Lulu Atlantis and the Quest for True Blue Love

by Patricia Martín

Lulu Atlantis has a big her new baby brother, Sam. With him in the picture, Mother certainly doesn’t need her around. Luckily, she has her best friend, Harry, a top-hat-wearing daddy longlegs spider to turn to. Over the course of four enchanting chapters, the two friends rescue a skunk stuck in a yogurt pot, encounter gangster bakers, seek out the Secret Ingredient to make Sam’s oatmeal edible, and contend with a monster (not to mention an evil cat named Princess Fancy).
Through it all, Harry stands by Lulu Atlantis, his one and only True Blue Love, as she searches–quests!–for some True Blue Love of her own. With irresistible black-and-white chapter-opening art, plus an imaginative story with a classic feel, this is the perfect choice for young middle-grade readers.


From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: Childrens, Fantasy, Juvenile

240 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Sps · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm sure I'm not the only person who had high expectations because of the big-eyed, sky-blue, skunk-love cover. Overlong, weirdly out of sync with reality, dotted with fun details but just generally inconsistent and sometimes incoherent. For instance, this seems to be set in contemporary times, but Lulu doesn't go to school, isn't homeschooled, and no other characters her age ever appear in the book. She calls her parents Father and Mother. She's jealous of her baby brother in the way that a four or five-year-old would be, but her thoughts and actions are those of at least an eight-year-old. At least some of the whimsy is memorable.

[Carissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

this is a bizarro little book. main character Lulu Atlantis has a best (imaginary?) friend who is a spider named Harry who wears a top-hat and is the voice of reason (Jiminy Cricket, perhaps?). During the course of the book they meet a skunk who has a yogurt container stuck on his head (and who is, thereafter known as "Yogurt Skunk"), three gangster bakers and a nemesis fancy cat (who arrives at their door with bells and bows) named Princess Fancy. It strikes me as being a stream-of-consciousness exercise and just ends up feeling kind of weird.

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think it's supposed to be cute and fanciful, but it missed the mark for me. Lulu is not a charming character; she's actually a jerk to her family and friends quite frequently. Her dad is never present, her mom is nice but absent minded and somewhat neglectful, her best friend is a daddy long legs (which isn't a spider...). It's hard to care about anyone. I found the cat to be a particularly weird chapter.

[Megan Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was really cute. A little disjointed and scattered. Definitely eclectic, but it was cute.
I also just like the phrase True Blue Love. Bless.

[Jennifer Sommer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would be classified as a fantasy due to the talking animals that play a large part of this story. Lulu Atlantis is very unhappy when her mother comes home with a new baby brother, Sam. Her mother has no time for her and Lulu decides to run away from home with her friend Harry, a Daddy long-legged spider who wears a green vest, red bow-tie and tophat. Harry adores her and is her constant companion, giving advise whenever asked. Lulu is in search of "true blue love" and wonders what it is and how to find it. She's sure her father would know the answer, but he is away on a trip to save some endangered animal or plant, as he often is. There are four stories where the reader meets Yogurt Skunk, the baking gangsters, Princess Fancy Cat, and the Eggman. Through an unfortunate accident during a picnic, Lulu finally understands the meaning of true blue love. I have to admit that I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book, and I did cry at the end. It is beautifully written and will entertain young children in grade 3-5. I highly recommend it.

[Conan Tigard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lulu Atlantis and the Quest for True Blue Love is a fun read for kids that have graduated from Early Chapter books to Young Reader books. The text is nice and large and the characters in the stories are a lot of fun. Although, I must say, that little Lulu Atlantis sure can be a little stinker sometimes. She wasn't always the nicest girl in this book, being mean to her little brother, even though he didn't do anything but get born. And later, she is really nasty to her best friend, Harry the Spider. Maybe that's because she really didn't know what true blue love was then.

Patricia Martin does a fine job writing this story and has a wonderful imagination for things that little girls will do. Her main character is very real in that she has many emotions and doesn't quite know how to handle all of them. She turns to Harry for help a lot of the time and he rides in her pocket to stay safe.

As for Princess Fancy, she is a nasty little piece of work, only truly caring about herself, as most cats do. The illustrations are good, I just wish that there were more of them, rather than just the one at the beginning of each chapter.

Overall, Lulu Atlantis and the Quest for True Blue Love is a great book that young girls will especially enjoy.

I rated this book an 8 out of 10.

[Jane G Meyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

When the young, female, New York editors who are now in charge of children's books, (even though they may not have children--or even have that much experience with children,) talk to us writers about wanting quirky material--well, this book perfectly fits the bill. It is about as quirky as quirky gets.

