Raskin, Ellen Books

The Mysterious Disappearance of Leon (I Mean Noel) (I Mean Noel)

Ellen Raskin

Amazon Price: $5.99 List Price: $5.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Puffin Amazon Marketplace: 49 new & used starting at $0.01

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 9-12 -> General
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 9-12 -> General AAS
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Authors & Illustrators, A-Z -> ( R ) -> Raskin, Ellen

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 23 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

QofA#15 4 out of 5 stars.
7 of 8 people found this review helpful.

In the beginning of The Mysterious Disappearance of Leon (I mean Noel) there is a girl named Caroline Fish who lives with her family. She loves the color purple and she loves flowers. The Fish family grows wonderful tomatoes. Next door lives a boy named Leon Carillon whose family grew delicious potatoes. One night Mrs. Fish and Mrs. Carillon decide to make a soup with their potatoes and tomatoes and it was the best soup anyone had ever tasted. At age 5 Caroline marries Leon (Noel).
In the middle of the story Leon (Noel) goes away to school. One day Caroline receives a letter from Leon, as she does every month, saying "Noel glub C blub all... I glub new..." (p.27). What sense does this make? By now you know there is a mystery to solve, but, can you solve it? You will find out at the end if you really know what happened to Leon... or is it Noel?
One of the main characters in this book is Leon (Noel). He is a very smart man who knows what he is doing. He loves horses and Caroline very much. Another character in the novel is Caroline. She is a very nice lady looking for her husband. She wears a lot of purple flowers and does not wear underwear. She was married at age 5 has not seen her husband for very long time. After she goes to New York she becomes the mother of two orphan twins. One of the twin's names is Tina. Tina is a very smart girl and is very good at solving mysteries. She helps Caroline solve the mystery by doing little things. The other twin is Tony. He is also very smart and good at figuring out mysteries. The money maker in the mystery's name is Mr. Banks. He is a very intelligent person and jumps to conclusions when he is confused. The best person at solving mysteries is Augie Kunkel. He is a friend of Caroline's from their childhood. He helps the twins try to find out where Leon (Noel) is. Augie has a head injury and now he has to wear a football helmet so he does not hurt it again. These are the main characters in the mystery.
The story takes place in anywhere that starts with New like New York and New Jersey. They moved a lot looking for Leon (Noel). The genre of this story is definitely a mystery. You would like this book if you like mysteries and if you can follow fast moving books.
I would compare this book to The Westing Game. Both of these books are mysteries, have many characters, are looking for someone, and are fast moving. The Westing Game and this book are very good books and are by the same author, Ellen Rasken. How this story is different from other mysteries is that it makes you think you know the answer when you really don't. Some comparisons to the Westing game are the Westing game has more characters and more action but they are pretty much the same. Ellen Rasken is an excellent writer. I love the way she writes, and she is one of my favorite authors. I really liked this book as I enjoy the challenge of trying to find out who, what, and why! I spent many late nights reading until I fell asleep, only to wake the next morning to reading some more. This book will not let you put it down! So if you want to know what happened to Leon or Noel, you'll have to read this book.

Editorial Review:

For the answers to many important questions, children should try this "story crammed with baffling word puzzles, a dozen zany characters, uproariously funny situations, and unmitigated slapstick."--The Horn Book. Illustrated.

Spectacles

Ellen Raskin

List Price: $10.95 By: Marcel Dekker Amazon Marketplace: 6 new & used starting at $29.69

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Authors & Illustrators, A-Z -> ( R ) -> Raskin, Ellen
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Issues -> General
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Issues -> General AAS

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

Great for little girls with new glasses! 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

Spectacles is a great book for little girls that have just received their first pair of glasses. Getting glasses can be traumatic for some little girls, but this book shows how important glasses are. Iris sees things in a cloudy way. She thinks items around her home are different animals and dragons. In reality, when she puts her glasses on she realizes that the animals are really furniture, plants and sometimes people. The ending of the book is fun, because my daughter could relate to trying on the different kinds of glasses. She especially liked the movie star glasses. It is a great book for 4-9 year old kids, especially girls. I wish it was not out of print, because I recommend this book to everyone that is getting new glasses.

Editorial Review:

Nearsighted Iris Fogel says that she sees a fire-breathing dragon and a giant pygmy nuthatch. Iris finally gets glasses and sees things in a different--and clearer--way! Four-color and black-and-white illustrations.

The Tattooed Potato and Other Clues

Ellen Raskin

List Price: $15.95 By: Dutton Juvenile Amazon Marketplace: 12 new & used starting at $15.26

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 9-12 -> General
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 9-12 -> General AAS
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Authors & Illustrators, A-Z -> ( R ) -> Raskin, Ellen

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

An All-Time Favorite 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 5 people found this review helpful.

