Absolutely beautiful!, 14 Dec 2001
This is a wonderful book - beautifully written and illustrated. Frog comes to realise that he is loved just as he is, after trying in vain to be like his friends. What a lovely message for children! A real self-esteem booster. As a teacher I have read this time and time again to schoolchildren, all of whom have had the same enthusiasm and love for Frog.

Absolutely beautiful!, 14 Dec 2001
This is a wonderful book - beautifully written and illustrated. Frog comes to realise that he is loved just as he is, after trying in vain to be like his friends. What a lovely message for children! A real self-esteem booster. As a teacher I have read this time and time again to schoolchildren, all of whom have had the same enthusiasm and love for Frog.

Gripping stuff , 26 Sep 2008
This is a re-read. It is a very good adventure, one of his best, maintaining a real sense of threat and suffocating claustrophobia under the ground. There are some internal inconsistencies in dates and timings which would probably not get past a modern editor. Good stuff.

short but not sweet, 06 Jul 2008
Axel Lindenbrock's uncle, Professor Otto Lindenbrock, has found a piece of paper written in Old Icelandic. Axel shortly manages to make sense of it, and it leads him and his uncle to Iceland to an extinct volcano called Sneffells. There, they go down into its crater with the help of an escort named Hans Bjelke, in hope to get to the centre of the earth! They will face hunger, thirst, and tiredness, but odd Professor Lindenbrock will not give up until he is at the earth's core...or until he is dead!

This is not the whole story but only a shortened version that takes only about 40 minutes to read if you do not want to read the whole story or you want to tell a friend about the book.

Great book, Wrong description!, 03 Jul 2008
The book is fantastic, and if a real review is wanted, then read one of the other ones. I'm just here to say that the book is not hardcover as it states in the product description, and is one of those crappy recycled green covers!

Deserved classic- science fiction with character, 21 Oct 2007
As well as being the gripping high-adventure story that other reviewers have written about, when I re-read this novel recently I was struck by another side to the story that I hadn't noticed before- it reads, especially at the beginning of the book, as a satire. Verne is not content with helping to invent science fiction in terms of the science- some of which is consciously out-of-date even as Verne writes it, as he explains away science facts such as why inside the Earth's core is not flesh-meltingly hot in a manner not dissimilar to those bits of Star Trek where they tell you how the teleport works. In addition to the science, Journey To The Centre Of The Earth has character. Verne invents in this story the very concept of the mad scientist, in this case Professor Lidenbrock, who struggles to teach coherently at a German university and who is sent on a wild goose chase to Iceland because of one scrap of paper found in a library book. The interplay between our narrator Axel, his mad professor uncle and the reliable but non-verbal Icelandic guide Hans has things to say about the self-importance of science as well as about class and social standing. The science of this book is horrendously flawed but I believe it's the strength of character as well as Verne's fantastically imagined underground worlds that makes this novel not an out-dated joke but deservedly a classic.

4 stars, 05 Jul 2007
Verne captures real drama and human response in this fictitious masterpiece.It's a book for those who like the somewhat sureal adventure story. The plot thickens as the book progresses and i've read it twice in very different circumstances leading me to give it 4 stars. Firstly i read it one summer holiday in one big reading session as i really couldn't put it down, it was magic. The second time i read it on the bus on the way to work and found that having to read it on and off i didn't enjoyit nearly as much and found it hard to get back into. Not a book to read on and off from night to night in bed even but great if you've got a few hours to kill and you want to make the very mos of them.great book.

Ginger has a problem. Having lived the luxurious life of a pampered cat, complete with hand-prepared special meals and his own basket, he's suddenly confronted with a kitten in the house. Ginger watches with utter feline disapproval as the kitten leaps out from behind doors, eats his food, and, in a show of phenomenal gall, climbs into Ginger's beautiful basket. Because the little girl who pampers him makes no signs of taking the frenetic little fur ball away, Ginger has no choice but to leave home. Eventually, the girl retrieves an angry, cold Ginger from under a bush but sadly concludes that the two cats will never be companions. However, a delightful surprise ending lets us know that there is some hope of these two becoming furry friends after all.

