My Diary from the Edge of the World

by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Told in diary form by an irresistible heroine, this playful and perceptive novel from the New York Times bestselling author of the May Bird trilogy sparkles with science, myth, magic, and the strange beauty of the everyday marvels we sometimes forget to notice.

Spirited, restless Gracie Lockwood has lived in Cliffden, Maine, her whole life. She’s a typical girl in an atypical world: one where sasquatches helped to win the Civil War, where dragons glide over Route 1 on their way south for the winter (sometimes burning down a T.J. Maxx or an Applebee’s along the way), where giants hide in caves near LA and mermaids hunt along the beaches, and where Dark Clouds come for people when they die.

To Gracie it’s all pretty ho-hum…until a Cloud comes looking for her little brother Sam, turning her small-town life upside down. Determined to protect Sam against all odds, her parents pack the family into a used Winnebago and set out on an epic search for a safe place that most people say doesn’t exist: The Extraordinary World. It’s rumored to lie at the ends of the earth, and no one has ever made it there and lived to tell the tale. To reach it, the Lockwoods will have to learn to believe in each other—and to trust that the world holds more possibilities than they’ve ever imagined.

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Adventure, Fiction, Childrens, Juvenile, Magic

432 pages, Hardcover

First published November 3, 2015

About the author

I write strange and mythical stories about young people.

Reviews

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I totally loved this middle grade book! I didn't even realize it was a mystical book and I read the blurb before I read it awhile back! My brain!







We have dragons that burn down the T.J. Maxx on their way migrating. We have sasquatch, witches, giants, trolls, fairies, unicorns, pegasus, mermaids, kraken, witches, ghosts and everything else I can't think of!

Not all of these creatures make a big appearance in the book but a few of them do.

This book is written in diary form from Gracie and it's totally awesome! Gracie's little brother Sam is sick and a cloud is coming to take him away. Yeah, you get taken by clouds when it's your time. But Gracie's parents are not ready for that and they decide go in a Winnebago across country to try to get to the Extraordinary World. So, Gracie, her sister, Millie, her mom, dad and a boy from her class named Oliver, set off on this adventure. (Read the book to find out about Oliver)

They make their way to the Smokey Mountains to stay a few days with their dad's mom who is a witch. She is so cool and she has ghosts that hang out in her back yard even though it's against the law. But whatever!

The family end up back on the road once they get the directions from grandma ma to the Extraordinary World. Now only a few people in the world believe of this place. Most people laugh at Gracie's dad because he believes in it. I mean Magellan found out the world was flat and and stuff and he disappeared and that's all I'm saying about that.

Along the way the family ends up with a Sasquatch in their pull along camper. Oliver names her Daisy, she ends up with them for a good bit because they are afraid to let her out and get eaten. Until later . . .

They get help from some pegasus, an angel named Virgil, and some other peeps along the way. They also find a man who has these extraordinary beasts in a lookie loo along the way. Lets just say at one point they are all set free.

They find a pirate that takes them to the end of the world and do they find the Extraordinary World? Well, I know that's for me to know and you to read the book and find out!

I loved this book so much, the characters were awesome. The creatures were awesome,even though some didn't play a large part like I said but still. The sadness of what happened and the idea of a family sticking together to try to stay a family.

I would recommend this to anyone that likes middle grade books and the creature feature!

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List

[Arezu Wishka · Rating 5 out of 5]

برای این کتاب تا چند وقت دیگه یه ریویو مفصل می نویسم اما موقتا تا این حد می گم که این کتاب بر حسب اتفاق اولین کتابی شد که ترجمه کردم و باز هم بر حسب اتفاق یکی از کتاب هایی که دقیقا با سلیقه من جور بود...در این حد که دلم می خواد به عنوان مولف یه روزی چنین کتابی بنویسم. کتاب کاملا توی رسیدن به هدفش موفق بود و از یه راه سرگرم کننده غیر مستقیم منظورش رو رسونده بود.
اگه عاشق دنیاهای موازی، اژدها، سفر، جادو، تک شاخ و ماجراجویی هستین، حدس می زنم شما هم مثل من از خوندن این کتاب لذت ببرین.

