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Summary: Regarding the sequels to "Wonderful Flight".
Review: Like many of the reviewers below, I loved this book as a child; was delighted to find it and read it again as an adult; and was pleased to introduce my children to the book. So there's just one reason for me to add my review: commenting on the sequels that some others have mentioned. My view is that the reader should stop after the first book. The first sequel is barely okay; the ones that follow don't measure up. Only the original "Wonderful Flight" has the magic.
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Summary: Sense of wonder for young sf readers
Review: When I read this first book in the series at age ten, it caused my lifelong love of science fiction. The sense of possibilities and wonder it offers the two protagonists still generate fond memories for me. . Our local library's copy is well worn as we shared the adventure with our three children. Highly recommended as an alternative to the Harry Potter series.....
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Summary: A Portrait of Mr. Bass, an Amazing Scientific Thinker
Review: As I was travelling up the California coast in 1979 to visit the Santa Cruz Mystery Spot, I stopped in a used bookstore in the city of Pacific Grove on the Monterey Bay, where I found this novella. Its narrative is in part set in that city; the descendants of its protagonists live there, under assumed names, and there is an annual Mr. Bass Mushroom Festival which, though centered around characters from the book and the local mushroom industry, appears to contain elements of an ancient fertility cult such as one finds in isolated farming communities in North America. This novella is a thrilling adventure, relating the events leading up the journey of two boys who travel, at the behest of the mysterious Mr. Bass, to the hitherto unknown Mushroom Planet which invisibly circles our own.What intrigued me most about the work, however, is that it is a moving and thorough portrait of a scientist on the fringes of mainstream science. The dedicated, visionary and insightful Mr. Tyco M. Bass, the genius behind the expedition to the Mushroom Planet, can serve as an inspiration for those who concern themselves with subjects not recognized by academicians, or who have novel approaches to recognized phenomena. The famed George Adamski, Richard S. Shaver, and Urbain Leverrier all would have seen in him a member of their circle, as the Pagan Poets in Limbo recognized Dante. Like these scientists, Mr. Bass makes use of scientific language and, to a lesser extent, experimental methodologies, but to new and earth-shattering ends. Following a hunch, Mr. Bass discovers that our Earth has a small satellite, Basidium-X, invisible to unaided sight. Refusing to bow down to empirical evidence that no such planet exists, proceeding by intuition, he invents a device specifically for the purpose of exposing the planet's presence to our world: a "Stroboscopic Polaroid Filter." The sight of this planet is apparently sufficient validation for Mr. Bass: he never seeks confirmation from other researchers, and his entire corpus is found in his safe at the end of the book, with no evidence that he attempted to publish his findings. His only audience for these discoveries is a pair of young boys, Dave and Chuck, and their adult guardians--hardly fit judges for claims as amazing as the discovery of an invisible satellite! Furthermore, he insists that his findings remain a secret to those of his inner circle, as if to ensure his grip on his followers. What follows his revelation is perhaps even more fantastic. It is possible that the boys do indeed travel to the Mushroom Planet in a rocket ship of their own creation. The fact that the stroboscopic filter through which the planet is viewed produces intermittent flashes of light makes me wonder, however, if perhaps they were not merely hypnotized into seeing the planet and imagining that they went on a journey. The device reminds me of the flashes of light which signal the presence of the Men in Black, UFOs, and other such entities in John Keel's The Mothman Prophecies. This reading of the events makes Mr. Bass a much more sinister figure than is allowed by traditional readings of the novella: he may in fact be a near relative of Mr. Indrid Cold and his unearthly associates, and the trip to the Mushroom Planet a hypnotically induced fantasy, like Woodrow Derenberger's trip to Lanulos. The narrative does not center on the conflict between hypnotic fantasy and everyday reality, however, and the author apparently prefers the idea that the boys actually did visit Basidium-X. This is ultimately a more satisfying reading of the novella: it thus becomes a thrilling adventure of two boys who hold fast to their visions and hopes and make them come to pass. At the center of it all, the mover and shaker of this fantasy adventure, is someone we cannot ever forget, once having met him in these pages: the amazing, the dedicated, the visionary (and perhaps even a bit sinister) Mr. Tyco M. Bass.
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Summary: One of the first books I fell in love with
Review: Oh, how I loved this book when I first read it! It must have been around 1962 when I discovered it in the school library. I was absolutely taken with the story of Mr. Bass, and the little green planet and the ship the boys built to go there. It was the beginning of the manned space age, I reading this book, I could imagine myself on board with the crew, the chicken (!), and the little oxygen cylinder going "pheep..pheep..." Take it from an ex-eight year old; this is a wonderful book.
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Summary: Do you want The Wonderful Flight To the Mushroom Planet?
Review: This review was writen by my son Sam Anderson, age 9 after reading this book. Do you want to buy a great book? I recomend The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet as a book you should read. This is an adventure story that is very exciting. Here are 3 statements that I came up with to describe this book; 1)It's a good book 2)It's exciting 3)It's a good story. You can find it at your local library. Have more fun finding this book at www.Amazon.com! I hope you like this book as much as I did. This book is fun and exciting for the whold family.
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Summary: A wonderful read!
Review: This was one of the first books I ever read. It was also one that delighted me enough to read many many more books. Now that I am an Aunt, I can't wait until the little ones are old enough for me to share this gift with them! A magical, imaginative and inspiring book for young minds.
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Summary: This series comprises my most vivid childhood reading memory
Review: This book, the first in the Mushroom Planet series, enthralled me as a youth more than 30 years ago, spurring me to read the entire series. It strikes the perfect chord for young readers, especially boys, at that age when they still possess enough innocence and ignorance of reality to believe in the possibility of their own trip to an "invisible" planetoid. The characters are written well, with a spirit of youthful exuberance and confidence that draws you into their experience as if you, too, were along for the ride. I read it again as a young adult and, although tempered by my realization of the realities of science vis-a-vis the boys' accomplishments, it still was a stirring read. A children's classic!
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Summary: Timeless Plot
Review: This book is so good that even adults will enjoy it. The plot and charachters are very intriguing, intelligent, realistic and appealing. This is the kind of book you read when you're sick in bed and it makes you feel better. The only disappointment is the new book covers. The artwork does NOT match the old illustrations! There used to be covers that came out in 1976 with drawings of the charachters that were really cute, yet not cartoonish and silly. I'd also like to see the sequels for sale. Where are they???
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Summary: Very well-written and interesting book for young readers
Review: I loved this book! I have read it countless times and still keep it in my bookcase. It is wonderful: the plot is tight, the characters well developed, and the suspense more than enough to keep one interested. As soon as I read it the first time, I knew I had to read the sequel. I thought, though, that the over-all feel of the book was not enough for beginning readears, but I still think anyone with any taste for science fiction or suspense books should absolutely read this book.
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Summary: The best fantasy book I read as a child!
Review: When my sister and I were children, we were mesmerized by The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet and Eleanor Cameron's subsequent Mushroom Planet books. Now I have a 7-year-old boy who believes he can build a rocket ship in the backyard this summer, and this is JUST the book for him!
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