Figgs & Phantoms (Puffin Newbery Library)

Rating:
Summary: review from a 17 year old reader
Review: A really odd book [in a good way]. However, I think the targetted age group should be somewhat older then 12-13 as children in this age bracket may not "get" the message this book conveys.

Rating:
Summary: I Love It!
Review: After reading The Westing Game, I wanted more. When i read this book i was surprised. At first i thought i would not like it, but i loved it. It is now one of my favorites. Figgs & Phantoms is about a girl, Mona, with a very interesting family. She does not enjoy having such an odd family. Her uncle is the only reletive that she really cares about. I do not want to ruin the ending, but it is great. The entire book comes together beautifully. I recommend it to anyone who wants to read a good book.

Rating:
Summary: :.:Review of Figgs and Phantoms:.:
Review: Mona Lisa Newton is feeling rather depressed lately. Her family consists of, among others, Uncle Truman Figg, the human-pretzel-turned-sign-painter who always makes exactly one mistake on his signs; Uncle Florence Figg, who later coincidentally added the middle name Italy; Newton ("Newt") Newton, the used car dealer; Sister Figg, baton twirler and tap dancer, named by being raised by one older brother; Gracie Jo, the dog catcher, and her son, Fido Figg the Second (the first was a dog). Mona finds she only feels close to Uncle Flo, a book dealer. After hinting that he may have to leave soon for "Capri" - apparently the heaven for Figg-Newton family members, Mona knows she must unravel the mystery surrounding the place. --Packed with tons of clever wordplays, subtle mystery clues, and funny moments (especially all of Uncle Truman's signs!) this is one book not to miss!! --Marisa

This is an intiguing, funny, and very nicely woven story.

Rating:
Summary: Figgs and Phantoms a amazing book
Review: The Figg-Newtons were the most teased people in the town. Mona Newton was a Figg. She was depressed, because her life was horrible. The only person she got along with was her Uncle Florence. I don't really blame her for not getting along with anyone execpt Uncle Florence because he was only normal person in her whole family. The other people in her family were Sister Figg, her mother, a tap dancer who tapped dance all the time; Aunt Gacie Jo a dog catcher, her son was Fido the second, and Truman, the human pretzel. Everyone knew that Uncle Florence was going to Capri. Capri is the place where all Figg-Newtons go when they die. But no one knows where Capri is or why The Figg- Newtons go there. Will Mona follow Uncle Florence there and find out all the family secrets? This book was one of the best books Ellen Raskin has written. Although the book was really powerful you realize how much it can hurt people to tease them. Mona got teased so much she basically shut the world out of whole life. Not only Mona was upset with the teasing, it was all the Figgs. In this book I realized what it was like to be the odd one out or in this case the odd people out. I didn't like that feeling and I don't think anyone would like to be put in this situation. There were some very strong feelings in this book . I suggset this book to people who like adventure and fanasty.

Rating:
Summary: Good book, but perhaps not for every child.
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: lots of literary tricks and a moving story of a young girl
Review: We've been reading Ellen Raskin books the last few weeks after discovering "The Tatooed Potato" by accident. Wow! I can't think of any other children's author quite like her.
In this one, a young girl, Mona, is embarrassed by her flamboyant family (she imagines them mocked by everyone in town) -- it is at once a universal feeling of kids and at the same time quite unusual and specific to her (her family are all former vaudevillians, they have a sort of private semi-religion, etc). Raskin mixes Mona's fierce love for her quiet, shy, uncle, with the thrill of book-collecting (did I mention the shy uncle is a book collector?) and BOOKS themselves -- references to Milton, Conrad, Blake, and others abound. "Heaven is found in books" says the uncle (well, that's not an exact quote but close enough). The girl's growing despair climaxes in a fantastic dream-like trip to a sort of heaven and without giving too much away (perhaps I already have), her growing maturity and sensitivity to her family and friends at the end is nicely done.