[Brandy Painter · Rating 1 out of 5]

Let me say the one good thing I can: The MG voice here is strong and well done. It definitely gets you invested and keeps you reading. However, that also left me feeling greatly betrayed and incredibly angry by the time I reached the end of the book. I wanted to rage and shake my fists at the sky, "I READ 400 PAGES FOR THAT???" Ugh. Engaging voice aside, it is just not worth it. The story takes place in an alternate modern US world where fantastical creatures (dragons, mermaids, sasquatches, etc. exist and so infrastructure (highways, railways, etc.) did not develop as they did in our world. What was able to develop was bad fast food. Plenty of Taco Bells and Dairy Queens to be found! It got to the point where I was ready to set the book on fire if Taco Bell was mentioned one more time. The world being so similar to ours was a big problem for me. The history of the US and its technological development would be VERY DIFFERENT if the entire middle of the country were uninhabitable. Where were the First Nations peoples? Wouldn't regions have developed their own governments and ways of surviving? The. World. Makes. No. Sense. You want to know what else this alternate world has besides fantastical creatures? Ominous clouds that show up in your town, then your street, then your house. They hover just outside waiting to take the soul of an unknown occupant. Dun Dun Duh. Want to try to outrun the cloud? It will follow you. There is no escaping the Clouds of Death. The whole plot of the book revolves around an attempt at this. Road Trip! Gracie (the main character) and her family hightail it out of their town trying to not let the doomed person from their house die. And that's the book. Family road trip to escape a Death Cloud. (They pick up an orphan and Sasquatch on the way. Hilarious right?) The ending made me furious from a thematic angle and a plot/storytelling angle. Also a characterization angle. It is the thematic angle that made the most upset though which I can't talk about without spoiling the book. See cut below if youre curious.

Everyone in the family assumes the cloud is there for the lovable and all around charming younger brother of the family, Sam. He is sickly. But the father suffers from depression regularly so that's an issue too. Turns out the cloud is really there for the oldest sister and SHE KNEW IT ALL ALONG. At the end she's all, time to go and lets the cloud just sort of suck her up while she waves. Is this supposed to be some long protracted metaphor for suicide? I don't know. (The cloud mechanics make no sense to me because the world building is not awesome.) But that's how it felt. And her family is all waving at her and crying? She gets to say goodbye to everyone. So yay? I just...NO!

[Amin · Rating 3 out of 5]

مرتب به خودم می‌گویم نگران نباش؛ اما انگار هر بار که چنین چیزی به خودت می‌گویی، ده بار بیشتر نگران می‌شوی.

قبل از هر چیزی خلاصه‌ای از داستان رو بگم، چون خلاصه‌ای که توی سایت ناشر فارسی یا حتی سایت‌های دیگه نوشته شده، پر از ایراد و غلط و گمراه‌کننده است.

گریسی توی دنیایی موازی با دنیای ما زندگی می‌کنه؛ دنیایی از نظر جغرافیایی شبیه دنیای خودمون و در سایر موارد کاملاً متفاوت. دنیایی که داخلش اژدها داره و زمستون‌ها به جنوب کوچ می‌کنن، اجنه داخلش قدرت دارن، فرشته‌ها رو می‌شه برای محافظت از آدم‌ها استخدام کرد، بابانوئل توی جزیره‌ای نشسته و گوزن‌ها رو تربیت می‌کنه تا برای بچه‌ها هدیه‌ی کریسمس ببرن، کشتی اشباح وجود داره، پری‌های دریایی موجودات خیلی مهربون و صلح‌جویی نیستن، مدوسا داخلش زندگی می‌کنه و کلکسیونر اسب‌های بالداره و...

نکته‌ی مهم درباره‌ی این دنیا، مکانیزم مرگ و میره. هر وقت که قراره کسی بمیره، ابر سیاهی ظاهر می‌شه و موقع مرگ، فرد رو به درون خودش می‌کشه. حالا چند وقته که ابر سیاهی نزدیک خونه‌ی خانواده‌ی گریسی ظاهر شده و همه فکر می‌کنن برای بردن سم اومده که کوچک‌ترین فرزند خانواده است.