Charlotte Voake tells Ginger's story with the pen, paints and perspective of a keen cat observer. Both the frantic antics of the kitten and the dignified disgust of Ginger are perfectly reflected in Voake's enchanting, comical illustrations. Kids will enjoy hearing this simple, lovely story and taking in the captivating, humorous expressions and body language of the cats. Not only is Ginger the "cat's meow" (one of the best cat books ever!), it also makes the perfect gift for an older sibling having trouble with the arrival of a new "kitten" in the playroom. (Ages 3 to 7)

Absolutely beautiful!, 14 Dec 2001
This is a wonderful book - beautifully written and illustrated. Frog comes to realise that he is loved just as he is, after trying in vain to be like his friends. What a lovely message for children! A real self-esteem booster. As a teacher I have read this time and time again to schoolchildren, all of whom have had the same enthusiasm and love for Frog.

Gripping stuff , 26 Sep 2008
This is a re-read. It is a very good adventure, one of his best, maintaining a real sense of threat and suffocating claustrophobia under the ground. There are some internal inconsistencies in dates and timings which would probably not get past a modern editor. Good stuff.

short but not sweet, 06 Jul 2008
Axel Lindenbrock's uncle, Professor Otto Lindenbrock, has found a piece of paper written in Old Icelandic. Axel shortly manages to make sense of it, and it leads him and his uncle to Iceland to an extinct volcano called Sneffells. There, they go down into its crater with the help of an escort named Hans Bjelke, in hope to get to the centre of the earth! They will face hunger, thirst, and tiredness, but odd Professor Lindenbrock will not give up until he is at the earth's core...or until he is dead!

This is not the whole story but only a shortened version that takes only about 40 minutes to read if you do not want to read the whole story or you want to tell a friend about the book.

Great book, Wrong description!, 03 Jul 2008
The book is fantastic, and if a real review is wanted, then read one of the other ones. I'm just here to say that the book is not hardcover as it states in the product description, and is one of those crappy recycled green covers!

Deserved classic- science fiction with character, 21 Oct 2007
As well as being the gripping high-adventure story that other reviewers have written about, when I re-read this novel recently I was struck by another side to the story that I hadn't noticed before- it reads, especially at the beginning of the book, as a satire. Verne is not content with helping to invent science fiction in terms of the science- some of which is consciously out-of-date even as Verne writes it, as he explains away science facts such as why inside the Earth's core is not flesh-meltingly hot in a manner not dissimilar to those bits of Star Trek where they tell you how the teleport works. In addition to the science, Journey To The Centre Of The Earth has character. Verne invents in this story the very concept of the mad scientist, in this case Professor Lidenbrock, who struggles to teach coherently at a German university and who is sent on a wild goose chase to Iceland because of one scrap of paper found in a library book. The interplay between our narrator Axel, his mad professor uncle and the reliable but non-verbal Icelandic guide Hans has things to say about the self-importance of science as well as about class and social standing. The science of this book is horrendously flawed but I believe it's the strength of character as well as Verne's fantastically imagined underground worlds that makes this novel not an out-dated joke but deservedly a classic.

4 stars, 05 Jul 2007
Verne captures real drama and human response in this fictitious masterpiece.It's a book for those who like the somewhat sureal adventure story. The plot thickens as the book progresses and i've read it twice in very different circumstances leading me to give it 4 stars. Firstly i read it one summer holiday in one big reading session as i really couldn't put it down, it was magic. The second time i read it on the bus on the way to work and found that having to read it on and off i didn't enjoyit nearly as much and found it hard to get back into. Not a book to read on and off from night to night in bed even but great if you've got a few hours to kill and you want to make the very mos of them.great book.

Lovely, lyrical book, 27 Mar 2005
This is the story of Ginger the cat, who leads a peaceful life with a little girl until one day a naughty kitten is introduced who disurbs the peace. If only the little girl could find a way to help them be friends...

I never grow tired of reading this one to my pre-schooler. The pictures are sensitive, spontaneous and graceful. The text is simple but full of feeling, enhanced by a lovely typeface and layout.

There is a prequel to this book - Ginger Finds a Home - which is just as good.

