The balloon, Mount Tambura and the Flying Carpet

by Fernanda Raineri

La storia è ambientata in Versilia, immersa nella lussureggiante natura della catena delle Alpi Apuane e sotto le viscere del Monte Tambura. Stella e sua sorella Glenda, assieme ai due amici Rebecca e Frank, appena arrivati dagli Stati Uniti, restano coinvolti in una serie di eventi incredibili, al limite del soprannaturale.Tutto ha inizio con un viaggio in mongolfi era fortemente voluto dai ragazzi, nonostante le perplessità mostrate dai genitori. Ma quella che parte come un’esperienza unica si trasforma presto in i quattro, assieme ad Alfred, il giovane pilota turco della mongolfi era “Nautilus”, a causa di una turbolenza precipitano nel bel mezzo di un bosco.Una volta ripresi i sensi si ritrovano tutti miracolosamente incolumi, anche se di Alfred non c’è traccia.Stella e i suoi amici si avviano in cerca di un sentiero che li riconduca a casa, ma scoprono invece un misterioso luogo sotterraneo e qui inizia un viaggio che, lascerà i protagonisti unici custodi di segreti rimasti inviolati per anni, offrendo a Stella, aspirante scrittrice, una storia da raccontare.

76 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Eishinas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A read to be treasured by every child and teen!

A wish to cherish and re-live childhood days was fulfilled when I laid my hands on one of the most fascinating and hooking read 'The balloon, Mount Tambura and the Flying Carpet', where author Fernanda Raineri's absorbing character of Stella and her sister, of Versilia plan to go on an adventure of flying in a hot air balloon with their friends Frank and Rebecca. Enjoying the beautiful, mesmerizing landscape near Apuna Alps, their world turns topsy turvy when their pilot loses his control due to high winds and crash lands in dense woods. While trying to find their way out, these youngsters discover a mysterious carpet and some ancient coins in a huge underground cave, which leads them towards the beginning and discovery of an adventure far from the imagination of any human.
Author Fernanda Raineri's colorful imaginary keeps the novel intriguing, fresh and thrilling at the turn of every page painting vivid pictures of the mysteries discovered by her gripping characters in the minds of her readers. Description of incredible inhabitants and habitats adds flares to the simple but captivating style of narration. The author does a great job of bringing out the power of friendship and making it a key to success in any situation.
Though 'The balloon,Mount Tambura and the Flying Carpet' is a fiction read for children and teens, it brings out the 'child' in you and fulfills the wish of every adult to re-live and cherish the moments of childhood, thoroughly enjoying the mysterious adventures of Stella and her friend's life. Highly recommended!!

[Ray Simmons · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished reading The Balloon Mount Tambura And The Flying Carpet by Fernanda Raineri. The words that stick in my mind are Magical and Wonderful. This is an adventure about four kids and a magical, adventurous vacation. It is about kids, but it is also for any adult who has ever dreamed big and still has a little of the optimism and magic of youth in their heart. It is very well written and equally well imagined. It is not a long story. A fast reader who is not busy, can finish it in a weekend, I know this because I gave it to an eleven-year-old student of mine to read on Friday, and she returned it Sunday afternoon. She loved it and was full of questions about the writer and if this writer had other books. This is a sign to me that this is a great book because my student’s first language is not English.

The plot of The Balloon Mount Tambura And The Flying Carpet is simple. It is a quest for adventure. It stands out because of the writing of Fernanda Raineri. The plot is given a great boost by the setting and the characters. Who doesn’t love mountains and forests? Who doesn’t like kids, magic carpets, and adventure? I loved this story. I am considering reading it aloud to my ESL class or maybe just assigning it to them as a reading project this fall and have a class discussion based on this wonderful book. I think they will love it and I’m guessing you and your kids will love it too.

[Lene Blackthorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of four teenagers, Stella, Frank, Rebecca and Glenda, provides classical and yet unique adventurous tale for children and teens. Enjoying a ride in hot air balloon, they all get blown away; trapped in the mountains, lost, ready to search for a way out. The four of them end in a system of caves, facing unexpected obstacles and exploring unimaginable natural wonders, finding objects of historical value and meeting strange animals. All of this tangled with bit of suspense, threat, and friendship makes the tale a nice relaxing read.
The straightforward storyline is surprisingly full of twists. Although characters are not developed in detail and some of the parts are too deeply described, whereas other are lacking deeper imaginative description, I liked and enjoyed the story.