Though the plot line is as conventional as you can find, Martin finds ways to make the story feel fresh and fun. She introduces good guy gangsters and insects who talk... She plays with language and generally you can tell she had a fun time getting to know these characters and fiddling with the plot. It was a fast read--fun to zip through, but not a book that I see becoming a classic.

I love the cover...it's what caught me in the first place.

[Traci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lulu Atlantis has all the imagination and spunk as Junie B. Jones. But unlike Junie, Lulu has impeccable grammar and an impressive vocabulary. On her quest for True Blue Love, we meet an array of interesting characters including her best friend Harry who just happens to be a top-hat wearing daddy long legs spider. I loved this book and I think it would be great for relunctant readers in 4th or 5th grade. Since the main character is a girl, it might have more appeal for girls. It also deals with new sibling issues.

[Hoover Public Library Kids and Teens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lulu Atlantis has all the imagination and spunk as Junie B. Jones. But unlike Junie, Lulu has impeccable grammar and an impressive vocabulary. On her quest for True Blue Love, we meet an array of interesting characters including her best friend Harry who just happens to be a top-hat wearing daddy long legs spider. I loved this book and I think it would be great for reluctant readers in 4th or 5th grade. Since the main character is a girl, it might have more appeal for girls. It also deals with new sibling issues.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lulu Atlantis has a best friend, Harry, who is a spider. When her mom brings home a new baby, Lulu and Harry run away. They make a new friend on their adventure- a skunk. The book it divided up into parts and each part has its own unrelated adventure. Lulu wants to know "what is true blue love"? This is a quirky little book with real emotion dealing with real life problems for a child- a new sibling, a traveling (absent) dad, wanting to help mom but not knowing how, and loss of a friend. My 9 year old daughter loved this book so much when we finished she said "I want to buy this book!"

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmm... I think I know what the book was trying to do, but the method was at times tedious and often too dark and bitter for the target audience (7-10). I liked the Yogurt Skunk and Harry very much, and in the end of course Lulu Atlantis finds her answer (with some help from the endearing Eggman). But the quest... well, it didn't make me want to keep reading page after page. In fact, I looked forward to taking breaks!

[Roxanne Hsu Feldman]

I have becoming really crotchety lately. I can't finish this one... maybe others think it is charming -- I feel that there is way too much forced humor (supposed humor?) and too many random happenings. I'm half way through it... Betsy, do I have to finish it? Is there some adhesive moments toward the end that tie all the threads together? I need some help with understanding this one. LOVE the cover, though -- but why is Harry the Spider on the BACK, not the front?

[Bill Prosser · Rating 2 out of 5]

Parts of this book were enjoyable, a little girl makes imaginary friend with a spider because she feels left out after the birth of her little brother. But then, more characters are introduced and the line between real and imaginary gets very blurry, and the book becomes bizarre. Who is the Eggman anyway!?

[Amy Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

3rd/4th grade
Lulu Atlantis has a best friend named Harry (a daddylongleg spider). In this book she searches for True Blue Love, she meets a Fancy Cat who isn't so nice, she meets a skunk called yogurt and she has to deal with a father who is never around and a mother who spends a lot of time with Lulu's new baby brother. Her life is very adventurous!

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was quirky and delightful. Lulu Atlantis is having a difficult time of things. She has to deal with her father never being home, her new baby brother Sam, and THAT FELINE. Accompanied by her faithful friend, Harry the top hat-wearing spider, Lulu's quest for true blue love will connect her to such fabulous characters as The Eggman, Yogurt Skunk, and the Gangster Bakers.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Once we got past the first story we liked it a lot better. But It did have touching moments when Lulu made some realizations about love, being loved, and friendship. And as a mother, I'm glad any child can imagine having a friend like Harry.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Four episodes in which Lulu and her imaginary friends search for True Blue Love. Lulu is jealous of her brother. At first I thought this was a good idea for a picture book, that had gone on too long. I think it would be a good read-aloud

[Dana Grimes · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up because I loved the cover art and the fact that the back said it had "a fancy cat" in it, but was really disappointed. I forced myself to finish just to see what the resolution would be, but will not recommend. I like quirky, but the story was not compelling.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet children's picture book that is about Lulu who discovers that True Blue Love takes compassion and kindness on both sides of a relationship.

[Tessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

a delightful story of friendship.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, but kind of confusing.

[Charlene Cruz]

i love this book!!!!!

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

great strong female heroine

[Alexandria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is completely enjoyable. I have recommended It often.

[The Styling Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an odd, lovely book. Such a pleasure to read.