Fleischman, Sid Books

The Whipping Boy

Sid Fleischman

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 137 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

The Whipping Boy 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This title was on a Summer Reading List. It was a great, quick read for my son. He is in 6th grade. It kept his interest, he understood it, and he didn't get bored away from reading it. Boys his age were characters in the story.

A really good book 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This book certainly deserved the Newberry Medal. Its a good and interesting story. One that is harsh at first but has a moral in the end.

Editorial Review:

For kids to get their dose of action and thrills, they need not always go to the local multiplex for the latest bang 'em up film. They could try such books as The Whipping Boy, which relies not on exploding spaceships and demonic robots but mythic story, humorous characters and, ready or not, a moral. The plot involves the orphan Jemmy, who must take the whippings for the royal heir, Prince Brat. Jemmy plans to flee this arrangement until Prince Brat beats him to it, and takes Jemmy along. Jemmy then hears he's charged with the Prince's abduction as this Newbery Medal winning book turns toward a surprising close.

The Trouble Begins at 8: A Life of Mark Twain in the Wild, Wild West

Sid Fleischman

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Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> General
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

"Mark Twain was born fully grown, with a cheap cigar clamped between his teeth." So begins Sid Fleischman's ramble-scramble biography of the great American author and wit, who started life in a Missouri village as a barefoot boy named Samuel Clemens.

Abandoning a career as a young steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River, Sam took a bumpy stagecoach to the Far West. In the gold and silver fields, he expected to get rich quick. Instead, he got poor fast, digging in the wrong places. His stint as a sagebrush newspaperman led to a duel with pistols. Had he not survived, the world would never have heard of Tom Sawyer or Huckleberry Finn—or red-headed Mark Twain.

Samuel Clemens adopted his pen name in a hotel room in San Francisco and promptly made a jumping frog (and himself) famous. His celebrated novels followed at a leisurely pace; his quips at jet speed. "Don't let schooling interfere with your education," he wrote.

Here, in high style, is the story of a wisecracking adventurer who came of age in the untamed West; an ink-stained rebel who surprised himself by becoming the most famous American of his time. Bountifully illustrated.

Escape!: The Story of The Great Houdini

Sid Fleischman

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

An excellent, lively text makes for a biography perfect for reports. 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Ages 9 and older will find ESCAPE a vivid story of master escape artist and magician Houdini, a man who could walk through brick walls and escape the most impossible circumstances. This biography comes from an author who was a former professional magician himself, and offers stories of how the son of an impoverished rabbi changed himself into the world-known Houdini. An excellent, lively text makes for a biography perfect for reports.

A 2007 Association of Jewish Libraries Notable Book for Older Readers 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Biographies can be dull and plodding, but this one is just the opposite. Partly because of the nature of the subject - the fascinating magician, illusionist, and escape artist Harry Houdini - and partly because of the bright prose of the author, this biography is engaging, humorous, and a pleasure to read. It is full of colorful language like prestidigitator, bamboozler, razzmatazz, razzle-dazzle, ragamuffin, derring-do, braggadocio, boondocks, bunkum, and blunderbuss. It is also infused with the showman's Jewish side, recalling Houdini's birth as Ehrich Weiss to an impoverished but scholarly rabbi in a Budapest ghetto, his self-invention and brashness as an immigrant, the effects of anti-Semitism, and his lifelong love of learning. According to the author, Jews are significant in the history of magic. Along the way we get a history lesson in vaudeville and other popular entertainments in turn of the century America and Europe. We also see Houdini as quite the overachiever; in addition to his legendary feats, he was an author, editor, pilot, and collector of magician memorabilia. REVIEWED BY SUSAN BERSON (DENVER, CO)

Editorial Review:

How did he walk through walls, escape drowning, and shatter iron chains that were tightly wrapped around him?

The rare photos in this book might help you figure it out. So might the exclusive update about the rumor that Houdini was poisoned. But just remember, a true magician never reveals his tricks. . . .

McBroom's Wonderful One-Acre Farm: Three Tall Tales

Sid Fleischman

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

Mc Broom Tells the Truth 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

Sid Fleischman Came to me on accident. This book was a yard sale find. Because his words were so magical for me as well as my son, I had to find more. I wasn't disapointed when, at yet another yard sale I found McBrooms Ghost. It was so good. I read it to several children of various ages on a camping trip. Needless to say, it was all they could talk about. I've found Amazon carries all of the McBroom writings. I will purchase them all for my childs collection. These books may be old but I hope my son can pass them on to his children

laugh riot! 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

a refreshing back to the basics book that makes kids laugh and gives parents a good grin. Fleischman and Blake are a great combo as they bring out the hidden world of rural backwaters and corny jokes. my kids are all ears and big eyes as I read, and they love to hear the tall tales get taller. we've never regretted buying this ageless classic.

