Rating: 
Summary: Nice is not enough
Review: Ben Rice's short novel Pobby and Dingan was an interesting book, but the ending fell short of our expectations. We found it to be original, imaginative, and occasionally funny. It teaches a nice lesson and conveys a nice message about the strengths of one's beliefs and imagination. Most of our class felt that it did not create a lot of emotion, however, and the ending was too childish and abrupt for the rest of the story. We gave it a collective average of 3.2 stars out of 5.
Rating: 
Summary: An illusionary tale about life and death.
Review: Eight year-old Kellyanne Williamson has always had imaginary friends and most of the townsfolk of Lightening Ridge have catered to her illusion. Up until this time her brother Ashmol has teased her, and called her a fruit loop; but that is all about to change when Kellyanne's father, an opal miner in New South Wales, takes Pobby and Dingan on an outing to the mine. After forgetting Pobby and Dingan at the mine little Kellyanne is traumatized at the loss of her imaginary friends. What follows is a tale so imaginative I started to wonder if Pobby and Dingan really did exist. I suppose it is all a matter of perspective. This is an interesting story and a quick read. It leaves me wondering about the mind of an author that would write such a tale. This book was a page-turner and different than anything I have ever read. Kelsana 4/04/01
Rating:
Summary: a "grown-up" storybook
Review: How can you search for imaginary friends when you can't see them? I think that Kellyanne would tell you that you just have to believe. But it ends up being her unbelieving brother Ashmol that gets the town to believe when Pobby and Dingan get lost at the mines. Pobby and Dingan is a sweet surprise, a fun story book that you might read with your older kids or a gift for a friend who has gotten ....... into the corporate world without air. It's short, it's imaginative and unpredictable even given it's length. I loved that the book was set in austrailia and utilizes aussie terms like pom and fairdenkum and that I could listen to the accent between the pages. It's a story book, nothing more nothing less. I wouldn't anxiously await a next book by Ben Rice, but, fairdenkum, this one was a super surprise.
Rating: 
Summary: A short story at best
Review: I enjoy author's first novels because, when they're good, it makes you feel like you're part of the great discovery from the start. I had heard good things about this book so I was hopeful that might be the case with Ben Rice. Unfortunately, it didn't happen. At 93 pages, it's really more of a short story than a novel and I think it's overpriced with a retail price of [price]. But more than that, the story itself left much to be desired. I like authors that are willing to take chances and try different things but obviously it all comes down to execution. There were a lot of quirky characters - both real and imagined - but no real character exploration. Events happen but you aren't given any real insight as to why the characters behave the way they do. Motivations and explanations are completely left out. It may have been more enjoyable if it had been fleshed out more instead of forcing the reader to accept everything on its face. In all, there isn't much substance and the story is unsatisfying and rather weird.
Rating:
Summary: A short story at best
Review: I enjoy author's first novels because, when they're good, it makes you feel like you're part of the great discovery from the start. I had heard good things about this book so I was hopeful that might be the case with Ben Rice. Unfortunately, it didn't happen. At 93 pages, it's really more of a short story than a novel and I think it's overpriced with a retail price of [price]. But more than that, the story itself left much to be desired. I like authors that are willing to take chances and try different things but obviously it all comes down to execution. There were a lot of quirky characters - both real and imagined - but no real character exploration. Events happen but you aren't given any real insight as to why the characters behave the way they do. Motivations and explanations are completely left out. It may have been more enjoyable if it had been fleshed out more instead of forcing the reader to accept everything on its face. In all, there isn't much substance and the story is unsatisfying and rather weird.
Rating: 
Summary: Story and Voice
Review: I grabbed this book off the YA rack of the library for a sick-home-from-school teenager. She read a few pages, observed, "This is not a children's book," and didn't move until she'd finished it. An older kid came in, picked up the book, and sat immobile until done reading. Before going to bed, I noticed that the book had migrated to the top of the refrigerator. I opened it, and was transfixed--read the whole thing standing in the dim kitchen for an hour and a half. It's the voice--a tough young boy who muscles aside resentment and sibling rivalry to help his family in a crisis. And the story--a good structured story that teeters on a gritty realistic brink above a mine shaft of myth. Look forward to more from Ben Rice.
Rating:
Summary: A TRULY SPECIAL STORY
Review: I just finished reading this gem for the second time and I am in awe of how Rice can pack so much into such a little story. The voice of the young narrator, Ashmol, reminds us to look at what is important in life, not just what is right in front of us. I highly recommend this to readers in high school and avove--this book would make a great gift.
Rating:
Summary: Terrific Read...if you're a pre-adolescent
Review: I ordered Pobby and Dingan based on a Public Radio review as well as on the recommendation of those reviews here on Amazon.com. It's short, well-ordered, and, I have to believe, aimed at a young audience. That said, I believe it would be a very good Christmas stocking stuffer for your 12-to-15-year-old niece.
Rating:
Summary: Bizarre and Lovely
Review: I picked this up even before it was published (at a trade show) and it was the loveliest thing I had come across in a long while. Shimmering prose, unexpected twists, and it makes your throat ache to read how real these imaginary friends are. Just picturing the opal in Pobby (or is it Dignan's?) belly button makes me smile. It is a strange length--but as the other reviewers have noted, it's the length it should be, perfect for itself. There SHOULD be "Save Pobby and Dignan" t-shirts, as the recent NY Times Book Review suggested. The other reviews tell you enough about the plot--so I'll just say that I've been telling everyone I know who likes books about this one. It's a rare find and I hope it takes off the way it deserves.
Rating:
Summary: Haunting Little Novel
Review: I read a review of this book and was intrigued. After reading the book I was curious about others impressions and insights and wanted to talk to them about the book. I gave it to several staff members and a bunch of patients of mine. Responses started flowing in. Many gave me 1 and 2 page written responses to the book. It's only 90 some pages long but provokes many thoughts and questions.
|
