Abarat: The Abarat Trilogy, Book 1
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Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Travelogue of the weird for kid fantasy fans.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 9 and Up
The good stuff
What to watch out for
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Violence:
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Sex:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of Abarat: The Abarat Trilogy, Book 1 was written by Matt Berman
Parents need to know that those with a taste for the creepy and bizarre this is a romp. For sensitive children, there's plenty here to induce nightmares. Either way, you may want to read and discuss the strange occurrences here together.
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- Families can talk about the thin plot. Is the descriptive adventure satisfying, or do you prefer stories with tighter plots? What would you hope to see in subsequent books in this series?
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Book Summary
Clive Barker's second book for young adults and the first of a proposed series is Alice in Wonderland for the new millennium. Like Carroll's heroine, Candy Quackenbush finds herself following a strange creature into a stranger world though, this being the 21st century, she is escaping a drunken and abusive father in a town devoted to butchering chickens, rather than just a dull afternoon, and instead of a tea party on land she finds a poker game floating in the sea.
She soon discovers that this land is the Abarat, a chain of 25 islands, each existing in a different unchanging hour of the day (and one mysterious extra island), inhabited by a multiplicity of strange creatures, from John Mischief, who has seven brothers growing out of his horns, to Christopher Carrion, who wears a high translucent collar filled with nightmares swimming in blue fluid.
Is It Any Good?
The plot is mainly an excuse for an excursion through the fertile, bizarre, and gruesome imagination of author Clive Barker. This first book suggests an author obsessed: In addition to more than 400 pages of text (including a 25-page appendix), Barker has created over 100 vividly colorful illustrations. When the book first came out there was a free poster map of the world, and there is an interactive version on the Web site (www.harperchildren.com/abarat ), though why they didn't print the map on the endpapers is a mystery in an otherwise gorgeous and lavishly produced book.
This appeals to children who like to be fascinated, rather than emotionally invested. Though the story lacks the heart tight plotting of the best children's books, children with a taste for the wild and grotesque will by enthralled by this travelogue of the weird.
Publisher’s Details
Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books, Publication date: 02/15/2004
Number of pages: 414, Price: $24.99 (hardcover)
Read Aloud: 9+, Read Alone: 10+
Number of pages: 414, Price: $24.99 (hardcover)
Read Aloud: 9+, Read Alone: 10+
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Most Recent Reviews
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
The Abarat Books are definetly some of my favorite books. There is some Violence, and a lot of it is bloody. The story begins when a girl, Candy Quakenbush has to write a report about her town, Chickentown. She finds some very interesting information about a man named Henry Murkitt. When she hands in her report her teacher gives it a bad grade and accidently knocks over the pencil jar on Candy's desk, which reveals her notebook filled with strange doodles. Then she runs away from the school. This book has a little swearing and Candy's father is a drunk. Those are the only bad things about the book. I like this book a lot because there are a lot of scenes where you think "i'll just stop reading after this chapter or so" then something exiting happens like a villian appearing and you just can't put the book down. Though this novel is fairly long I read it in two or three days because of its exitment and its way of drawing you into the story.
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
this book is amazing!
Abarat is one of the greatest books ever written. It is beautifully illustrated, and it has quite an original and nonsensical plot. If you enjoyed it you will also like The Thief of Always (also by Clive Barker) Coraline (by Neil Gaiman) and most books by Edward Gorey. However, this is not a typical Clive Barker book. He is known for his demented horror novels, none of which are nearly as good as Abarat. 5 stars!
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
Fantastic imagery
Humble beginnings offer the wildest possibilities. Wonderfully described, believable, true-to-life characters, some of them outrageously fictitious, make choices true to the story. Good guys surprise you by demonstrating maturity, honesty, loyalty and sacrifice. Bad guys fall prey to their character flaws. I read this with my daughters (10 and 12)and we all loved it. We eagerly await number three.
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
Great book for 10-11+
This book is one of my favorite series yet. I loved the unique setting and the fantastically creative characters. Funny, interesting, and fun. Read it and the sequel; there is supposed to be a third book eventually...
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