Toby Alone

Fombelle, Timothée De; Kiechel III, Walter

ISBN 10: 1441888829 ISBN 13: 9781441888822

Publisher: Candlewick on Brilliance Audio, 2010

Synopsis

Toby Lolness may be just one and a half millimeters tall, but he’s in big trouble.

His father, a brilliant scientist, has discovered an alarming truth about the great oak Tree that Toby’s people call home: it’s alive. And if they continue digging deeper into the heart of the Tree, their whole civilization could be at risk. In an attempt to silence Professor Lolness, the builders who control things in the Tree take him and his family captive. But Toby manages to escape, taking with him the secret to the Tree’s energy—a secret his pursuers will do anything to get their hands on, even if it means killing an innocent boy.

About this title

Review

Amazon Best of the Month, March 2009:  Who says great characters need to be larger than life? Meet Toby Lolness, a boy who stands one and a half millimeters tall (just smaller than the tip of a pencil). This Lilliputian hero lives in a marvelously vast complex of trunks and branches known as the Tree, an enormous oak inhabited by a tiny civilization. Toby's idyllic childhood is threatened when his scientist father figures out what keeps the Tree alive, and what will eventually cause its death: a seemingly endless supply of sap that people hope to tap and convert into a source of energy. In this thrilling eco-allegory, young Toby is in the race of his life to rescue himself, his family and the Tree from imminent destruction by powerful corporate interests that threaten them all. Timothée de Fombelle's Toby Alone takes readers on a fast-paced adventure of unusual proportions and unexpected perspectives. Now translated into nearly two dozen languages, this cleverly illustrated debut is sure to win the hearts of English readers (ages 9 and up) on this side of the Atlantic. --Lauren Nemroff

About the Author

Timothée de Fombelle is a much-admired French playwright. Toby Alone and its sequel Toby and the Secrets of the Tree are highly acclaimed in France, and have won numerous awards. The translator of both books, Sarah Ardizzone (nee Adams), has won the Marsh Award for Children's Literature in Translation, and is the director of literary events for International PEN.

About this edition

• Publisher: Candlewick on Brilliance Audio
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1441888829
• ISBN 13: 9781441888822
• Binding: Audio CD