باوری بین بخشی از مردم این دنیا وجود داره که زمین تخته و اگر تا انتهای دنیا (جنوب) برین، به لبه‌ی دنیا می‌رسین. بعد از اون نقطه دنیایی موازی شروع می‌شه که هیچ‌کدوم از این عجایب وجود ندارن، علم پزشکی فوق پیشرفته‌ای دارن و برای هر مشکلی چاره‌ای وجود داره (همین دنیای خودمون). در نتیجه خانواده برای نجات سم از دست ابر سیاه، تصمیم می‌گیره به انتهای دنیا سفر کنه، هرچند که کسی تا حالا از اونجا برنگشته و ممکنه اصلاً چنین چیزی وجود نداشته باشه یا اگه داشته باشه، نتونه از شر ابر سیاه خلاصشون کنه. داستان کتاب، ماجرای سفر گریسی و خانواده‌اش به انتهای دنیاست که گریسی اون رو در قالب خاطرات روزانه‌اش روایت می‌کنه.

خوندن این کتاب برام خیلی طول کشید. نزدیک یک سال. یه‌ذره‌اش رو می‌خوندم و باز کنار می‌ذاشتمش تا مدت‌ها بعد. در نتیجه می‌شه بگم اون‌قدرها برام کشش نداشت. می‌تونم براش چندتا دلیل متصور باشم. کتاب پر از ایده‌های جذابه، اما ایده‌ها در سطح ایده باقی موندن. دنیایی که نویسنده خلق کرده خیلی جذابه، اما از روی خیلی از ویژگی‌های خلق‌شده سرسری می‌گذره. مثلاً شما با دیدن طرح جلد کتاب با خودتون می‌گین حتماً اژدها نقش مهمی توی داستان داره، اما نه. حضور اژدهایان خیلی کم و ناچیزه و اصلاً اثری توی داستان ندارن. از این نمونه‌ها می‌تونم خیلی بگم. ای کاش نویسنده ایده‌هاش رو محدودتر ولی پخته‌تر می‌کرد.
یک مشکل دیگه هم پراکنده‌نویسی‌های گریسی بود که از سرعت اتفاقات داستان کم می‌کرد. البته این رو بگم که پایان کتاب رو دوست داشتم. به شصت صفحه‌ای انتهایی کتاب که رسیده بودم، تصمیم گرفته بودم به کتاب دو ستاره بدم، اما اون شصت صفحه رو در یک نشست خوندم. پایانی غم‌انگیز و تا حدی غافلگیرکننده داشت.

از انتشارات پرتقال هم باید گلایه کرد. یک بخشی از کتاب درباره‌ی پیشنهاد کاپیتان کشتی به مادر خانواده و رد کردن پیشنهاد از طرف مادر، کامل سانسور شده. جوری که معنا و مفهوم اون بخش و البته چند فصل بعد و تغییر رفتار کاپیتان از بین رفته. با توجه به سابقه‌ای که از سر و کله زدن با ارشاد داشتم، می‌دونم که می‌شد این بخش رو با کمی سانسور توی دل متن باقی گذاشت، اما پرتقال تصمیم گرفته کلاً اون بخش رو حذف کنه. احتمالاً مخاطب اصلی کتاب هم با خوندن اون بخش اصلاً به ذهنش نمی‌رسه که ممکنه سانسوری در کار باشه و گنگی برخی خطوط و رفتارهای یکی دو فصل بعدی رو به پای ناکارآمدی نویسنده بذاره. نکنیم. کاسه‌ی داغ‌تر از آش نشیم. خودسانسوری نکنیم.

عجیب نیست که همه‌چیز تا قبل از اینکه تمام شود، به نظر می‌رسد بی‌پایان است؟

[Zyra · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
I am little conflicted on this one. Its really lengthy book with slower pace but written in interesting diary format.
Its a beautiful book on sweet family adventure set in an different world from ours.

[Katrina Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

It looks like this is probably my fourth read of this book, and it certainly won't be my last. When people ask me what my favorite book is... y'all, this is my answer. It may be a middle-grade novel, but it contains SO much. It is so. very. extraordinary. I've never read anything like it and I doubt I ever will.

