Mail-Order Wings :

Rating:
Summary: Wishing for Wings
Review: 9-year-old Andrea is a bird lover who wants to fly, so when she sees an ad in the back of her comic book promising working wings, she orders them. She assembles the wings and glues them on her back, and can't get them off. She only tells her brother Jim, her parents are gone and she doesn't trust her Aunt Bets. After drinking some "Areo-Joy Juice, her wings become more powerful and she can actually fly with them. She practices flying for about a week in secret, when she begins to notice some strange things about her body. She calls the man who makes the wings for help, and decides to see him in his office. But things don't turn out quite the way she expects, and she realizes how she has been trapped...
This was a pretty good book. I liked it when I was much younger, though. I think that it is a book for young children, but is still pretty interesting in one afternoon.

Rating:
Summary: A great story yet frightening and exciting
Review: Andrea's bird-watching interests lead her to wish that she could fly. Andrea reads a comic book that she thinks is just horrible about parents rejecting their kid because he changes. It is a tragic story (the comic book) and it sort of leaves a deep impression on her. She doesn't know how anyone can be so horrible. THen she sees the order form for "Mail-Order Wings" and she has to have them! When they arrive she assembles them and has to glue them on. The message is to be careful what you pray for because it just might come true and if it does, that could be the worst thing that's ever happened to you. At first Andrea is on the top of the world as she soars out her bedroom window into the night sky. But then frightening things begin to happen. She begins to isolate herself from family and friends--her friends think she's strange. If you ask me, her "best friend" Lauren was a loser anyway. Andrea never felt so alone. Then she notices she is turning into a bird! What is she to do?

Rating:
Summary: Very good
Review: I first read this book in 5th grade in 1987 and I loved it so much, it inspired me to make a movie of it! Also it was a bit frightening about what happens when your wish comes true: not always a good thing! Andrea discovers this. It was kinda gross when she starts turning into a bird, and sad when she is betrayed by her so-called "best friend" Lauren! That part angered me. This book sorta reminded me of The Fly or Elephant Man. It is very sad about how some "friends" betray their friends! Although Andrea didn't have an illness like Elephant Man, she is treated like dirt by that traitor Lauren, and Lauren, not to my knowledge, ever did apologize. That made me mad. I guess Lauren never knew about the wings (her brother Jim is the only one who knew), she treats Andi rudely by making fun of her birdnest collection and telling her she looked stupid wearing a heavy sweater (which was the only thing that could hide Andi's wings) on a hot day. Real nice, Lauren! Andi should have ditched this loser! We don't need any more traitors in this world! In the ending, Andi has to decide between her family and life as a human girl, or her new high-flying life as a bird. Sad, but necessary, and a valuable lesson on not taking anything for granted!

Rating:
Summary: Very good
Review: I first read this book in 5th grade in 1987 and I loved it so much, it inspired me to make a movie of it! Also it was a bit frightening about what happens when your wish comes true: not always a good thing! Andrea discovers this. It was kinda gross when she starts turning into a bird, and sad when she is betrayed by her so-called "best friend" Lauren! That part angered me. This book sorta reminded me of The Fly or Elephant Man. It is very sad about how some "friends" betray their friends! Although Andrea didn't have an illness like Elephant Man, she is treated like dirt by that traitor Lauren, and Lauren, not to my knowledge, ever did apologize. That made me mad. I guess Lauren never knew about the wings (her brother Jim is the only one who knew), she treats Andi rudely by making fun of her birdnest collection and telling her she looked stupid wearing a heavy sweater (which was the only thing that could hide Andi's wings) on a hot day. Real nice, Lauren! Andi should have ditched this loser! We don't need any more traitors in this world! In the ending, Andi has to decide between her family and life as a human girl, or her new high-flying life as a bird. Sad, but necessary, and a valuable lesson on not taking anything for granted!

Rating:
Summary: An imaginative, unusual story. Very unconventional youth lit
Review: Mail Order Wings is one of the most imaginative young adult books that I have ever seen. It shows what can happen when a wish is granted that maybe shouldn't be, but was, and the consequences of that granted wish. The story holds many surprises, including an off-hand reference to Kafka, among other things. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys pondering what they would do if they could fly with their own wings, even knowing that it is not yet possible.

Rating:
Summary: The Best Book I Ever Read
Review: This is my favorite book because I love birds and I wish I could fly. Andrea is a lot like me. I think she is a very intelligent and enthusiastic kid. Just like me. Her brother is the only one who knows her secret. I think you should read it if you like birds or flying or if you like fun.The author, Beatrice Gormley, is a very good author and I love her books. I hope this helps you figure out what book to get when you are at the library.

Rating:
Summary: Wishing for Wings
Review: When I first read this book, I was surprised, because it isn't the same sort of fluff that children's, especially girls books usually are. Imagine my surprise when, much later, I read Kafka's Metamorphosis, and found that the comic book that the girl found the advertisment in was the same story! Then, when I began to think about it more, I saw that the whole story is based on Metamorphosis, sort of. Especially towards the end, when the main character begins to find herself becomming more and more bird-like, and is less and less in control. If you have ever read Metamorphosis, read this book to see what I mean. If you have ever read this book, and you are over age 15, try reading Kafka's Metamorphosis and you'll see what I mean. Enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: Kafka-esque
Review: When I first read this book, I was surprised, because it isn't the same sort of fluff that children's, especially girls books usually are. Imagine my surprise when, much later, I read Kafka's Metamorphosis, and found that the comic book that the girl found the advertisment in was the same story! Then, when I began to think about it more, I saw that the whole story is based on Metamorphosis, sort of. Especially towards the end, when the main character begins to find herself becomming more and more bird-like, and is less and less in control. If you have ever read Metamorphosis, read this book to see what I mean. If you have ever read this book, and you are over age 15, try reading Kafka's Metamorphosis and you'll see what I mean. Enjoy.