My aunt gave this book to me for Christmas when I was eleven years old -- 18 years ago -- and I have read it every Christmas since! Now I am looking forward to reading it to my sons. It is a beautiful tale that leaves some of the simple magic of Christmas intact. A must read for all ages.

This book is one that should never be allowed to go out of print. Children of today who enjoy fantasy (i.e., Narnia and even Harry Potter) will enjoy The Box of Delights just as much. I can only suppose no publisher has thought to reissue it because the author is long-dead and was more noted as a poet than a children's writer.

The BBC turned it into an excellent 6-part TV series which, although dated in its magical effects, is still extremely enjoyable. The production was also transferred to video tape (about three hours in length) and as far as I know is still available. We had no trouble obtaining our own copy a few years ago, anyway. In our house (where there are no children!) it has been viewed every Christmas ever since it was released on New Zealand television. With its 1930s Christmas setting of the English countryside shrouded in snow (and a wonderful story of villainy outwitted by children) it makes perfect Christmas viewing. But of course the book is always better than the movie! Borrow it from your library if a copy is available there.

John Masefield, who died in 1967, was best known as a poet. He did a few juvenile adventure stories of which "The Box of Delights" (1935) is by far the best. It is the sequel to "The Midnight Folk", an occult adventure in which young Kay Harker discovers that his governess, Sylvia Pouncer, is a witch.

As the first reviewer has already given an exhaustive precis of this work I will just add that it is a delightful Christmas thriller and the BBC TV version is a wonderful and faithful retelling of the story.

A forgotten classic - among the 10 best children's thrillers, IMHO.

I originally heard about the Red Fairy Book in the Annotated Hobbit, it was listed as one of J.R.R. Tolkiens influance's.
Anyways I found it and started to read it, and I must say it is the best fairy tale book I own. It's much more lush and interesting than Grimms, though Grimm is great, this book is so far my favorite.
Quite possibly the best fairy tale book ever written.

This book is one of my favorites, and by far my favorite fairy tale book. It includes fairy tales from different countries, ones that are hard to find otherwise and are close to their original first telling. It shows that they truly researched and worked hard to come up with something so full of wonderful tales. The way in which they are written adds to the storytelling, and is hard to find anymore.

The 'Red Fairy Book was one of my first fairy tale books I read and I loved it. It's full of imaginative and diffrent fairy tales from all over the world. Such as "The True History of Little Goldenhood " and "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" {my personal favorite}. This book contains thirty-seven tales that will keep you entranced and send you to new lands for days un-end of enjoyment. The numerous and beatiful pen and ink illustrations are done by Henry J. Ford and Lancelot Speed. The 'Red Fairy book' is only one of the numerous books Andrew Lang has put together. Such as the 'Yellow Fairy Book' and the 'Lilac Fairy Book'. Of what I discovered this book is the best one out of them. So if your trying to decide wich one to purchase I reccomend this one!

What sets this book apart are the illustrations. They are set in the 18th century (since, as the illustrator explains, that is when nursery rhyme books first began to be published) and are attractive and match the verses well. There are many rhymes in this book. Unfortunately there is room for only a single, smallish (though detailed) illustration for each rhyme.

better than most of the nursery rhyme collections. good pictures for kids

This was the first storybook that was ever read to me. The Book tells the story of an uncle that lives in the chill of Russia during the winter with his nephews. As days go by, he starts telling stories to them ...

These stories, are perfect for children ages 10 and up. They are written pretty much as fables, all of them having some kind of insight as to how people are. No violence is included in the text, though some is meant to be understood, as in Little Red Riding Hood.

Do get this book. Read it out loud to your young and see their reaction.

This is a favorite from my childhood. I still read it. I've borrowed it from my college library system atleast three times. It's a clever tale of a doll who escapes from her doll house and makes a home of her own. It will enchant and enthrall "children" of all ages.

A story for any little girl who wants to be a princess...
I am now 25 but when I was in 5th grade my teacher read my class this book. And I have never forgotten it I have wanted a copy for the longest time. But it was out of print.
I'm glad to see it's back for a whole new group of kids to love.

This is the story of Princess Amy
Who had six beauitful sisters with gold hair and cream colored skin.
Well it was the custdom of the kingdom to invite fairies to the baptiam of the 7th daughter.

Now each fairy bestowed gifts to Amy
Wit
Charm
Grace

But one fairy makes her ordanairy.
Asthe years pass Amy becomes more plain with brown straight hair and gray eyes... Her mother and dad try to marry her off but she is plain as far as princess go. so no one will marry her.
The king works out a plan to marry her off When Amy learns of this she runs off to become a kitchen maid.

Little does she know how much happiness this will bring her!!

How you ask?

You have to read the book to find out!!
Hope you Enjoy!

Tired of the usual Disneyfied blonde, sweet, graceful, elegant princesses? Read this book, in which we see a princess unlike any other. I'm glad that it will be reprinted shortly, as a fantasy story this good deserves to be read again and again.