Excellent for reading at bedtime, 05 Dec 2000
My daughter, who is nearly two, loves this book, and keeps repeating "naughty kitten" whenever she sees it. this is definitely one of her favourites and is read every night (at least once)

Absolutely beautiful!, 14 Dec 2001
This is a wonderful book - beautifully written and illustrated. Frog comes to realise that he is loved just as he is, after trying in vain to be like his friends. What a lovely message for children! A real self-esteem booster. As a teacher I have read this time and time again to schoolchildren, all of whom have had the same enthusiasm and love for Frog.

Gripping stuff , 26 Sep 2008
This is a re-read. It is a very good adventure, one of his best, maintaining a real sense of threat and suffocating claustrophobia under the ground. There are some internal inconsistencies in dates and timings which would probably not get past a modern editor. Good stuff.

short but not sweet, 06 Jul 2008
Axel Lindenbrock's uncle, Professor Otto Lindenbrock, has found a piece of paper written in Old Icelandic. Axel shortly manages to make sense of it, and it leads him and his uncle to Iceland to an extinct volcano called Sneffells. There, they go down into its crater with the help of an escort named Hans Bjelke, in hope to get to the centre of the earth! They will face hunger, thirst, and tiredness, but odd Professor Lindenbrock will not give up until he is at the earth's core...or until he is dead!

This is not the whole story but only a shortened version that takes only about 40 minutes to read if you do not want to read the whole story or you want to tell a friend about the book.

Great book, Wrong description!, 03 Jul 2008
The book is fantastic, and if a real review is wanted, then read one of the other ones. I'm just here to say that the book is not hardcover as it states in the product description, and is one of those crappy recycled green covers!

Deserved classic- science fiction with character, 21 Oct 2007
As well as being the gripping high-adventure story that other reviewers have written about, when I re-read this novel recently I was struck by another side to the story that I hadn't noticed before- it reads, especially at the beginning of the book, as a satire. Verne is not content with helping to invent science fiction in terms of the science- some of which is consciously out-of-date even as Verne writes it, as he explains away science facts such as why inside the Earth's core is not flesh-meltingly hot in a manner not dissimilar to those bits of Star Trek where they tell you how the teleport works. In addition to the science, Journey To The Centre Of The Earth has character. Verne invents in this story the very concept of the mad scientist, in this case Professor Lidenbrock, who struggles to teach coherently at a German university and who is sent on a wild goose chase to Iceland because of one scrap of paper found in a library book. The interplay between our narrator Axel, his mad professor uncle and the reliable but non-verbal Icelandic guide Hans has things to say about the self-importance of science as well as about class and social standing. The science of this book is horrendously flawed but I believe it's the strength of character as well as Verne's fantastically imagined underground worlds that makes this novel not an out-dated joke but deservedly a classic.

4 stars, 05 Jul 2007
Verne captures real drama and human response in this fictitious masterpiece.It's a book for those who like the somewhat sureal adventure story. The plot thickens as the book progresses and i've read it twice in very different circumstances leading me to give it 4 stars. Firstly i read it one summer holiday in one big reading session as i really couldn't put it down, it was magic. The second time i read it on the bus on the way to work and found that having to read it on and off i didn't enjoyit nearly as much and found it hard to get back into. Not a book to read on and off from night to night in bed even but great if you've got a few hours to kill and you want to make the very mos of them.great book.

Lovely, lyrical book, 27 Mar 2005
This is the story of Ginger the cat, who leads a peaceful life with a little girl until one day a naughty kitten is introduced who disurbs the peace. If only the little girl could find a way to help them be friends...

I never grow tired of reading this one to my pre-schooler. The pictures are sensitive, spontaneous and graceful. The text is simple but full of feeling, enhanced by a lovely typeface and layout.

There is a prequel to this book - Ginger Finds a Home - which is just as good.

Excellent for reading at bedtime, 05 Dec 2000
My daughter, who is nearly two, loves this book, and keeps repeating "naughty kitten" whenever she sees it. this is definitely one of her favourites and is read every night (at least once)

excellent, 16 Mar 2001
a beautifully positive look at prejudice. Perfectly simple, fun and true.