The Lockwoods are the most precious fictional family I've ever gotten to know. I just want to wrap my arms around each and every one of them and cry on their shoulders and tell them they're amazing and beautiful even in their brokenness.

Read it. It'll make you laugh. It'll make you cry. It'll make your heart pound.

THIS is my idea of a good book, although "good" does it no justice whatsoever. Calling it "good" is like calling a mountain a boulder.

Read it. Read it. Read it.

Please.

[Sepideh Dehghani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful. Heart warming. Sad.

[Chadi Raheb · Rating 3 out of 5]

دنیای قاتی‌پاتی بامزه‌ای بود با چاشنی فیزیک کوانتوم, جادو و اژدها, ماجراجویی, و یه مقدار مرگ
برای منی که فیزیک یکی از دلایل غش و ضعف رفتنم حساب میشه اونجایی که داشت آنتروپی و نظریه ابرریسمان رو مختصر توضیح میداد کیف داشت.
حالا دلم میخواد بیشتر در مورد اینا بخونم

پ.ن.
ترجمه خیلی خوبی داشت
پ.پ.ن
ترجمه بد هم مگه از پرتقال داریم؟ :دی

[Zahra · Rating 3 out of 5]

«عجیب نیست که همه‌چیز تا قبل از این‌که تمام شود، به نظر می‌رسد بی‌پایان است؟»

«به‌گمانم پدر و من خصوصیات مشترکی داریم و متعادل شده‌ایم. فکر کنم هر دو حس می‌کنیم که دنیا جای به‌هم‌ریخته‌ای است که هر لحظه به‌هم‌ریخته‌تر می‌شود؛ اما بازهم این دنیای ماست و ما عاشق بودن در این دنیا هستیم.»

[sAmAnE · Rating 5 out of 5]

دوست دارم اینطور فکر کنم که یکی از فرشتگان که به شمال پرواز کرده به کلیفتون آمده و من را دیده که روی چمن‌های جلوی خانه نشسته‌ام و با خودش فکر کرده که این دختر چه دختر منحصربه فردی است.ارزش دارد که از او محافظت کنم.دلم می‌خواهد تصور کنم حالا آن فرشته جایی آن بالا در آسمان است یا بالای پشت‌بام پنهان شده است و دزدکی نگاهم میکند.گاهی حتی شب‌ها به خیال این‌که شاید حرف‌هایم را بشنود،آرام با او حرف می‌زنم.امشب قبل از اینکه به خواب بروم،یکبار دیگر نجواکنان با او حرف می‌زنم و از او خواهش می‌کنم به جای این‌که مراقب من باشد،این‌بار از سم محافظت کند.
#سفر_به_انتهای_دنیا #جودی_لین_اندرسون ترجمه #آرزو_ویشکا
📝کتاب دفترچه‌ی خاطرات دختری به نام «گریسی»است.او با طنزی کودکانه و بیانی شیرین،زندگی خیالی و وهم‌گونه‌ی خانواده‌ی خود را می‌نویسد.با توجه به فضای خیالی داستان قرار است مشکلی برای سم،برادر گریسی، به مجود آید که او و خانواده‌اش را به شدت نگران کرده.گریسی به همراه خانواده‌اش برای دیدن ابرجهان نقل مکان می‌کنند و داستان هیجان‌انگیز خود را آغاز می‌کنند.این کتاب که بیشتر مخصوص نوجوانان است از زوایای گوناگون مفهوم خانواده و برای هم وقت گذاشتن اعضای خانواده را به خوبی آموزش میدهد و همین‌طور حس همدلی و مهارت یکدل بودن.توصیفات گریسی در مورد طبیعت رو خیلی دوست داشتم😊 کتاب مخصوص گروه سنی +۱۲ سال هست

[Kaytlin Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, this book ripped my heart out. Like that ending *sniffs* very sad.
Second that was a totally awesome concept! Like what? Monstets in the USA which like an alternate universe...amazing!
Third me and this writing style fought the whole way! I think I would like to write in this style but it was hard for me to read because it was too much like what it looks like in head...always backtracking, asking questions, wondering....yep, totally my head and frazzled mind just wouldn't click with it. But that just a personal thing.
When it mentioned witches and ghost I was almost like, I'm outta here...but they weren't creep, didn't do nothing magical or weird. So that's a plus.
I liked Gracie, could relate with her on many things and Oliver was a dear! Millie stole my heart towards the end! And Sam is cute! Mom and dad were well done...
I wasn't a fan of the mentions of gods and angels working for the gods and how that all worked...buying the service of guardian angel hit me wrong. There is only one God and our guardian angels protect us without paid.
It was a cute story docked a star because of the angel and gods thing.

