The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon: A Pop-up Book

by Peter Abrahams (Adapter), Stephen King (Creator), Alan Dingman (Illustrator)

From the master of horror and suspence, Stephen King, comes a pop-up adaptation of one of his bestselling novels.; Trisha MacFarland had no idea what was in store for her when she wandered away from her mother and brother on a family hike! Readers will travel with Trisha on her journey of horror, where she has only her witts for navigation, her ingenuity as a defence against the elements, and her courage and faith to withstand her mounting fear. For solace, during this terrifying journey, Trisha tuned in her walkman to listen to the broadcasts about her hero, the Red Sox relief pitcher, Tom Gordon. As with all King’s novels, this adaptation engages our deepest emotions and explores our deepseated dread of the unknown.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Thriller, Graphic Novels, Young Adult, Picture Books, Childrens

16 pages, Hardcover

First published October 12, 2004

About the author

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

Peter Abrahams is an American author of crime fiction for both adults and children.
His book Lights Out (1994) was nominated for an Edgar Award for best novel. Reality Check won the best young adult Edgar Award in 2011. Down the Rabbit Hole, first in the Echo Falls series, won the best children's/young adult Agatha Award in 2005. The Fan was adapted into a film starring Robert De Niro and directed by Tony Scott (1996).
His literary influences are Vladimir Nabokov, Graham Greene, and Ross Macdonald. Stephen King has referred to him as "my favorite American suspense novelist".
Born in Boston, Abrahams lives in Falmouth, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod. He is married and has four children including Rosie Gray. He graduated from Williams College in 1968.

Peter Abrahams is also writing under the pseudonym Spencer Quinn (Chet and Bernie Mysteries).

Reviews

[Licha]

As a fan of SK, this is a must. I love the idea of having this as a pop-up book for adults or older kids. It's gorgeous.

But...look a little closer and this is somewhat of a bad execution. Each page is basically a pop-up of the forest/woods and Trisha in despair. Yes, this is what the story is about, but it felt like the same page was reproduced in some kind of variation: Trisha stepping off the hiking trail in the woods, Trisha coming to a stop in the woods because of a log in the road, Trisha's face close up with the woods in the background, Trisha coming to a stream in the woods. Anyway, you get the idea. The bits of story that are in the book are not compelling if you've never actually read the original version.

As a collector's item: Yes. As a stand alone: I can't see someone being won over by this. As a pop-up book: What pop-up book isn't fun to look at? For anyone, please read the actual book first. It's a short and wonderful story and one of my favorite SK stories.

[Panda]

Pop-up book
Text adaptation: Peter Abrahams
https://www.peterabrahams.com/bio/
Illustrations: Alan Dingman
https://www.instagram.com/adingman_cr...
Paper engineering: Kees Moerbeek
https://keesmoerbeek.com
Publisher: Little Simon

All parts of this book are awesome.
I included a link to either the personal page or IG account for each of those partly responsible for bringing Stephen Kings book to life in such an artistic way.

The girl who loved Tom Gordon is such a great book. Stephen King, the Red Sox, some gratuitous horror... great stuff. So when I found out last year that there was a pop-up version, I was all in!

The book itself is awesome.

The illustrations, the overall construction of both the pop-ups and the 'mini books' spread throughout on thick cardstock paper with nice heavy corners that hold the mini pages in place to keep everything nice and tidy to prevent damage.

I had taken some photos to share but I found this great video on YouTube that pages through the entire book showing all of the magnificence of this book, where you can see the attention to details. They did such a great job that I am going to share their video for those who wish to see it, and in the meantime, I am going to read mine again, because I leave it out so that I can just leaf through it or casually read it whenever the mood strikes.

https://youtu.be/Ev9U_K2G8qQ?si=mxUsM...
Enjoy the video!

[Christy]

When it comes to Stephen King stories having to do with baseball, I MUCH preferred Blockade Billy (which also had great artwork....you just couldn't play with it). This one belonged to a Stephan King lover who had bought it for their pre-teen daughter, hoping to instill a love for King at an early age, which didn't work. I'm not sure if she ever read it...but it remained (eventually covered with dust) on a side table for years.

