Seidler, Tor Books

Gully's Travels

Tor Seidler

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Gulliver leads the cushiest life imaginable. His master, a well-to-do professor, gives him everything a Lhasa apso could possibly want: a fashionable Manhattan address, a fancy collar, classical music, premium dog food. They even spend their summers in Paris! But it’s in Paris that his master, Professor Rattigan, falls in love with a woman who turns out to be allergic to long-haired dogs. Forced to choose between his prospective wife and his beloved pet, Professor Rattigan sadly gives Gulliver up—to his doorman, Carlos Montoya. And so it is that the refined, purebred Lhasa finds himself in a cramped, ramshackle household in Queens, along with a family of raucous human beings and three deplorable mutts. Once the initial shock and horror wear off, Gulliver forms a plan to escape his wretched situation. The plan goes awry. But just as Gulliver begins to make a grudging peace with his new reality, the Montoyas take him along for a day at the beach, where he gets swept up in a harrowing new adventure. Only after crossing an ocean and learning a thing or two about what’s really important in life does Gulliver find his true home.

The Wainscott Weasel

Tor Seidler

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 25 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Couldn't put it down 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This was a wonderful story which takes place at a location Mr. Seidler used to visit and that means a lot to him. The weasel society enjoys life and dancing, and even has its own celebrity, Bagley Brown. Bagley has a secret crush that would raise eyebrows if it were discovered, and he questions a pretty weasel's crush on him because he's never done anything great enough to earn the honor of sharing his father's name. Circumstances happen to change his destiny, and the destiny of his tough-guy rival, Zeke Whitebelly. I liked the theme of loving someone who's different, because even in this day and age the love of someone for a person of a different color or faith still raises some eyebrows. The way the book ended was a complete surprise to me, and the description of the beautiful lake with the ocean nearby made me wish I could pay a visit.

Editorial Review:

While other young weasels dance under the pines, Bagley thinks about Bridget, the mesmerizing fish who lives in a pond down the brook from his den. Only a true hero can save Bridget from the gruesome death that awaits her'and this is exactly what Bagley, much to his own surprise, proves himself to be.

Notable Children's Books of 1994 (ALA)
100 Books for Reading and Sharing 1993 (NY Public Library)
1993 "Pick of the Lists" (ABA)

Toes

Tor Seidler

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Sad but beautiful 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 5 people found this review helpful.

I have to respond to the "Reader in Vancouver" who slammed this book. My daughters, who are 8 and 6 (and advanced readers, as well as cat lovers) loved this book, and so did I. No, Toes's abilities are not realistic, yet neither is the book a magical fantasy. It's more the sort of story one would make up about a beloved cat. I cried at the end, when Toes is dying, but it's important for children to learn that death is an inevitable part of life. Toes's death is sad, but his life and what he does for his friend, the musician, mean that his memory will live on. I would especially recommend this book for families where a beloved pet (or family member, for that matter) is growing old. Its lesson might help provide comfort when a child has to deal with grief.

Editorial Review:

Tor Seidler's sweet and humorous story about Toes, the runt of a litter of cats who is born with seven toes on each paw.

Intelligent and aptly named, Toes has seven toes on each foot. The other kittens, fearing his condition might be contagious, refuse to play with him. So one night, a lonely Toes runs away. He takes refuge in a strange basement, where a struggling musician named Sebastian eventually finds him. As he grapples with his own insecurities as a violinist, Sebastian learns from Toes that the most beautiful duet can be the one made by true friendship.

National Book Award finalist Tor Seidler once again introduces an endearing animal who will live in readers' hearts forever.

A Rat's Tale

Tor Seidler

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 19 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Although young Montague Mad-Rat lives in--or rather, under--New York City, he know very few rats besides his mother, who makes hats, his father, who builds mud castles, and his globe-trotting Aunt Elizabeth. But Montague's life takes an abrupt turn for the eventful the stormy day he meets Isabel Moberly-Rat on his way home from Central Park. Home, for Montague, is an old sewer pipe. He now learns that there is a cityful of other rats out there who inhabit abandoned piers and lead considerably less eccentric and more luxurious lives than his family. What's more, these rats are in the midst of a grave crises. A human being has decided to turn their piers into parking lots, and an extermination campaign is already under way. As Montague stumbles into this wider, bewildering world, he long to help ratdom (and impress Isabel). But what can he do, when his only talent is painting the seashells his Aunt Elizabeth brings him from her travels? And to make matters worse, it turns out that a drunken uncle of his, Montague Mad-Rat the Elder, has made their name a standing joke in the rat world. For the first time in his life, young Montague finds out what it is to feel helpless and alone--little realizing that he has not only Isabel and his seashells on his side but his despised drunken uncle as well.