Absolutely beautiful!, 14 Dec 2001
This is a wonderful book - beautifully written and illustrated. Frog comes to realise that he is loved just as he is, after trying in vain to be like his friends. What a lovely message for children! A real self-esteem booster. As a teacher I have read this time and time again to schoolchildren, all of whom have had the same enthusiasm and love for Frog.

Gripping stuff , 26 Sep 2008
This is a re-read. It is a very good adventure, one of his best, maintaining a real sense of threat and suffocating claustrophobia under the ground. There are some internal inconsistencies in dates and timings which would probably not get past a modern editor. Good stuff.

short but not sweet, 06 Jul 2008
Axel Lindenbrock's uncle, Professor Otto Lindenbrock, has found a piece of paper written in Old Icelandic. Axel shortly manages to make sense of it, and it leads him and his uncle to Iceland to an extinct volcano called Sneffells. There, they go down into its crater with the help of an escort named Hans Bjelke, in hope to get to the centre of the earth! They will face hunger, thirst, and tiredness, but odd Professor Lindenbrock will not give up until he is at the earth's core...or until he is dead!

This is not the whole story but only a shortened version that takes only about 40 minutes to read if you do not want to read the whole story or you want to tell a friend about the book.

Great book, Wrong description!, 03 Jul 2008
The book is fantastic, and if a real review is wanted, then read one of the other ones. I'm just here to say that the book is not hardcover as it states in the product description, and is one of those crappy recycled green covers!

Deserved classic- science fiction with character, 21 Oct 2007
As well as being the gripping high-adventure story that other reviewers have written about, when I re-read this novel recently I was struck by another side to the story that I hadn't noticed before- it reads, especially at the beginning of the book, as a satire. Verne is not content with helping to invent science fiction in terms of the science- some of which is consciously out-of-date even as Verne writes it, as he explains away science facts such as why inside the Earth's core is not flesh-meltingly hot in a manner not dissimilar to those bits of Star Trek where they tell you how the teleport works. In addition to the science, Journey To The Centre Of The Earth has character. Verne invents in this story the very concept of the mad scientist, in this case Professor Lidenbrock, who struggles to teach coherently at a German university and who is sent on a wild goose chase to Iceland because of one scrap of paper found in a library book. The interplay between our narrator Axel, his mad professor uncle and the reliable but non-verbal Icelandic guide Hans has things to say about the self-importance of science as well as about class and social standing. The science of this book is horrendously flawed but I believe it's the strength of character as well as Verne's fantastically imagined underground worlds that makes this novel not an out-dated joke but deservedly a classic.

4 stars, 05 Jul 2007
Verne captures real drama and human response in this fictitious masterpiece.It's a book for those who like the somewhat sureal adventure story. The plot thickens as the book progresses and i've read it twice in very different circumstances leading me to give it 4 stars. Firstly i read it one summer holiday in one big reading session as i really couldn't put it down, it was magic. The second time i read it on the bus on the way to work and found that having to read it on and off i didn't enjoyit nearly as much and found it hard to get back into. Not a book to read on and off from night to night in bed even but great if you've got a few hours to kill and you want to make the very mos of them.great book.

Lovely, lyrical book, 27 Mar 2005
This is the story of Ginger the cat, who leads a peaceful life with a little girl until one day a naughty kitten is introduced who disurbs the peace. If only the little girl could find a way to help them be friends...

I never grow tired of reading this one to my pre-schooler. The pictures are sensitive, spontaneous and graceful. The text is simple but full of feeling, enhanced by a lovely typeface and layout.

There is a prequel to this book - Ginger Finds a Home - which is just as good.

Excellent for reading at bedtime, 05 Dec 2000
My daughter, who is nearly two, loves this book, and keeps repeating "naughty kitten" whenever she sees it. this is definitely one of her favourites and is read every night (at least once)

excellent, 16 Mar 2001
a beautifully positive look at prejudice. Perfectly simple, fun and true.

The perfect modern bedtime story, 30 Mar 2006
My two-and-half year-old son and I love this book. The illustrations of the lovely frog in stripey shorts are exquisite. His facial expressions are fantastic. Although simple, it really gets its message across. Frog and duck. Green and white. Love knows no boundaries.