[Helen Praspro · Rating 5 out of 5]

یه همچین وقتاییه که به وجود خدای نویسندگی ایمان میارم.
کتاب شگفت انگیزی بود. هر لحظه اش رو می تونستم لمس کنم، و خیلی از لحظاتش رو به صورت سه بعدی تجربه کرده بودم. سفر این خانواده رو وثل سفر خانواده خودم می دیدم. با میلی کوچولوم، مامانی که شبیه بابای گریسیه و بابایی که شبیه مامان گریسیه.

فقط...شگفت انگیز بود.

[Clarissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gracie Lockwood lives in a world much like our own. Her family are US citizens living in a small town in Maine, her father is a scientist/meteorologist, her mother plays the violin. She has an older sister and a younger brother. However, the world Gracie lives on is flat, wild sasquatches and other fantastic creatures have driven most people into the Eastern edge of the country. Migrating dragons sometimes burn down buildings. When it is time for people to die, strange clouds come for them, and take them away. If a cloud doesn't get you when you die, you become a ghost living in the underworld, and coming up to the surface of the earth from tunnels and underground caverns. Ghosts can be dangerous capturing people and turning them into ghosts too.

One day a cloud comes and hovers outside Gracie's house. The family decides to flee, they hope to outrun the cloud, and escape to the Extraordinary World, a place rumored to exist beyond the edge of the world. A world like Gracie's but without magic, a place where the transcontinental railroad wasn't destroyed by sasquatches, a place where you don't have to pay a guardian angel to protect you from the ghost ships who prey on travelers. This is the bittersweet story of the Lockwood families search for the mythical edge of the world.

My one criticism is that the book is written as Gracie's diary, and the writing seemed too sophisticated to be the diary of a twelve year old. But I feel weird complaining that the writing is too good.

[Chrissy Kruger-Gruendyke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not sure I can actually put into words how good this book is. My 7-year-old daughter and I purchased this book from an indie bookstore here in Milwaukee. It was a "staff pick" and sounded interesting for us to read together. It tells the story through one little girl's diary entries in an alternate world full of all the magical and make-believe creatures you can think of. But those creatures and make-believe circumstances were woven and integrated into the daily observations of this little girl in an extremely authentic way. The author truly honored and respected the spirit of a child in the creation of this alternate world. My daughter and I could not wait for bed time so we could sink into the story some more together. There is a lot of sadness in the story too but it is handled delicately and beautifully. This story is a marvelous journey. My daughter and I were both crying at the end...I could not even vocalize the final words of the text because I was so choked up. This is the first book that has moved us both like that. And I will be recommending this one to everyone. Definitely a wonderful story to read with your children.

[Linnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

QUICK SUMMARY:

Gracie lives in a world where the mythical creatures never went extinct. The creatures in the world force them to sometimes use tunnels to get to school and shelter inside during dragon migration season. (The dragons also burn down a taco bell or two occasionally) Despite all of these inconveniences, it is life as normal until a dark cloud comes for her little brother. Dark clouds carry off people who are meant to die, such as sickly Sam. Gracie's father is a (sometimes ridiculed) weatherman who believes in the existence of the Extraordinary World-- a world in which there are no dragons, Sasquatches, mermaids, magic creatures at all. Even with their doubts, the family is too heartbroken to lose Sam, and leave in a Winnebago to find the edge of the world, where they will cross into the Extraordinary World and save Sam's life. (After all, if there are no dark clouds, maybe even immortality is possible!) There's Guardian angels, and witches, and ghost pirates, and sea monsters on the way.

HOW I FEEL ABOUT IT:

Oh gosh.

The feelings.

As a writer I often think about how I could flip a genre over and change it to be the exact opposite... but still good. It often gets too complicated.

