Rating: 
Summary: Not a bad trip
Review: "The First Two Lives of Lukas-Kasha" is a fast-paced, funny adventure by Newbery-winner Lloyd Alexander. It's got action, a dash of romance, humor, tragedy, and a moral lesson that doesn't beat you over the head. It's not quite perfect, but fairly close to it.Lukas-Kasha is a professional bum, an accomplished slacker, a boy who takes great pride in doing nothing at all. But all that has to change when a strange magician sends him through time and space in a bucket of water. He washes up on a strange beach, and is quickly whisked off to the city of Abadan and is crowned King Kasha. (It was prophecied by the astrologer that the next king would come from the sea) At first, Lukas is fine with this. Then he finds that the sinister vizier Shugdad is using him as a puppet -- and when he rebels, Shugdad plans to do away with him as he did the previous two kings. So Lukas runs away into the desert with a proud slave girl (Nur-Jehan) and a tart-tongued poet (Karim), to get help from the fierce, honorable Bishangaris. But Shugdad still wants to kill Lukas, and will do anything to get control of Abadan. Alexander uses a cultural backdrop to most of his books -- most notably Wales in the Prydain Chronicles, but he also uses China, India, Greece, and so forth. This time, it's the Middle-East; he does an outstanding job of the exotic city of Abadan and the raw wilderness of the desert. There are some outstandingly funny scenes, such as Lukas tricking a merchant out of a horse. And the subplot about Lukas's growing selflessness is an excellent, subtle moral lesson. Lukas is one of Alexander's most likeable heroes. He initially isn't very sympathetic because he is so proudly, insistently lazy, but his untapped decency wins out when he is called on to be a king, or a warrior, a trickster, or a peacemaker. He just needed something to spur him on. Nur-Jehan is flatter than most of Alexander's heroines, because she lacks that special spark that the other heroines do. Karim is likeably acidic, the voice of reason, and the astrologer Lucman is sweet because he simply cannot get his predictions right, until he's scrounging in the streets. It's not Alexander's best, but it's up near the top of the list. "The First Two Lives of Lukas-Kasha" is definitely worth a read, and definitely a keeper.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful, clever adventure story, great characters!
Review: An exotic Arabian setting makes the story enjoyable. Fans may also enjoy Alexander's "The Iron Ring," "The Arkadians," and Patricia C. Wrede's Enchanted Forest Chronicles.
Rating:
Summary: An unforgettable adventure of all times
Review: Go on an adventure with unbelievable characters in Abadan,to escape the evil vizier,Shugdad.Are Lukases sharp wits sharper then shugdads spears? See in this imaginative book with Nur-Jehan,Kayim,Lukas,Shugdad,and many more.This is a very good book out of all Alexander's marvelous tales.
Rating:
Summary: what this book means to me...
Review: I am a university student now, and looking back on the events of my childhood that shaped my life, I have to include this book. Never before had anything stuck in my head and stayed with me so much. I have led a full and rich life, but it is fuller and richer than would otherwise be due to the thing this book did to me. Many books, good and otherwise, operate by leaving readers either fulfilled - as in comedies - or unfulfilled - as in tragedies. Very rarely does a book manage to successfully wield both. Though it must be odd to find this in a book intended for a younger audience, I think it is one of the best things that can happen to a child. Suddenly, out of nowhere, the reader is forced to reflect on it, by sheer writing ability and quality of story. Suddenly, a child must both recognize the tragedy and the comedy, and feel it buzzing in their brain for years. I never thought about what I read before. I never thought much about anything, just doing what seemed the proper thing to do. After this book, I began to really think. Thank you, Mr. Alexander, for giving the youth of the world this book. You touch lives, and shape minds more than most teachers, and on a much larger scale. I will never forget the magician, the bucket of water, or Lukas Kasha. I will be thinking of them on my death bed. They have become a part of my psyche. Oh, yeah, buy this book. I strongly recommend it for children 3rd-7th grade, and anyone else in the market for a good read. If I could give it five more stars, I would.