As I said, I have read the regular version of The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, wondering if it would make a decent present for a young teenager (the age group Amazon said it targeted, from what I remember) also hoping to instill a love for King--i guess some of us King groupies can't help ourselves! Perhaps it was because I was trying to read it through her eyes, it seemed a bit--I don't know--unfulfilling. Maybe because I thought she wouldn't care for it, or see it's point, it had an effect on my view; which turned out to be a kind of meh, it was alright. Now, looking back I think I was probably unfair.

Anyway, this is a review about the pop-up version, which I knew would offend my reader--who'd probably take one look at it and think, "only a child reads pop-up books, therefore she must think I'm a child"...or something like that. But I have NO PROBLEM at all with such things, at my age letting my inner child out is just plain oodles of fun; and this book was oodles of fun for me. I liked the way the story was told, but that was NOTHING compared with moving the pictures about (over and over again). I'm kind of wondering why I didn't give it five stars now...

Bottom line: I'm not sure who this book's targeted audience is, but it sure worked for me. In fact I would love to see some other King books done this way...and with many of them the targeted audience would even get a bit cloudier. I know they'd work for me, though--a major King fan with a HUGE inner child.

[David]

Who the hell came up with the idea of a pop-up book based on a Stephen King novel? This is, literally, a pop-up book version of The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon. It's quite clever and nicely done, and since the novel itself, while not a children's book, is less gory than most of King's work, the pop-up book I guess could be a good gift for a kid (though I still wouldn't give it to a younger child).

I still wonder who came up with this idea. I bought it on a whim when I saw it in the bookstore, because I couldn't believe it was a real thing.

[Diana Gray]

I got this book from a little free library and it's the coolest pop up book I've seen. There's tons of pop ups including parts of the story written on. And of course it's Stephen King so it's good. It's a grimm fairy tale that's one to read!

[Nicole]

I read this only because my mom collected pop-up books and she showed it to me. I'd forgotten about it until I saw the original text version mentioned in the Litwit group. It obviously didn't leave much of an impression on me, just a vague memory of creepiness.

[Linda]

A lovely, fun pop up book which I just had to get, really enjoyed it.

[Jen from Quebec :0)]

As a novel, this book is good. As a POP UP NOVEL (Yes, this pop up book has the complete novel in its entirety) this things is AMAZING! SO SO worth the $$! There are maps, sketches, fantastic illustrations, and the ENTIRE novel in pop up book format- it's like a kids/adult book all in one! Check the net for pics of how awesome this book is. I was lucky to work in a bookstore at the time this was released and got it at discount, so I am not sure how much $$ is charged for it normally, but trust me when I say it is WORTH IT, for sure. :0) -Jen from Quebec

[Yu Nick C.]

No one is ever too old for pop-up books, especially if it is written by Stephen King.

[Public Scott]

A Stephen King pop-up book?!? What a great little gem! I was made to feel abashed about posting this to Goodreads, but I'm sticking by it. Sure, it only takes 15 minutes to read, maybe 20 if you're really enjoying all the details, but I think other people should know about this book! A great, spooky story featuring a child protagonist lost on the Appalachian Trail. Plenty of scary content for a young reader or a parent reading to a child, but probably not more than a kid could handle. I was tickled!

[Kari]

Who doesn't love a pop up book?!? Now combine a shortened version of Stephen King's original novel with stunning artwork and pop-ups and you've got a winning, fun combination. A must have for all Stephen King collectors

[Beth Voecks]

Beautiful! I loved the novel so this was awesome!

[Valerie]

I love most of King’s books, but this one was not for me. I just couldn’t get into it. Took me forever to read. And some parts I skimmed. On to the next book!

[Meghan Geary]

This is my favorite King novel…as a pop up book. Huh. Who’d’ve thought it?! Fabulous adaptation here, a tale grimmer than Grimm.

[Nancy Lewis]

I love that this exists!

[Carmen]

3.5 stars.....Excellent!

[Dez Nemec]

What a fun and interesting way to publish this book!

[Nena Taylor]

Absolutely love this book. It's chilling, intense, on the edge of your seat k8nd of book.

[Nicole]

For what it is, an inspirational pop up book, designed with a clear message to never give up, I believe King does a fantastic job of taking a child and allowing the reader to see this misfortune through her eyes. I will say that I prefer this adapted version of the story over the full text novel.

[Lou Rocama]

this is for the pop-up adaptation

I'm not terribly impressed with the story of this, but I have a weakness for pop-up books. Also, I quite enjoyed how the girl got more and more bedraggled each page. I'm not sure why, to be honest.