Editorial Review:

purchased are all stacked on top of each other at the bottom of a muddy little pond, he thinks he's been bamboozled. But McBroom knows he's got the better of the bargain when the pond dries up to reveal an acre of soil so rich that seeds spring up into full-grown plants in no time and nickels grow into quarters.

The White Elephant

Sid Fleischman

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Subjects -> Children's Books -> Animals -> Elephants -> Fiction

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

A boy and his elephant(s) 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

The English language is chock full of funny terms and phrases. Raise the roof. Give me a hand. A fair weather friend. Yet few phrases, however creative, tend to lead to their very own children's books. Leave it to Sid Fleischman then to change all of that with a wave of his hand. Unless you are directly involved in a white elephant gift exchange, you've probably had very little reason to ponder where the term even came from. With "The White Elephant", however, they'll learn what the term means, where it came from, and the book has the added bonus of containing the ultimate in luxury pets.

Run-Run, resident of Siam and owner of the clever elephant Walking Mountain, has a pretty good life. Get up. Use Walking Elephant to clear away tree stumps or wet down dusty roads. Eat. Relax. Go back to bed. It's a simple life and it suits Run-Run just fine, though he sometimes wonders about what the world outside his tiny sphere must look like. Soon there's little time to ponder such mysteries, however. As fate would have it, one day Walking Mountain accidentally douses Prince Noi, perhaps the idlest of the king's princes, with a heavy flood of river water. As punishment, Noi sends Run-Run a gift that is also a curse. The boy is now sole owner of a beautiful and sacred white elephant. White elephants cannot be used for labor, of course, and their appetites are immense. Now Run-Run must balance the desires of an elephant who just wants to be useful against those of a prince.

I'm always pleased as punch to find a new early chapter children's book. They don't exactly have the publishing stats of fantasy novels, yet they're of great importance to young readers. And Sid Fleischman has always been God's gift to reluctant or early readers. I haven't any statistics to prove this, but I suspect that his "The Whipping Boy" is the number one best read Newbery due in large part to the word "Boy" in the title and its enormously rewarding length (or lack thereof). So it should come as little surprise at this point to find Fleischman bestowing yet another well-written title on our shelves. Part of what I loved about this book was the fact that the elephants acted like elephants. They don't go putting on clothes like Babar and start discussing the weather. No sir! Fleischman even avoids that most tempting of children's literary techniques, the dream sequence. No easy outs for this fellow. Therefore, by the end of the book your kids will be able to discuss what elephants like to eat, why caring for their feet is important, and the sometimes deadly use of their tusks.

I've often said that it is far more difficult for an author to pen well-written early chapter fare than complex 400+ paged tomes. If brevity is a skill then Fleischman has it in spades. Not only do you understand each character's personality, but the author even goes so far as to illustrate Run-Run's dreams of seeing more than his own private corner of the world. More impressive still is a small section of the book wherein Run-Run has a private conversation with himself on whether or not to return the white elephant. Each sentence in the book gets its own line. "A white elephant must be obeyed. Mustn't the prince, also, be obeyed? True. And he will be furious. But isn't the prince always furious? Wipe your nose. I am. Well? I am thinking". I don't know about you, but I have definitely had interior monologues that proceeded at a pace very similar to the dialogue found here.

Oh just buy the book already. What more can I say? It's smart and fun (let's not forget the importance of fun in children's books, okay?) and written beautifully. If more books of this stripe come out, elephants may soon become this season's penguins (if you know what I mean). A must-have for any early chapter collection you know of.

Editorial Review:

How can a beautiful white elephant be a terrible curse?

Run-Run, a young elephant trainer, discovers the answer when he incurs the fury of the prince. The boy's punishment? The gift of an elephant, white as a cloud. From that moment forward, the curse reveals itself. According to tradition, so rare an elephant cannot be allowed to work for its keep. It is poor Run-Run who must feed the beast the hundreds of pounds of food it eats each day, and scrub it clean, and brush its pom-pom of a tail, and wash behind its ears, and, above all, keep it from doing any work.

Oh, if only Run-Run could make the magnificent white elephant disappear! Clever as a magician, he does—but the curse has tricks of its own for Run-Run.

The 13th Floor: A Ghost Story

Sid Fleischman

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 19 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A very good book! 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I liked this book because it is sort of a mystery and history book. This book is about two kids who owe money because their parents were poor and owed money but they died. When the kids, Bud and his older sister Liz, get a telephone message from a person who works on a 13th floor of a building, they think it is a prank. When his sister goes to work and doesn't come back, Bud thinks that she when to the 13th floor. When he opens the door to the 13th floor, he finds himself on a ship with an ancestor! Bud figures out that he traveled 300 years back in time! From there it goes on from Bud learning about a ship to Liz saving the ancestor who called them from accusement of witchcraft. I am not going to tell you the rest of the story. You are going to have to read it!!!