Rating: 
Summary: Unredeeming - immoral
Review: I fail to see what qualities, or morals, or insights into how to live a better life, or deal with life's pitfalls, or anything beneficial either empiracally, spiritually, or virtuously that a young reader would possibly walk away with by reading this book. The characters were undeveloped and the author borrowed some ingenious creative ideas from authors of the past and turned them into unimaginative ploys. I couldn't wait for this book to be over. I fail to see any irony in this book. The book glorifies lieing and liars, makes getting things and distributing wealth as easy as breathing. The whole book is a sorted story of lies and the easy life, and rejecting true charity. I can't imagine what one could gain from this book, by falling for its cheap plot, and ploys, other than a jadded cynical material (and easy materialism at that) view of the world. I recommend: The Hobbit, The Secret Garden, Anne of Green Gables, The Lemony Snicket books, actually many many books before this is even considerd. Lukas-Kasha fails to take the carpenter's offer of being a carpenter. What is the symbolism here, without getting into religious or anti religious speculation... The Astrologer was taken from a Doctor Who episode and the Versifier... Save your money ...
Rating:
Summary: Remains one of my favorite books of all time
Review: I first read "Lukas-Kasha" at twelve, and loved it so much I promptly read it a second time. I then wrote an enthusiastic book review of it. At thirty, I still remembered it and wanted to read it again -- only to find it was out of print. About six months of searching landed me two well-used copies, which I promptly gave away in my enthusiasm to win converts. Perhaps I'll now buy five or six.
I've read a few other Lloyd Alexander books, and they strike me as rather formulaic fantasy, a genre I don't care for. "Lukas," on the other hand, is a very non-formulaic fable. Rather, it is a keenly insightful, compassionate, and honest treatment of universal issues facing adolescents: developing an identity, deciding between right and wrong, developing deep friendships, coping with loss and disappointment, and formulating a system of values.
One adult friend of mine dismissed "Lukas Kasha" as "puerile;" I can't agree. While I admit some of the dialogue and a few of the jokes are labored, the overall narrative gives a convincingly optimistic vision of the triumph of compassion over greed and self-interest. If you know of a sensitive, earnest young adolescent, male or female, perhaps a little misunderstood, you couldn't do better than to give him or her this book.
Rating:
Summary: Remains one of my favorite books of all time
Review: I first read "Lukas-Kasha" at twelve, and loved it so much I promptly read it a second time. I then wrote an enthusiastic book review of it. At thirty, I still remembered it and wanted to read it again -- only to find it was out of print. About six months of searching landed me two well-used copies, which I promptly gave away in my enthusiasm to win converts. Perhaps I'll now buy five or six.
I've read a few other Lloyd Alexander books, and they strike me as rather formulaic fantasy, a genre I don't care for. "Lukas," on the other hand, is a very non-formulaic fable. Rather, it is a keenly insightful, compassionate, and honest treatment of universal issues facing adolescents: developing an identity, deciding between right and wrong, developing deep friendships, coping with loss and disappointment, and formulating a system of values.
One adult friend of mine dismissed "Lukas Kasha" as "puerile;" I can't agree. While I admit some of the dialogue and a few of the jokes are labored, the overall narrative gives a convincingly optimistic vision of the triumph of compassion over greed and self-interest. If you know of a sensitive, earnest young adolescent, male or female, perhaps a little misunderstood, you couldn't do better than to give him or her this book.
Rating:
Summary: I love this book!!!
Review: I read this book over the summer and really liked it. I would definately read this book again! There is one quote from it that I really like. It is "We face a frightening possibility, my friend- honest work." This book is a really good read. a great holiday present!"
Rating:
Summary: Fresh New Ideas
Review: Lloyd Alexander really shows how talented he is in this new novel. If you love adventure, this is a must read book! He captivates the reader with puzzling ideas that seem to pour out of his mind to create an enchanting plot. I would recommend this book to anyone!
Rating:
Summary: Amazingly good!
Review: Lloyd Alexander spins another adventure tale, one of his best. Whether you've read Mr. Alexander before or not, you will not be disappointed in this book. Only Roald Dahl rivals Alexander's originality. I remember this book from when I was a child, and how it seemed so thrilling, so original, so engrossing.
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