Mean Margaret (Laura Geringer Books)

Tor Seidler

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Whimsical 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This is a charming story about a nit-picky woodchuck named Fred who has his life turned upside down; first by his marriage to Phoebe, and right on top of that by the appearance of a lost human baby on his doorstep. The baby, who Phoebe names Margaret, is not only your typical demanding toddler, but her family life has resulted in her developing an especially unpleasant personality. Margaret's presence forces Fred to adapt to change and circumstances he once would never have accepted. Her absence likewise inspires her human family to make some changes of their own. Even Margaret herself is changed by the experience. The friendship and generosity of Squirrel, Skunk, and Snake (however unwillingly on Snake's part) was appealing as I had never imagined a friendship between the species, or pictured a snake as a cherished friend.

Editorial Review:

Question: What do a pair of newlywed woodchucks, a squirrel, a testy snake, a skunk, and a couple of bats have in common with a family of pudgy human beings named Hubble?

Answer: Their lives are all turned topsy-turvy by a tyrannical three-year-old named Margaret.

Question: Will Mean Margaret ever realize that there's more to life than being nasty to everybody?

Answer: Read this touching comedy and find out.

Praise for The Wainscott Weasel
An ALA Notable Children's Book

`It's just possible that not since a spider named Charlotte saved a pig named Wilbur has there been a more tender tale of interspecies love and devotion.' 'The New York Times Book Review

`This well-realized fantasy has everything a reader could want: adventure, humor, and style.' 'Starred/ALA Booklist

The Dulcimer Boy

Tor Seidler

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

A masterfully written tale with powerful imagery. 4 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

In an eerie world where people have cold and hard hearts, twin baby boys are left at the doorstep of their uncle's house. They grow up into odd boys and are kept hidden from the world because of their strangeness. The only thing they have from their parents is a dulcimer. The dulcimer has a powerful attraction for William, the stronger of the twins, and he decides to take the wonderful instrument and flee. This is a dark, almost gothic story, where cruelty to children is commonplace. In a Dickensian world, where orphaned youngsters are thrown away or used for profit, William and his lonely little brother seem to be the pawns of chance.
True to the Dickensian model, a stranger steps in to help the boys in their time of need, and we are relieved to have a happy ending.

Tor Seidler has infused small pieces of wry humor into his story, which adds to the weird nature of the book. For example, the horrible aunt and uncle are called Mr. and Mrs. Carbuncle. A carbuncle can be a gem, but it can also be a terrible sore. There is one aspect of the story that is puzzling: How can William leave his poor, defenseless brother in the home of his cruel aunt and uncle? How can he abandon Jules, a boy who does not speak and who is so frail and ill? There is a magical and ethereal quality to William, an almost spirit-like element to his personality. Yet, at the same time, he is heartless enough to leave his brother behind.

THE DULCIMER BOY is a disturbing book that left me feeling more than a little uncomfortable. Nevertheless, it is a masterfully written tale with powerful imagery. Seidler has written a book that is deeply moving, thought provoking, and will appeal to many different kinds of readers.

--- Reviewed by Marya Jansen-Gruber

Editorial Review:

A weathered stranger delivers an old wicker chest to the Carbuncles' doorstep. In it they find two sleeping baby boys and an enchanting silver-stringed instrument. For the sake of appearing charitable, the Carbuncles take the boys in, but William and Jules are consigned to the chilly attic, and the dulcimer is locked away -- until William is old enough to play it.

In an unforgettable journey, William discovers a natural musical talent and the key to unlocking his and Jules's mysterious past.

The Steadfast Tin Soldier

Hans Christian Andersen

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

THIS STORY MADE ME CRY AS A CHILD 5 out of 5 stars.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.

A little boy had a set of tin soldiers that were made from a melted spoon. One soldier was missing a leg because there was not enough metal left over from the melted spoon.

Tossed aside by the boy, the one-legged soldier sees a paper cut out figure of a ballerina. She is poised on one leg and he feels an instant bond. He has found another one-legged toy and believes this to be love.

The steadfast tin soldier has a series of mishaps. He falls off the window sill into a stream. From there, he is transported to a rat infested sewer. He is swallowed by a fish and through an unlikely stroke of luck, winds up back in the boy's playroom with the other toys and the ballerina.