The story opens in the kingdom of Phantasmorania (great name, no?), where the seventh royal princess is born. At first, Amethyst Alexandra Augusta Araminta Adelaide Aurelia Anne appears to be like any other beautiful, good-tempered princess. But then a crabby but well-meaning fairy puts a two-edged blessing on her: "You shall be ordinary!" And she is. To the dismay of the royals and the court, Amy is mousy-haired, snub-nosed, freckled, and thoroughly graceless. She prefers romping in the woods to drifting around playing with a golden ball, as her sisters do.

Dismayed, her parents try to rig up a crisis to get her married off. But Amy doesn't want to be treated in such a way, and has no wish to embarrass her family. So she sets off across the woods, and enters a neighboring kingdom, where she becomes a kitchen maid and has to work for the first time in her life. There she befriends a squirrel and a bird - and a mystery "man of all work" named Perry, who becomes her best friend...

M.M. Kaye, best known for her tales of India and other exotic lands, pens a delightful little fantasy story. This is not an epic, nor does it have ground-shattering impact on the world. Instead it is a smaller, more personal story about an ordinary girl who happens to be a princess. Amy's love story is charming as well, since she and Perry CHOOSE rather than are chosen. It also adds an extra dimension to their romance, since they are friends as well. Amy doesn't give in to fate, she makes her own. I know this sounds like a feminist retelling, but it isn't. Believe me, there is no preaching in it - rather it glories in ordinary but overlooked virtues.

The kingdoms in this book are delightfully overstated. The people in the courts tend to be overstuffed, pompous, full of hot-air, and dripping with jewels and impractical clothing. The blonde, beautiful princesses do not have individual personalities, nor do most of the kings and so forth. The more sympathetic characters like Perry, Clorinda, and the crusty water-fairy are both more relaxed and casual, and more realistic. And younger girls will probably want their own Perry.

Writing is fairly un-detailed, but that is in keeping with the fairy-tale motif. Subtle humor is sprinkled through it, such as the fairy godmother's crusty but kindly attitude, and the joke about the prince of Kleptomania, who has to be watched carefully. The dialogue is realistic but never boring, especially when Perry and Amy are talking, or when the courtiers are gabbling among themselves.

Problems? Well, it's way too short. There's no sequel. And the new reprinting -- ay caramba, who chose that cover art? It makes Amy look about five years old - she's supposed to be a teen! I do hope they retain her delightful internal illustrations, including Amy's soggy grandmother, Perry, and the little house in the woods.

This enchanting story will leave you with a smile. One of the best, for people who loved "Ella Enchanted" and "Beauty."

I was talking to my roommate the other day about the book that has had the most influence on me, and I all of the sudden remembered The Ordinary Princess. I read it years ago when I was in elementary school. I loved the book so much that I read and reread it over and over again. I think this was the first book I ever read as a child where I idenified with the character and looked up to her as a role model. Amy was "ordinary" when compared to her sisters, but she had spunk and feeling and a liveliness that made her a wonderful character to look up to. So many fairytales fall into a trap of convention: beautiful princess meets handsome prince and they fall in love and get married. This book is about two people with personalities who fall in love with each other for the people that they are. I highly recommend this book to anyone of any age as a timeless classic.

I agree with some reviewers in that mostly all of what the book talks about is the glass elevator and Charlie's grandparents. It does state nothing about what Charlie did after all of this with his new chocolate factory, but I disagree with those who say that book was awful. I enjoyed reading it, despite the above complaints. It was very well written, and interesting to read, althought I would have liked to read about what Charlie did with his inheritance.

This book lacks some of the focus and the sheer joy of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but it is a delight nonetheless -- Charlie, Mr. Wonka and Charlie's family take the Great Glass Elevator around for some wild adventures.

It's a sequel, folks. And, frankly, when you are the sequel to the greatest children's book ever written, that's a hard act to live up to. Dahl does a decent job, so I give him 4 stars.

Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator is a sequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Willy Wonka takes Charlie and his family on a trip through space in a glass elevator that launches off from the Chocolate factory. Along the way Charlie experiences more excitement and adventure in the Wacky Willy Wonka way. He encounters some Vermicious Knids that stretch their bodies to spell out mean messages. Wonka gives Charlies grandparents a Wonka-Vite pill that makes them twenty years younger. They mistakenly take too many and Grandpa George and Grandma Josephine become babies. ...I enjoyed this book because it is funny and at times it is very touching. This book and all the characters in it are unique and wacky. Especially Willy Wonka himself. It makes you use your imagination. Can you imagine The Vermicious Knids in outer space spelling the words like SCRAM by stretching and curving their bodies? I could.

My favorite part of this story was when they were flying through space on the glass elevator. When they encountered the Space Hotel U.S.A. how excited Charlie must have felt. I know how excited I felt when I went on a vacation and stayed at a hotel for the first time. I'm still not over it.