"Love knows no boundaries", 23 Sep 2004
How true! A wonderful book that will warm the cockles of even the stoniest of hearts. I think I am falling for Frog myself...

Love Story, 03 Apr 2003
The book is a loverly tale of love that makes a perfect gift for all ages. A simple story that will bring a smile to your face and remind you that love and happiness can come to all people

All you need is love, 27 Jun 2000
This must be it : the greatest love-story ever written. Any age ! Love can't be love without a violin playing frog...

Absolutely beautiful!, 14 Dec 2001
This is a wonderful book - beautifully written and illustrated. Frog comes to realise that he is loved just as he is, after trying in vain to be like his friends. What a lovely message for children! A real self-esteem booster. As a teacher I have read this time and time again to schoolchildren, all of whom have had the same enthusiasm and love for Frog.

Gripping stuff , 26 Sep 2008
This is a re-read. It is a very good adventure, one of his best, maintaining a real sense of threat and suffocating claustrophobia under the ground. There are some internal inconsistencies in dates and timings which would probably not get past a modern editor. Good stuff.

short but not sweet, 06 Jul 2008
Axel Lindenbrock's uncle, Professor Otto Lindenbrock, has found a piece of paper written in Old Icelandic. Axel shortly manages to make sense of it, and it leads him and his uncle to Iceland to an extinct volcano called Sneffells. There, they go down into its crater with the help of an escort named Hans Bjelke, in hope to get to the centre of the earth! They will face hunger, thirst, and tiredness, but odd Professor Lindenbrock will not give up until he is at the earth's core...or until he is dead!

This is not the whole story but only a shortened version that takes only about 40 minutes to read if you do not want to read the whole story or you want to tell a friend about the book.

Great book, Wrong description!, 03 Jul 2008
The book is fantastic, and if a real review is wanted, then read one of the other ones. I'm just here to say that the book is not hardcover as it states in the product description, and is one of those crappy recycled green covers!

Deserved classic- science fiction with character, 21 Oct 2007
As well as being the gripping high-adventure story that other reviewers have written about, when I re-read this novel recently I was struck by another side to the story that I hadn't noticed before- it reads, especially at the beginning of the book, as a satire. Verne is not content with helping to invent science fiction in terms of the science- some of which is consciously out-of-date even as Verne writes it, as he explains away science facts such as why inside the Earth's core is not flesh-meltingly hot in a manner not dissimilar to those bits of Star Trek where they tell you how the teleport works. In addition to the science, Journey To The Centre Of The Earth has character. Verne invents in this story the very concept of the mad scientist, in this case Professor Lidenbrock, who struggles to teach coherently at a German university and who is sent on a wild goose chase to Iceland because of one scrap of paper found in a library book. The interplay between our narrator Axel, his mad professor uncle and the reliable but non-verbal Icelandic guide Hans has things to say about the self-importance of science as well as about class and social standing. The science of this book is horrendously flawed but I believe it's the strength of character as well as Verne's fantastically imagined underground worlds that makes this novel not an out-dated joke but deservedly a classic.

4 stars, 05 Jul 2007
Verne captures real drama and human response in this fictitious masterpiece.It's a book for those who like the somewhat sureal adventure story. The plot thickens as the book progresses and i've read it twice in very different circumstances leading me to give it 4 stars. Firstly i read it one summer holiday in one big reading session as i really couldn't put it down, it was magic. The second time i read it on the bus on the way to work and found that having to read it on and off i didn't enjoyit nearly as much and found it hard to get back into. Not a book to read on and off from night to night in bed even but great if you've got a few hours to kill and you want to make the very mos of them.great book.

Lovely, lyrical book, 27 Mar 2005
This is the story of Ginger the cat, who leads a peaceful life with a little girl until one day a naughty kitten is introduced who disurbs the peace. If only the little girl could find a way to help them be friends...

I never grow tired of reading this one to my pre-schooler. The pictures are sensitive, spontaneous and graceful. The text is simple but full of feeling, enhanced by a lovely typeface and layout.

