The Dark Blue 100-Ride Bus Ticket

by Margaret Mahy

When Carlo and his mother, Jessica, accept a free bus ticket from a strange old woman in the supermarket, they are really only being polite. Secretly they think she must be slightly batty, with her talk about hundred free bus rides to the supermarket at the end of the world. How ... read full description below.

Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Childrens

160 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2009

About the author

Margaret Mahy was a well-known New Zealand author of children's and young adult books. While the plots of many of her books have strong supernatural elements, her writing concentrates on the themes of human relationships and growing up.

Her books The Haunting and The Changeover: A Supernatural Romance both received the Carnegie Medal of the British Library Association. There have 100 children's books, 40 novels, and 20 collections of her stories published. Among her children's books, A Lion in the Meadow and The Seven Chinese Brothers and The Man Whose Mother was a Pirate are considered national classics. Her novels have been translated into German, French, Spanish, Dutch, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Italian, Japanese, Catalan and Afrikaans. In addition, some stories have been translated into Russian, Chinese and Icelandic.

For her contributions to children's literature she was made a member of the Order of New Zealand. The Margaret Mahy Medal Award was established by the New Zealand Children's Book Foundation in 1991 to provide recognition of excellence in children's literature, publishing and literacy in New Zealand. In 2006 she was awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Award (known as the Little Nobel Prize) in recognition of a "lasting contribution to children's literature".

Margaret Mahy died on 23 July 2012.

On 29 April 2013, New Zealand’s top honour for children’s books was renamed the New Zealand Post Margaret Mahy Book of the Year award.

For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret...

Reviews

[Margot Lindgren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Margaret Mahy at her best. A supermarket that sells amazing things such as Optional Soup. New friends who are brave enough to fight the evil Dowlers who want to get inside the Supermarket at the End of the World. This book would make a perfect read aloud for a family or for a class of children in Grades 3 or 4. It is filled with imagination and heart!

[Dan Organ · Rating 4 out of 5]

NZ author Margaret Mahy has written a really imaginative book for young adults.

[Mabearbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book full of adventure that will charm you on every page.

[Deb Tregilgas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful, well written adventure tale for children.

[Sarah Thornton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book with almost-parrots is almost as good as a book with actual parrots.

[Penny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm sure this book would get five stars if I were the intended market. I know that I'm not and I'm ok with that - I love a bit of research Margaret! This story is brim-full of fun language/word twisting. The realms of possible items found in the Supermarket at the End of the World are entrancing. Here's an excerpt I loved: "The label was headed with the words OPTIONAL SOUP in large blue letters and then, under that, was a long list in smaller print: Tomato, Cockaleekie, Mixed Vegetable, Turtle, Onion, Octopus, Gunpowder... and so on. 'Tick the desired flavour,' said a message along the bottom of the label. 'Heat and Serve.' Now that's a kind of soup I'd like to buy, wouldn't you? Bravo Margaret Mahy! Another champion book for the young generation :)

[Lynda]

A gentle fantasy suitable for 7-9 year olds. Young Carlo and his mother Jessica, receive a free ‘100-ride’ bus ticket that takes them to the Supermarket at the End of the World, where buying anything – cheaply – is possible. Some of the treats include Exploding Porridge, Ding Dongs and Soap-and-Raisin biscuits (wash first, eat later). Along the way, they make new friends like young Pearlie and her Dad, Dominic. They all must resist overusing their magic ticket, and also resist allowing the ticket, and themselves, to fall into the power of the awful Dowlers who wish to take and destroy this magic bus and supermarket. This book gently resonated with ‘The Polar Express’ and the Night Bus in ‘Harry Potter’.

[Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book made me think about kindness when in the book Jessica said, 'I'm sorry. It was our fault, what with Carlo walking so close behind you. Hey Carlo, pick up those things. Oh, some of your eggs are broken, I'll pay for them.' Carlo looked at Jessica. They had scarcely enough money to last the week.
The writer is teaching us about kindness because throughout the book Carlo and Jessica help other people when they have near to nothing in the way of money for the week.
In my opinion, you need kindness in literally everyday life. 'Treat someone how you would want to be treated.' 'What goes around comes around.' 'If you don't have something nice to say don't speak.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

fun, adventure, fantasy and happy endings, the kids loved it!

[Rosie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a good book about Dowlers try to take over the super market.

[Charlotte Avery · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually quite liked this book. Very fun and adventurous.