I think a lot of writers try to think this way, but Jodi Lynn Anderson hit the nail right on the head.

I am in love with this book. I've read it four or five times because I seriously have an emotional connection to it at this point.

I've never read a book that integrates the fantasy aspect into a realistic (and MODERN) world with as much skill. I credit this to the characters and their opinions and feelings about it. It seems normal, but not forcefully normal, and it is questioned the same as our normal life is. I LOVE it.

The ending... which I will not spoil... is perfect. It is sad, emotional, meaningful, strange, and relatable in the creepy way that a character experiencing something you would never experience can reflect how you know you'd feel perfectly.

The feeling the ending gives me is that poetic feeling where you have left behind something and gotten very caught up in a whirlwind of a more meaningful and exciting and all-consuming endeavor... and then you go back because it is over. And it doesn't feel right anymore. It feels little and small, and unimportant. You feel like you are above it, and that you're life is where the bigger thing was, not where you're going back. The whole world fades to gray.

Next, the family bond in this book is HUGE. Our star character travels with the same small group of people in confined quarters for the whole journey. There are many side characters along the way, but the focus on the familial BOND is something I can only hope to find in more books. Everything is about the journey. I've seen a one star review that said the world building was horrific. That's not the case at all. Of course, there wasn't much opportunity to change the world much from the one we know, (surprise, we're the "Extraordinary world.") BUT the ground they cover shows a wide range of how things may have changed just a bit because people learned to cope with the environment in a different way.

When I hear fantasy, sometimes I cringe because all I can think of is the "ye olden days" with weird sounding language and old balls and dragon trainers and stuff that should seem exciting but is honestly tiring me... this book is actually new. It's more current. It reads like an ordinary realistic fiction book but FANTASY that still isn't plastic or silly. It is dystopian either, thought those aspects can be cool sometimes in fantasy books.

READ. THIS. BOOK.

When I read fantasy reviews and someone tells me to read it I get stubborn and I don't do it. DO it. DO it. This is my favorite book right now. Don't you trust me? Lol.

P.S. Get ready for a GOOD and EMOTIONAL ending.

(The read dates are all set to today, I don't remember the actual dates but I do know how many times I have read it.)

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this had an interesting premise/universe. What happens to civilization in a world that has real supernatural beings (ghosts, sasquatches, mermaids, dragons, etc)? Oh, and the world is flat. Travelling across the US is difficult. Sailing the oceans is moreso. At one point there was an Industrial Revolution but ghosts put an end to that so that manufacturing occurs in isolated pockets around the world. There are still devices that are the same in our world (cars, Winnebagos, Sega Genesis games), but their prevalence is much reduced. Much of the US is supposedly unsafe due to dragon migrations and sasquatches - yetis kept the transcontinental railroad from being completed. All of which is neat and intriguing, but that's really all. All this wonderful potential has little effect on the protagonist's family's journey to the Edge of the World where they hope to find the Extraordinary World (our world) and escape the Dark Cloud which is following them - Dark Clouds come for someone who is about to die. My fault with this story is that with all this potential nothing much happens. It's almost boring and much of that may be due to the 1st person narration and diary format.

[Chalice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. But I am a little sad, because it was good, when it feel like it could have been great.
I was really afraid I wasn't going to like the MC at all, and that she was going to be your typical Middle-Grade special and snarky MC, but I was pleasantly surprised when she turned out out be more. It was very subtle, but it was more. I don't know how to explain it. XD
I also loved the family aspect. We need more family appreciation in stories now days. The way they all grew to love and appreciate each other was just... really lovely. *contented sigh* Where do I find more stories like that?

[Marzieh Jazaeri · Rating 4 out of 5]

این همه تنوع موجودات فانتزی توی داستان و ترکیبشون با چیزی نزدیک به زندگی فعلی آدم ها واسم خیلی جذاب بود.
به نظرم یکم شخصیت اصلی داستان اونطوری که نویسنده اصرار داشت اون رو آتیش پاره نشون بده از آب در نیومده بود و آخرهای داستان هم سیر اتفاقات سریع شد، جوری که به نظرم مهم ترین اتفاقات داستان کمی سرسری توصیف شد، دلم میخواست توصیفات بیشتری ازشون بخونم.
به خاطر همه ی چیزهای جذابی که فکرش رو نمیکردم توی یک کتاب بشه گنجونده بشن و شده بودن ۴ ستاره بهش میدم.