There is a prequel to this book - Ginger Finds a Home - which is just as good.

Excellent for reading at bedtime, 05 Dec 2000
My daughter, who is nearly two, loves this book, and keeps repeating "naughty kitten" whenever she sees it. this is definitely one of her favourites and is read every night (at least once)

excellent, 16 Mar 2001
a beautifully positive look at prejudice. Perfectly simple, fun and true.

The perfect modern bedtime story, 30 Mar 2006
My two-and-half year-old son and I love this book. The illustrations of the lovely frog in stripey shorts are exquisite. His facial expressions are fantastic. Although simple, it really gets its message across. Frog and duck. Green and white. Love knows no boundaries.

"Love knows no boundaries", 23 Sep 2004
How true! A wonderful book that will warm the cockles of even the stoniest of hearts. I think I am falling for Frog myself...

Love Story, 03 Apr 2003
The book is a loverly tale of love that makes a perfect gift for all ages. A simple story that will bring a smile to your face and remind you that love and happiness can come to all people

All you need is love, 27 Jun 2000
This must be it : the greatest love-story ever written. Any age ! Love can't be love without a violin playing frog...

Gripping stuff , 26 Sep 2008
This is a re-read. It is a very good adventure, one of his best, maintaining a real sense of threat and suffocating claustrophobia under the ground. There are some internal inconsistencies in dates and timings which would probably not get past a modern editor. Good stuff.

short but not sweet, 06 Jul 2008
Axel Lindenbrock's uncle, Professor Otto Lindenbrock, has found a piece of paper written in Old Icelandic. Axel shortly manages to make sense of it, and it leads him and his uncle to Iceland to an extinct volcano called Sneffells. There, they go down into its crater with the help of an escort named Hans Bjelke, in hope to get to the centre of the earth! They will face hunger, thirst, and tiredness, but odd Professor Lindenbrock will not give up until he is at the earth's core...or until he is dead!

This is not the whole story but only a shortened version that takes only about 40 minutes to read if you do not want to read the whole story or you want to tell a friend about the book.

Great book, Wrong description!, 03 Jul 2008
The book is fantastic, and if a real review is wanted, then read one of the other ones. I'm just here to say that the book is not hardcover as it states in the product description, and is one of those crappy recycled green covers!

Deserved classic- science fiction with character, 21 Oct 2007
As well as being the gripping high-adventure story that other reviewers have written about, when I re-read this novel recently I was struck by another side to the story that I hadn't noticed before- it reads, especially at the beginning of the book, as a satire. Verne is not content with helping to invent science fiction in terms of the science- some of which is consciously out-of-date even as Verne writes it, as he explains away science facts such as why inside the Earth's core is not flesh-meltingly hot in a manner not dissimilar to those bits of Star Trek where they tell you how the teleport works. In addition to the science, Journey To The Centre Of The Earth has character. Verne invents in this story the very concept of the mad scientist, in this case Professor Lidenbrock, who struggles to teach coherently at a German university and who is sent on a wild goose chase to Iceland because of one scrap of paper found in a library book. The interplay between our narrator Axel, his mad professor uncle and the reliable but non-verbal Icelandic guide Hans has things to say about the self-importance of science as well as about class and social standing. The science of this book is horrendously flawed but I believe it's the strength of character as well as Verne's fantastically imagined underground worlds that makes this novel not an out-dated joke but deservedly a classic.

4 stars, 05 Jul 2007
Verne captures real drama and human response in this fictitious masterpiece.It's a book for those who like the somewhat sureal adventure story. The plot thickens as the book progresses and i've read it twice in very different circumstances leading me to give it 4 stars. Firstly i read it one summer holiday in one big reading session as i really couldn't put it down, it was magic. The second time i read it on the bus on the way to work and found that having to read it on and off i didn't enjoyit nearly as much and found it hard to get back into. Not a book to read on and off from night to night in bed even but great if you've got a few hours to kill and you want to make the very mos of them.great book.

Absolutely beautiful!, 14 Dec 2001
This is a wonderful book - beautifully written and illustrated. Frog comes to realise that he is loved just as he is, after trying in vain to be like his friends. What a lovely message for children! A real self-esteem booster. As a teacher I have read this time and time again to schoolchildren, all of whom have had the same enthusiasm and love for Frog.