Editorial Review:

When Buddy Stebbins stumbles onto the thirteenth floor of a shabby old building, he finds himself suddenly transported aboard a leaking pirate ship in a howling storm—three hundred years in the past! Cast adrift with Captain John Crack-stone, Buddy washes up in New England, where his plucky ancestor, Abigail, is caught up in the witchcraft mania. In an adventure filled with ghosts, witches, pirates, and razzle-dazzle treasure, Buddy might be able to save his wayward ancestors. But will he find his way back to the thirteenth floor—and home?

Bandit's Moon

Sid Fleischman

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Must Read! 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

The name of the book I am reviewing is called Bandit's Moon by Sid Fleicman. The two main characters are Joquin Murita and Anyyrose Smith. In the beginning of the story Joquin ,the bandit,takes Annyrose but he is after another character named Calicos. Joquin and Annyrose help each other out. Annyrose teaches Joquin to read while Joquin helps Annyrose to find her brother Lank. To find out more read this great book.

Editorial Review:

Annyrose Smith is a true child of calamity, but she is determined to overcome it. So what if she's an orphan? So what if she's stuck with the vilest landlady in California, while her brother's off trying to strike gold? So what if Joaquín Murieta and his band of notorious outlaws swoop in and take her away? The fearsome bandit thinks Annyrose can help him in his quest for justice, and she thinks he can help her search for her long-lost brother. She's not about to let anything stop her, not the mistaken identities, the daring robberies, the wild chases, or her unlikely friendship with the Mexican Robin Hood.

The Entertainer and the Dybbuk

Sid Fleischman

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

Excellent Story 5 out of 5 stars.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.

This story is so well written that my 8-year-old son didn't want me to put the book down until all the facts and details were known. Sid Fleischman keeps you invested in finding out more about the plight and connection between an American ventriloquist and the spirit of a young Jewish boy. This is an astonishing story about differences and justice. A must read for young and old.

Editorial Review:

One night The Great Freddie, a young ventriloquist, is possessed by a dybbuk.

A what?

A Jewish spirit. A scrappy demon who glows as if spray-painted by moonlight.

The dybbuk is revealed to be the ghost of a twelve-year-old boy named Avrom Amos, a victim of the Nazis during World War II. In a plucky scheme to seek revenge, he commandeers The Great Freddie's stage act and entraps the entertainer in the postwar ashes of Germany. Behind the footlights, the dybbuk lights up the terrible fate of a million and a half Jewish children, including Avrom himself.

What tricks does the dybbuk have up his ghostly sleeve? Prepare to be astonished. . . .

Here Comes McBroom: Three More Tall Tales

Sid Fleischman

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Whimsical Fun! 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I read this book in grade school and I couldn't put it down. Sid Fleischman is the best tall tale writer ever born. If you are very imaginative, than this book is for you!

My favorite books as a kid 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I loved the McBroom books as a kid. Unfortunately, I didn't have the books anymore. So, now that I have my own kids, I decided to buy these books. The stories are still there and I give them a rating of 5 out of 5. BUT!!! These are not the hardback books that I used to have. The hardbacks had better pictures and larger print for kids to be more entertained with and easier for them to read. If you haven't read these before, then I highly recommend them. If you are buying for your kids to read, get the hardbacks if you can find them.

Works for readers across generations 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

A book my husband loved as a child and one our children enjoyed just as much!

Editorial Review:

In the further adventures of Josh McBroom, the crops grow so fast, you'd better step out of the way when you plant corn, red barns turn blue in the cold, and words freeze still in mid-air. "As fresh as ever."--Booklist.

The Ghost in the Noonday Sun

Sid Fleischman

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

An unremarkable tale of piracy and ghosts... 2 out of 5 stars.
3 of 8 people found this review helpful.

I picked up this book because I enjoyed The Whipping Boy and like good stories about pirates...I thought this book would be a perfect match for me.

I did enjoy the book, but it felt like it had no real content. The story is the traditional type. A bored young boy finds adventure on the high seas when he becomes unwillingly entangled with pirates. Sound familiar? I found myself constantly reminded of Treasure Island while reading this. If you're just looking for a pirate tale, you'll do better to pick that up.

However, if you've finished Treasure Island, and absolutely loved it...if you're stomping around the house shouting "Shiver me timbers!" and "Avast there, matey!", then you'll find this book to be enjoyable enough. Just don't expect anything too memorable or thrilling. An acceptable light read. It should be noted, too, that the book may appeal more to middle school boys than it did to me. I certainly am not within its target audience.

Editorial Review:

So begin the adventures of young Oliver Finch, born at the stroke of midnight. Believing that Oliver can spy out ghosts, Captain Scratch kidnaps him, bringing him aboard the notorious pirate vessel Bloody Hand. The ship sails the high seas in pursuit of the ghost of Gentleman Jack, who paces his grave where the pirate treasure lies buried. A despicable pirate captain, a mutinous crew, a band of sly sea ghosts—Oliver is determined to outfox them all and get safely home. It's a tale of treachery, intrigue, and suspense!