[Wendi Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gracie lives in a world remarkably like ours. She eats at KFC, shops at Wal-mart, and dreams about going to Disney World someday. But her world is also filled with yeti, sasquatches, vampires, and Clouds - beings that appear when someone is about to die. When a Cloud appears outside Gracie's back yard for her younger brother, Sam, her family decides to leave their small town and travel in search of the Extraordinary World (a planet that sounds remarkably like ours, and best of all, one without Clouds).

Gracie's world is so much a part of this book. I love all the details, the Smoky Mountains transformed into a haven for witches, LA all but abandoned except for angels. The bits and pieces of the history of this place (Mitsubishi failed because of all the poltergeists invading their factories, the North won the Civil War because of supernatural help) are woven in deftly and don't feel like an intrusion into the story. And ahhhhh, the story. Can there be anything more heartbreaking and compelling than a family trying to protect their littlest member?

[Jonas · Rating 5 out of 5]

سفر به انتهای دنیا ☕🍪
حدود سه و چهار سال پیش این کتاب رو خریدم و وقتی این کتاب رو شروع کردم باهاش همسفر شدم 🦕
خوندن تک تک جملات برام لذت بخش بود و با خوندن هر جمله کتاب بیشتر عاشقش میشدم 🥧
دنیایی که این کتاب پیش روت میذاره دقیقا دنیای خودمونه اما فقط با موجودات ماوراءالطبیعه ، فکر کن هر روز با جن ها و اژدها و جادوگر ها سر کار داشته باشی 🕯
وقتی که داستان روند اصلی خودش رو پیدا میکنه و ماجرای اصلی شروع میشه ، هر لحظه دوست داری صفحه بعدی رو بخونی ☁️
وقتی که این کتاب رو شروع کنی با شخصیت همسفر میشی درکشون میکنی و باهاشون میخندی و گریه میکنی و عصبی میشی 🍵🍩
کتابی با مضمون زندگی و خانوادمون با طعم دنیای ماوراءالطبیعه و با چاشنی فیزیک و دنیای های فرا تر از دنیای ما 🌌
پ.ن : یکی از قشنگترین پایان‌بندی هارو داره و اینکه نحوه روایت داستان منحصر به فرد و قشنگه :)

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rick Riordan-ish, but with better much plot structure, and more beautiful written. Truly artful story telling about journeying through a fantastical world to the unknown in the name of family. A few very, very rare books make me want to have children so I can read them at bedtime, this is one of those! -Although no book in the end is that fantastic!

[Lexi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books I have ever read. It was full of adventure and mystery. The ending was kind of sad, but I was on the edge of my seat every time I read this book and couldn't wait to see what happened next. I would definitely recommend this book.

[Una Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good book but the only reason I’m giving it four stars is because it had one of the most disappointing ending I’ve ever read. I’m reading a series from this same author and I really hope the ending is better!

[Totoro · Rating 3 out of 5]

بریم لبه‌ی دنیا 🥰😍

https://youtu.be/_8yXD2RUmus?si=oRd2f...

[Ethereal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well… I’ve just finished this book.
Reading it was a bit of a struggle for me, mostly because it felt overly childish.
Not in a bad way—it's just genuinely written for kids.
For children under 12, it could be super fun and even educational.
When I bought this book, I was around 14, and if I’d read it back then, I’m sure I would have found it much more exciting.

Anyway, the story and its idea were unique and adorable.
The ending, though—so completely different from what I'd imagined—left me both sad and intrigued.

I was going to give it 2 stars, but since it wasn’t that I disliked it, just that I didn’t enjoy it personally, and because I think it would be great for younger readers, I went with 3 stars instead.

That’s about it.

