Arthur and the Minimoys - Hardcover

Besson, Luc

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060596236 ISBN 13: 9780060596231

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2005

Synopsis

Deep underground, the Minimoys are waiting . . . for a champion.

Arthur's grandfather disappeared four years ago. All he left behind are his notebooks full of stories about little -- known African tribes—including the Minimoys, a miniature people who are all less than one inch tall.

But the Minimoys can't possibly be real . . . can they?

Arthur is about to find out, as he un covers a hidden message that catapults him on an adventure wilder than he had ever imagined. In just three days, he must find a way to the land of the Minimoys, recover a stolen treasure, battle an invading force of mosquito -- riding warriors, defeat an evil wizard, win the heart of a very independent prin cess—and somehow get back home again.

It seems like an impossible task, but as he'll discover along the way, sometimes the littlest heroes can make the biggest difference. . . .

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.

Reviews

Grade 4-6–A French film director tries his hand at fantasy for children. In order to save his grandparents' home from foreclosure and find his missing grandfather, Arthur magically enters the land of the Lilliputian Minimoys through the garden, where he falls in love with tiny Princess Selenia. Now Minimoy-sized, he travels with her and her younger brother towards Necropolis, the center of power for the evil Maltazard and the place where he believes his grandfather is a prisoner. The journey is perilous and replete with battles with the villain's henchmen, and the book ends with our three heroes facing new dangers on their way to Necropolis. The jacket blurb informs readers that there will be two films based on this book and its sequel. Indeed, the volume is full of situations that are likely to work more successfully on film than in print. The author informs readers about the characters' reactions and feelings rather than revealing them through the story, and sections of the book read almost like explanations of the characters to actors. Arthur shifts from being a very young-seeming 10-year-old to being in love with and wanting to marry the princess in a way that is not believable. The narrator's tone is condescending and there are asides that appear to be addressed to adult readers. With flat characters, pedestrian descriptions of the battles, and an ending that feels incomplete rather than cliff-hanging, this book will have trouble keeping an audience.–Sue Giffard, Ethical Culture Fieldston School, New York City
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Gr. 4-6. Although this was a best-seller in France, some of its charm must have been lost in translation. Ten-year-old Arthur lives with his grandmother. His dear grandfather, an inventor and visionary who spent much time in generic "Africa," has been lost for six years, and a Snidely Whiplash villain wants to steal Grandmother's home. Arthur decides to go to the Land of the Minimoys, a tribe of people less than an inch tall that once befriended his grandfather, in hope of finding help. Once there, Arthur finds himself reduced to Minimoy size and with his work cut out for him--work that takes him into the next book. Besson, a movie writer and director (The Fifth Element), offers a real hodge-podge here, which includes a nod to Arthurian legend. The only reason to have this on hand is the publisher's massive marketing campaign, with print and radio ads along with hype for a movie to be made from this book and its sequel, Arthur and the Forbidden City, to be released in the fall.There may be demand--then disappointment. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0060596236
• ISBN 13: 9780060596231
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 240