I was fortunate enough to read "The Tattooed Potato and other clues" a few times before my local library took it off the shelves. I absolutely love this book and it's still among my top five favorites though now that I'm older (and hopefully wiser) I've read a wider selection of profound and celebrated literature. I'm rathe saddened by the fact that I cannot find this book any longer even at the library.

In this story, an art student by the name of Dickory Dock (a name that makes her cringe thanks to the inevitable puns with it) becomes an assistant to Garson, a mysterious and eccentric artist living in Greenwich village.

Mysteries within a mystery is the best way to describe the events of this book-- Dickory and Garson begin solving cases for the police chief, acting as Inspector Noserag (Garson backwards, almost) and Sergeant Kod (Dock backwards, almost) as they deduce. 'Sergeant Kod' starts to form her own deductions as she gets to know the many faces of Garson and finds herself entangled in a bigger mystery.

Highly recommended! I strongly urge you to read it should the oppurtunity presents itself-- it's hard to come by this great book now that it is out-of-print.

Editorial Review:

Answering an advertisement for an artist's assistant involves seventeen-year-old Dickory Dock in several mysteries and their ultimate solutions.

Ghost in a Four-Room Apartment (Junior Literary Guild Selection)

Ellen Raskin

List Price: $9.95 By: Marcel Dekker Amazon Marketplace: 8 new & used starting at $7.91

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Baby-3 -> General
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Baby-3 -> General AAS
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 4-8 -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Great for spooky voices 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Loved this book as a kid. May get it for my own, once he's a little older.

Piping Down the Valleys Wild: Poetry for the Young of All Ages

List Price: $4.95 By: Delacorte Press Amazon Marketplace: 6 new & used starting at $3.48

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Authors & Illustrators, A-Z -> ( R ) -> Raskin, Ellen
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Literature -> Poetry -> General
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Literature -> Poetry -> General AAS

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

This was my favorite book as a child. 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I treasured this book as a child. My allowance was usually spent on books, stuffed animals or candy. I don't really have anything left from my childhood spending sprees except a worn, fragile copy of Piping Down the Valleys Wild that I spent 95 cents for in the early 70s. This is the most wonderful collection of children's poems that I have ever come across. Both adults and children are brought to laughter at the antics of "Eat it Alll Elaine", "Catherine"s sharing of her mud cake, or the little boy in "Missing" asking Aunt Rose if she's seen his mouse. The poems are wonderfully visual and instilled in me a love of poetry that I still have today. This remains my all time favorite book of poetry and I'm glad it was re-issued so that I might share this gift with my son and give him his own copy to take with him.

Editorial Review:

Here is a rich and varied collection of poetry for use by children, parents and teachers. The introduction includes advice on choosing poetry for children and reading poetry aloud.

Figgs & Phantoms

Ellen Raskin

List Price: $20.75 By: Peter Smith Pub Inc Amazon Marketplace: 2 new & used starting at $36.98

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 9-12 -> General
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 9-12 -> General AAS
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Authors & Illustrators, A-Z -> ( R ) -> Raskin, Ellen

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Good book, but perhaps not for every child. 4 out of 5 stars.
11 of 12 people found this review helpful.

The Figgs are an odd family and Mona Lisa Figg regrets being one. They have their own special place to go after death (Capri), they are all talented in some bizarre way and they revel in their unordinariness. Mona's not sure she believes in Capri, can find no specific talent and just wants to be like everyone else.

The only Figg she cares for is her Uncle Florence. When he dies, she finds Capri for herself, wanting to stay with him. This journey, naturally, makes her a better person in the end, more understanding and loving of her family and herself, and grants her a peace she hadn't had before.

There are some extremely funny bits and lots of nearly psychedelic incidents. Though it is listed as a juvenile book, I feel that it should be slanted more towards the young adult category as some of it simply too complex for a juvenile book. Some of the word play, situations and themes would be--in my opinion--meaningless or confusion to anyone younger than the late teens. Having said that, I can not give it a blanket recommendation and would recommend that a parent read it first to see if the discussion of death and the afterlife would be appropriate for their child.

Editorial Review:

Mona is miserable. Her family consists of Sister Figg Newton; Truman, the human pretzel; Aunt Gracie Jo, the dog catcher; and her son, Fido the Second. The only person Mona likes is her Uncle Florence, the book dealer, until she learns that things are seldom what they seem. Illustrated.

Who, Said Sue, Said Whoo?

Ellen Raskin

List Price: $1.95 By: MacMillan Publishing Company Amazon Marketplace: 4 new & used starting at $0.41

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Baby-3 -> General
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Baby-3 -> General AAS
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 9-12 -> General

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

A fun children's book. 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Having grown up with this book, published in 1973, I was very happy to find it at the library to share with my one-year-old son. He enjoys the rhyme and rhythm and the funny pictures. It's so memorable that I can quote it to him anytime and elicit a smile.