Gripping stuff , 26 Sep 2008
This is a re-read. It is a very good adventure, one of his best, maintaining a real sense of threat and suffocating claustrophobia under the ground. There are some internal inconsistencies in dates and timings which would probably not get past a modern editor. Good stuff.

short but not sweet, 06 Jul 2008
Axel Lindenbrock's uncle, Professor Otto Lindenbrock, has found a piece of paper written in Old Icelandic. Axel shortly manages to make sense of it, and it leads him and his uncle to Iceland to an extinct volcano called Sneffells. There, they go down into its crater with the help of an escort named Hans Bjelke, in hope to get to the centre of the earth! They will face hunger, thirst, and tiredness, but odd Professor Lindenbrock will not give up until he is at the earth's core...or until he is dead!

This is not the whole story but only a shortened version that takes only about 40 minutes to read if you do not want to read the whole story or you want to tell a friend about the book.

Great book, Wrong description!, 03 Jul 2008
The book is fantastic, and if a real review is wanted, then read one of the other ones. I'm just here to say that the book is not hardcover as it states in the product description, and is one of those crappy recycled green covers!

Deserved classic- science fiction with character, 21 Oct 2007
As well as being the gripping high-adventure story that other reviewers have written about, when I re-read this novel recently I was struck by another side to the story that I hadn't noticed before- it reads, especially at the beginning of the book, as a satire. Verne is not content with helping to invent science fiction in terms of the science- some of which is consciously out-of-date even as Verne writes it, as he explains away science facts such as why inside the Earth's core is not flesh-meltingly hot in a manner not dissimilar to those bits of Star Trek where they tell you how the teleport works. In addition to the science, Journey To The Centre Of The Earth has character. Verne invents in this story the very concept of the mad scientist, in this case Professor Lidenbrock, who struggles to teach coherently at a German university and who is sent on a wild goose chase to Iceland because of one scrap of paper found in a library book. The interplay between our narrator Axel, his mad professor uncle and the reliable but non-verbal Icelandic guide Hans has things to say about the self-importance of science as well as about class and social standing. The science of this book is horrendously flawed but I believe it's the strength of character as well as Verne's fantastically imagined underground worlds that makes this novel not an out-dated joke but deservedly a classic.

4 stars, 05 Jul 2007
Verne captures real drama and human response in this fictitious masterpiece.It's a book for those who like the somewhat sureal adventure story. The plot thickens as the book progresses and i've read it twice in very different circumstances leading me to give it 4 stars. Firstly i read it one summer holiday in one big reading session as i really couldn't put it down, it was magic. The second time i read it on the bus on the way to work and found that having to read it on and off i didn't enjoyit nearly as much and found it hard to get back into. Not a book to read on and off from night to night in bed even but great if you've got a few hours to kill and you want to make the very mos of them.great book.

Lovely, lyrical book, 27 Mar 2005
This is the story of Ginger the cat, who leads a peaceful life with a little girl until one day a naughty kitten is introduced who disurbs the peace. If only the little girl could find a way to help them be friends...

I never grow tired of reading this one to my pre-schooler. The pictures are sensitive, spontaneous and graceful. The text is simple but full of feeling, enhanced by a lovely typeface and layout.

There is a prequel to this book - Ginger Finds a Home - which is just as good.

Excellent for reading at bedtime, 05 Dec 2000
My daughter, who is nearly two, loves this book, and keeps repeating "naughty kitten" whenever she sees it. this is definitely one of her favourites and is read every night (at least once)

excellent, 16 Mar 2001
a beautifully positive look at prejudice. Perfectly simple, fun and true.

The perfect modern bedtime story, 30 Mar 2006
My two-and-half year-old son and I love this book. The illustrations of the lovely frog in stripey shorts are exquisite. His facial expressions are fantastic. Although simple, it really gets its message across. Frog and duck. Green and white. Love knows no boundaries.

"Love knows no boundaries", 23 Sep 2004
How true! A wonderful book that will warm the cockles of even the stoniest of hearts. I think I am falling for Frog myself...