[Sadie Basem]

Great companion if you've read the novel

[Tarrah]

The story was entirely too condensed to be that good, but the craftsmanship more than made up for it.

Really well done, and I'll be curious to read the actual book to see how this matches up.

[Tom]

This was a spur-of-the-moment read after we picked it up at the Greenville Public Library. 'The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon' was one of my first Stephen King reads a long time ago and the story had always captivated me. For someone who grew up in New England, listening to Red Sox games on the radio, and loves hiking in the northern New England woods, this novel checks a lot of boxes.

The pop-up book version of this story abbreviates what is already more of a novella, so I do think the 'story' is cut down to it's pure essence. In terms of shortening it, they kept many of the plot mechanics of Trisha being lost in the woods and the 'something' that is pursuing her. I felt a little bad that a lot of what was cut was the hyper-specific parts of her keeping her grasp on reality through listening to the Red Sox radio broadcasts.

All critiques aside though, the pop-up book is beautiful and wonderfully creative. There's so many different types of art and writing in a very short book. It also takes a book that probably would be above the reading levels of most kids who are the protagonist Trisha's age and turns it into something that I could probably read to the boys. It'll be spooky, but a good intro to Stephen King for these Maine kids.

[Maria]

Amazing paper engineering, wonderful illustrations, engaging text (though I haven't read the original novel this is based on, so I don't know how it compares). There are pages that double in height when opened, pull tabs to make smaller bits move, side flaps that reveal more pop-up pieces, mini-book flaps to contain the text, spinners for creepy crawlies and flying things, transparent panels that add depth, glossy panels that reflect. I especially love the lightning and meteor shower. The suspenseful/psychological story isn't broken into chapters, but innings, as the entirety is framed in the structure of a baseball context. (If you're planning on reading the novel, this is all spoilers, so you may want to start with that one first.)

[Kyluxox]

It is a fascinating tale that of Trisha's stubborn attempts to avoid the many dangers that threaten her. On a very thin subject, King was able to write a brilliant work of freshness and childlike valor that does not prevent him from dealing with his familiar themes: childhood and his imagination, the initiatory Vernian quest, the need for a model of life, the place of the second voice, the fight against the monster, the divine intervention in the actions of men. The kind of novel that in addition we finish the tight throat ...

[Aaron White]

I don't read pop up books anymore. I've never read pop up books for adults, but as I'm writing this, I'm thinking there are probably some astounding ones, so I'm probably rating this one too high. Maybe. But for me, I found it an amazing little book. The story is, of course, abbreviated, I wouldn't recommend you read the pop up without having just read the entire novel. But I thought it captured much of the feel of the book and the pop ups were just plain cool. Some of the illustrations were not high quality paintings, but... it's a pop up book.

[Donna]

I just finished reading this wonderful pop-up book. Stephen King's award-winning, best-selling novel “The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon” is stunningly told in this, the first pop-up book by the master of suspense. It is a fairy tale grimmer than Grimm, retold with intricate pop-ups and a breathtaking text. This is the ultimate must-have edition for Stephen King fans of all ages. I decided to read this first, before reading the normal copy written for adults. But I enjoyed this very much. Now I am excited for the entire story!

[Blue-eyed-books]

This book didn’t work for me from a cultural perspective. I’m not American, therefore I know literally nothing about baseball because that isn’t a sport that is played where I’m from. This book is written purely for Americans because of all the baseball stuff. I was lost for most of the book because I just really did not understand all the baseball jargon, therefore I was unable to enjoy the book.

King had written some brilliant stuff, I have written glowing reviews for his other books. But this one really drops the ball with international readers.

[Anne]

This was delightful! I found it at our little library on the lake, it was in perfect condition, surprising for a pop up library book. I always loved this story and the Trisha's love of the Red Sox (as well as Stephen King's). I could picture her, lost in the woods, listening to the game and not feeling alone. The pop up obviously didn't have the details of the book, but it was a lot of fun and less scary. So glad I found it at the library!

[Jonathan]

A super unique way to enjoy a terrifying story, I will add though, without reading the original full-length version of this book, I'm unsure if you would get as much out of the pop-up. But holy moly what an intense and extravagant pop-up it was, unlike anything I've ever seen when it comes to that.