The ending is what gets to me every single time. A gust of wind lifts the paper ballerina up and she flutters into the fire place, winding up a charred heap of ashes. Devastated, the tin soldier joins her. The remaining metal that was once the tin soldier is a charred piece of heart shaped metal.

I still think this is a very sad story. The photographs really emphasize the feeling this story evokes.

Editorial Review:

When Fred Marcellino's first picture book--Puss in Boots--was published, its success was doubted. It was one of many of the same story. But Marcellino's version won a Caldecott Honor Medal and became a bestseller for an audience of all ages. Now Marcellino turns to Andersen's beloved story of the one-legged soldier and the paper ballerina he admires from afar. Full color.

The Revenge of Randal Reese-Rat

Tor Seidler

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A lively story 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Randal Reese-Rat is jealous of Montague Mad-Rat, who has saved the wharf rats of New York and won the girl of his dreams. When disaster strikes Montague, Randal is the prime suspect and he plans revenge on the entire rat colony - until an exotic female rat enters his life. Intriguing black and white drawings by Brett Helquist pepper this lively story.

Editorial Review:

The captivating sequel to a Rat's Tale

Randal Reese-Rat is mad with jealousy, believing Montague Mad-Rat has stolen Isabel, his former bride-to-be. His feelings are no secret on his wharf, and when an unthinkable crime is perpetrated against Izzy and Monty on their wedding night, Randal is the prime suspect. Now on the lam, with a price on his head and thugs on his tail, Randal involves animal friends of his in a perfect and horrible revenge on the whole rat colony. But his plans are hopelessly complicated when a new rat enters his life, an exotic she-rat who shares his unusual interest in non-rat species -- and who also happens to be a cousin of his nemesis.

Brainboy and the DeathMaster

Tor Seidler

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Darryl Kirby is an orphan. He is also a whiz at computer games -- especially those conceived by Keith Masterly, the greatest software guru of all time. But when Darryl plays a new prototype of his favorite game, StarMaster, strange things begin to happen. After he finds his way through a tortuous maze and answers questions that could stump a scientist, a mysterious message -- "WANT TO PLAY?" -- invites him into a game in which the stakes are higher than they first appear -- a game that eventually lands him in a luxurious laboratory where Masterly has enlisted a brain trust of children for a secret purpose of his own. Befriended by Nina, who suspects Masterly's motives, Darryl slowly uncovers a sinister plan and finds himself the star in his own real-life computer game. But will he and Nina be able to stop Masterly and escape before it is too late?

Brainboy and the Deathmaster is a fast-paced, high-tech mystery-adventure by National Book Award finalist Tor Seidler, author of the modern-day classic Mean Margaret.

Brothers Below Zero

Tor Seidler

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Anyone can relate to this book 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Tim lives in the shadow of his younger brother. John Henry is taller, in better shape, a star at sports, and an excellent student. But Tim has a special relationship with his great aunt Winnie, who the rest of the family write off as being eccentric. Great Aunt Winnie opens Tim's world to a new talent, one that John Henry doesn't share. As a result, Tim emerges from John Henry's shadow and begins to blossom. Readers may be, or remember being, in a sibling's shadow when it came to things like schoolwork and sports. They may even remember only being known as "X's brother/sister". While John Henry was a petty character, he was not totally cold hearted and the brothers ended up growing closer, as many siblings do. Readers may also remember a special relationship with an elderly relative, and how that relative took the time to listen and understand them. Mr. Seidler is realistic about the fact that time with an elderly relative is short and precious, and readers will be able to relate to the feelings Tim had at Great Aunt Winnie's passing.

Editorial Review:

Tim Tuttle can't hold a candle to John Henry -- not in school, not in sports, not in anything. To make matters worse, John Henry is his younger brother. However, Tim has a wonderful refuge: his friendship with his eccentric great-aunt Winifred. And when his great-aunt teaches him to paint, Tim discovers a world all his own.

Tim's newfound talent delights his parents, but it doesn't sit well with John Henry. Until one snowy Christmas Eve, when he hits upon the perfect plan to undermine Tim's glory. John Henry's sinister scheme succeeds beyond his wildest expectations and leads to a harrowing subzero adventure that changes both boys forever.

Gripping and moving, Brothers Below Zero demonstrates that Tor Seidler is one of the strongest voices writing today.