Love Story, 03 Apr 2003
The book is a loverly tale of love that makes a perfect gift for all ages. A simple story that will bring a smile to your face and remind you that love and happiness can come to all people

All you need is love, 27 Jun 2000
This must be it : the greatest love-story ever written. Any age ! Love can't be love without a violin playing frog...

Gripping stuff , 26 Sep 2008
This is a re-read. It is a very good adventure, one of his best, maintaining a real sense of threat and suffocating claustrophobia under the ground. There are some internal inconsistencies in dates and timings which would probably not get past a modern editor. Good stuff.

short but not sweet, 06 Jul 2008
Axel Lindenbrock's uncle, Professor Otto Lindenbrock, has found a piece of paper written in Old Icelandic. Axel shortly manages to make sense of it, and it leads him and his uncle to Iceland to an extinct volcano called Sneffells. There, they go down into its crater with the help of an escort named Hans Bjelke, in hope to get to the centre of the earth! They will face hunger, thirst, and tiredness, but odd Professor Lindenbrock will not give up until he is at the earth's core...or until he is dead!

This is not the whole story but only a shortened version that takes only about 40 minutes to read if you do not want to read the whole story or you want to tell a friend about the book.

Great book, Wrong description!, 03 Jul 2008
The book is fantastic, and if a real review is wanted, then read one of the other ones. I'm just here to say that the book is not hardcover as it states in the product description, and is one of those crappy recycled green covers!

Deserved classic- science fiction with character, 21 Oct 2007
As well as being the gripping high-adventure story that other reviewers have written about, when I re-read this novel recently I was struck by another side to the story that I hadn't noticed before- it reads, especially at the beginning of the book, as a satire. Verne is not content with helping to invent science fiction in terms of the science- some of which is consciously out-of-date even as Verne writes it, as he explains away science facts such as why inside the Earth's core is not flesh-meltingly hot in a manner not dissimilar to those bits of Star Trek where they tell you how the teleport works. In addition to the science, Journey To The Centre Of The Earth has character. Verne invents in this story the very concept of the mad scientist, in this case Professor Lidenbrock, who struggles to teach coherently at a German university and who is sent on a wild goose chase to Iceland because of one scrap of paper found in a library book. The interplay between our narrator Axel, his mad professor uncle and the reliable but non-verbal Icelandic guide Hans has things to say about the self-importance of science as well as about class and social standing. The science of this book is horrendously flawed but I believe it's the strength of character as well as Verne's fantastically imagined underground worlds that makes this novel not an out-dated joke but deservedly a classic.

4 stars, 05 Jul 2007
Verne captures real drama and human response in this fictitious masterpiece.It's a book for those who like the somewhat sureal adventure story. The plot thickens as the book progresses and i've read it twice in very different circumstances leading me to give it 4 stars. Firstly i read it one summer holiday in one big reading session as i really couldn't put it down, it was magic. The second time i read it on the bus on the way to work and found that having to read it on and off i didn't enjoyit nearly as much and found it hard to get back into. Not a book to read on and off from night to night in bed even but great if you've got a few hours to kill and you want to make the very mos of them.great book.

A very good children's book, 14 Jul 2005
When winter comes, frog finds that he is ill-adapted to the cold. Frog's friends, seeing his difficulty, rally around him, and help him through his time of troubles.

I liked this book, the illustrations are well done and quite humorous, and the storyline is entertaining. I would have hoped for a little more educational value for this book, but my first-grader loves it. The words push him a little, which is good, and the fact he enjoys it so much shows him just how much fun reading is. By the way, he selected this book as his prize for a reading trial at school, he liked it that much.

A very good children's book, 12 Feb 2003
When winter comes, frog finds that he is ill-adapted to the cold. Frog's friends, seeing his difficulty, rally around him, and help him through his time of troubles.

I liked this book, the illustrations are well done and quite humorous, and the storyline is entertaining. I would have hoped for a little more educational value for this book, but my first-grader loves it. The words push him a little, which is good, and the fact he enjoys it so much shows him just how much fun reading is. By the way, he selected this book as his prize for a reading trial at school, he liked it that much.