514)
What a peculiar story! William Sherman, tired of teaching ungrateful children, decides to travel around the world in a hot air balloon. Sherman succeeds, but not in the way he’d anticipated. Unexpectedly, Sherman crashes on the island of Krakatoa. Instead of finding a deserted island, however, he comes upon a strange community of people. The community has a source of wealth, a magnificent diamond mine, that allows the people to do anything they wish. The people have created a zany civilization...more
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Fantasy can be quite absorbing if it's the right fantasy.
This is a children's book, but if you can suspend your need of adulthood for a while it's a quite wonderful tale.
The date I gave is my best guess at my first reading of this book. I was so taken by it that I got it again from the library almost immediately after returning it and reread it. Then again a few months later. Then again a year or so later. And again a few years after that. Finally, when I was in college and about twent...more
This is a children's book, but if you can suspend your need of adulthood for a while it's a quite wonderful tale.
The date I gave is my best guess at my first reading of this book. I was so taken by it that I got it again from the library almost immediately after returning it and reread it. Then again a few months later. Then again a year or so later. And again a few years after that. Finally, when I was in college and about twent...more
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Read in April, 2008
Kristy gave me this fun kids' book for my birthday, accompanied by an apology for giving me yet another book at a time when I was trying to streamline my library and narrow down which books to box up and which to take with me to South Africa.* I read it over a couple of sittings in an afternoon/evening and then packed it into a box not too long after. A balloon adventure gone awry on a supposedly-but-not-actually-deserted island? Great fun.
*She's forgiven, since she adopted a large portion...more
*She's forgiven, since she adopted a large portion...more
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I discovered this book when I was in 5th or 6th grade and it has been a lifelong favorite. I bet I have read it a dozen times. I love to go back and reread my favorite childhood books and try to see if I can understand what my connection was with that book as a child. I think I love the fantasy in this book...it is an extremely imaginative, fun read. Matter of fact, I'm going to go pull it off the shelf right now and read it to my kids!
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Read in January, 1995
This is one of the most thoroughly enjoyable and imaginative children's books I have ever read. Du Bois relies heavily on such themes as adventure, balloons, diamonds and volcanos -- as a result this book rules. SERIOUSLY EVERYBODY WINS!!! OH and look at that description-- can you think of anything more appealing to the directionless questers of the post-college set? I THINK NOT!
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Read in December, 2006
recommends it for:
Everyone
This book is great for anyone who loves a good adventure. I really enjoyed this book. It tells of the adventure of Professor William Waterman Sherman who sets out on his journey in a hot air baloon house and ends up stranded on a diamond island where there is an unknown, very advanced civilization. It is very interesting and I learned a lot while being very entertained.
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A very fun young adult adventure written during the 1880s era and set largely on pre-eruption Krakatoa. In many ways this is Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea for children, in that it mixes adventure at sea with strange technology. Both also feature adventurers who have left society due to their own frustrations with its limitations.
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the first to bring me back to the old newberry books of my youth. reading Winchester's Krakatoa he mentions this little gem of a book that i had remembered dimly all these years, and yet had no idea how to look for it, having forgotten the title. reunited i soared along with the character on his jaunts again and smiled at his tie in to krakatoa.
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recommends it for:
middle-aged children, a slightly more heavy read than your average Bill Peet
I loved the illustrations!
It was slightly too 1920's "everything is possible if you write it in a book-ish," but the over all effect was cute. It was a lot like 80 Days Around the World, fantastical events and places, people you'd love to meet on your balloon trips, I enjoyed it.
The ending was great!
It was slightly too 1920's "everything is possible if you write it in a book-ish," but the over all effect was cute. It was a lot like 80 Days Around the World, fantastical events and places, people you'd love to meet on your balloon trips, I enjoyed it.
The ending was great!
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Read in January, 2008
I really liked this book. I never read it when I was a kid, but recently bought it. I liked the adventure in it and the character of the professor. It was a pretty good read, I didn't like the ending of the story and somewhat predictable. I enjoyed it mostly because of the travel and adventure involved:)
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Read this in Fifth grade and it really stayed with me. Probably my first introduction to supply&demand economy, every time I read about some product flooding the market, this is my mental image. I'm a dork :p I won't give away details... It's a very cute book:)
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Read in January, 1984
recommends it for:
adults or children
William Pene DuBois' illustrations and writing make this book the exciting experience that it has always been for me-- as a child and as an adult. I don't want to give away the plot, because it should reveal itself as a surprise! The Twenty-One Balloons
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MAHvelous book. I forgot all about this one till I saw a review here in GoodReads and I am going to read it again today! I put this book on a mental shelf with Dr Doolittle and Around the World in 80 Days. Quirky and fun, very entertaining.
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Read in June, 2007
I really liked it. It's just that I did not know why it was called 'Twenty-One Balloons' ontil the VERY last minute of the book.And so I must say that it is so creative that I really like it.
Haley
Haley
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This has been one of my favorites since I was a kid. From the first chapter in which a child is stranded at the top of a church steeple to the dramatic volanic explosion towards the end it is full of adventure and whimsy.
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Well written fantasy with some laugh out loud funny parts and super inventions to keep children engaged in wonder - it does read a little old fashioned, but considering the publication date, it has aged well.
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Read in May, 2008
recommends it for:
young and old.
Reading with my 6th graders. It was fabulous. Every child should read this in the 4th-6th grade range.
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Read in April, 2008
It was neat to learn that parts of this book were based on a true story. There were times that the book got too technical, in my opinion, about flying hot air balloons. I did learn quite a bit, though!
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The best children's book you've never read. Maybe you have, but a shocking number of people never read this book which is a shame because it is a real treasure. Go out and purchase a copy right now.
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Read in November, 2006
The Twenty-One Balloons reminds me of Around the World in Eighty Days, except that it's written in plain English and it seems a lot more modern. The things that the author thinks up!...
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