-
خب..
این کتابم تموم شد
خوندنش برام تا حدی سخت بود، چون بیش از حد بچه‌گونه بود
به معنی بد نه ها؛ واقعا کودکانه بود
برای بچه‌های زیر ۱۲ سال، میتونه واقعا سرگرم کننده و آموزنده باشه
منم وقتی این کتاب و خریدم، حدود ۱۴ سالم بود
اگه همون موقع میخوندم، قطعا خیلی برام جذاب‌تر بود
خلاصه که داستان و ایده‌اش متفاوت و ناناز بود
ولی تهش که کاملا متفاوت به تصوراتم تموم شد، هم غمگینم کرد و هم برام جالب بود

میخواستم ۲ ستاره بدم، ولی خب چون صرفا من لذت نبردم، ولی داستان خوب بود و برای بچه‌های کوچیک میتونست جذاب باشه، ۳ ستاره دادم بهش

همین دیگه

۱۴۰۴/۰۵/۱۹

[Kim Bahr · Rating 4 out of 5]

A student recommended this book to me, so I had to read it. It took me a little bit to get into the story. Loved the relationship and uniqueness of each member of the family. A twist at the end was unexpected, but I'm not sure it was fully explained.

[Melika Panahi · Rating 1 out of 5]

باید بگم بااین فکر که خیلی قراره خوشم بیاد شروعش کردم و تا صفحه‌ی ۵۰خوندم و خوشم نیومد. رسیدم صفحه‌ی ۱۰۰دوباره خوشم نیومد. فهمیدم که اصلا از کتابای فانتزی خوشم قرار نیست بیاد. (چون تازه کارم مفید بود برام فهمیدنش) و اینکه بله.. اصلا با نویسنده ارتباط برقرار نکردم و جذب هیچ کرکتری اعم از کرکتر اصلی نشدم و خلاصه باب میلم نبود سو دراپش کردم بعد از خوندن۱۰۰صفحه.

[T.L. Cervantes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was just beautiful. It captured the middle grade voice perfectly, and since it is a tad longer than the average MG, the reader really feels the transformation of the main character. Gracie and her family start off like any other - they irritate each other, they argue, they are perfectly imperfect. It's actually refreshing how the author has captured this stage of life through Gracie's diary entries.

Thankfully, too, there are Sasquatches and dragons, and giants and ghosts and witches to mix things up.

The emotional scope of this novel was surprisingly grand, and very satisfying. Though it's a little sad, since they're trying to outrun a Dark cloud that threatens to take Gracie's little brother, it's bittersweet and glitters with little gems of wisdom. Gracie's reflections and lessons learned are ones the reader readily responds to. In this carefully crafted emotional arc, I can't help but heartily agree with a sentiment expressed at the end:

"Maybe... Oliver just wasn't willing to accept the world we've been given. Maybe he was trying to turn it into what he wants it to be instead."

[I Trump · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had a unique premise, depth, and surprises. Gracie lives in a world just like ours... only not. If all the creates of myths and fairy tales lived among us in our time--that's the setting of this book. Few communities exist. Each time there's a railroad being built or a thriving city, the wild takes it over. When a cloud comes for Gracie's brother (the way they die), her scientist dad decided to take them to the edge of the world. He believes there's another world like theirs that Magellan found. So the family makes their trek across the wild United States, hoping to outrun the creatures and the cloud. Along the way, Gracie keeps track in her diary.

Small gripes. In Anderson's attempt to make her world just like ours, she does some huge product placement. After a while, I wondered if she was getting paid for it! And when I got to a Drumpf building mention, I groaned. And I wished the sister, Millie, had been flushed out a little more.

Overall, enjoyable book.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jodi Lynn Anderson is a natural storyteller. Whether she's writing children's or teen books, historical fiction or fantasy, she knows how to plot a book, how to created layered characters, and how to think outside the box to give the reader a world just different enough from our own to illuminate the good and the bad around us every day. Gracie lives in a world much like ours, except that dragons, sasquatches, and mermaids are all real (and they aren't the creatures you find in Disney movies). People have learned to cope with them, but when a Cloud shows up at Gracie's house, one they think wants to take her sickly brother away from them, the family goes on the run to try to find the Extraordinary World--our world that's just like theirs but without the magical creatures. Gracie writes about the journey in her diary, documenting their travels and adventures, but also learning a lot about herself and the bonds of family in the process. Recommended.