Arthur and the Forbidden City

Besson, Luc

ISBN 10: 0060596279 ISBN 13: 9780060596279

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2005

Synopsis

Arthur's quest takes him into the heart of the forbidden city ...

Arthur's backyard looks like a peaceful, ordinary garden -- if you are human-sized, that is. But if you're half an inch tall, like the Minimoys, this backyard is a vast world where fierce battles are fought, ferocious monsters are faced, and one evil wizard, Maltazard the Cursed, rules with cruel power from his terrifying stronghold: Necropolis, the forbidden city.

Now ten-year-old Arthur -- magically transformed into a Minimoy -- and his Minimoy companions, brave Princess Selenia and mischievous Prince Betameche, must somehow find a way into this forbidden city. Their mission: to rescue Arthur's grandfather, recover a stolen treasure, and save the land of the Minimoys once and for all, before it's too late.

But once you're inside the forbidden city .... can you ever get out again?

About this title

About the Author:

Luc Besson is the highly acclaimed screenwriter, producer, and director of such movies as The Fifth Element, The Messenger: Joan of Arc, Leon, and La Femme Nikita. He lives in France.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 4-6–This sequel to Besson's Arthur and the Minimoys (HarperCollins, 2005) continues the story of a boy who, in search of his missing grandfather lost while exploring in Africa, found himself shrunken to a half-inch tall. Arthur was caught up in an adventure with the Minimoys, a tiny race of people inhabiting his grandmother's garden. Here, Arthur journeys with the Minimoy Princess Selenia and her brother Betameche in search of the forbidden city of Necropolis, home of the villainous wizard Maltazard. They must make their way past sticky spider webs and Maltazard's threatening henchmen, and Arthur falls in love with Selenia. The author, a well-known film director, has not succeeded so well as a children's book author. The plot is weak and muddled. The prose–admittedly a translation–is filled with pronouncements laden with exclamation points and attempts at humor that weigh down the story. Readers also meet Arthur's parents, who act in buffoonish and inappropriate ways as they search for him. Arthur, in love, behaves as if he has at least passed puberty, although he's only supposed to be 10. He even marries Princess Selenia–who is alternately charming and annoying–fairly early in the story. Besson, however, plans to turn this weak tale into an animated adventure in 2006 that will feature Madonna as the voice of Princess Selenia. So beware, all those who decide to skip Forbidden City.–Walter Minkel, New York Public Library
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About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0060596279
• ISBN 13: 9780060596279
• Binding: Library Binding
• Number of pages: 192