Eloise in Moscow - Kay Thompson
Eloise is an international spy in this so-so book.
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- Author:Kay Thompson
- # of pages: 72
- Publisher:Simon and Schuster BFYR
- Original Publication Date: 01/01/1951
- Genre: Fiction - Picture Book
- Hardcover: $17.00
- Publisher's Recommended Reading Level: Ages 4-8
- Read Aloud: 4+
- Read Alone: 6+
Parents need to know
Families can talk about this series and what makes some of the other books better. Do you find Eloise less fun here? Why do you think that is?
Message
Social Behavior:
Consumerism:
Drugs/Alcohol/Tobacco:
Violence
Sex
Language
Common Sense says
What's the story?
Reviewed by Amy Brotman
One night Eloise explores the hotel in disguise. She is sure someone is following them all the time. In the end, it turns out a spy has watched her to see if Eloise does anything that would have "any international repercussions." Eloise answers, "Nyet Definitely Nyet."
Is it any good?
Eloise, who is so often up to mischief, this time reports on all the mischief in Moscow. Kay Thompson has made Eloise an international spy rather than a troublemaker, and it's a change that disappoints, especially because the Soviet Union Eloise saw no longer exists.
In Eloise's Moscow (a decade after World War II), everyone waits in line for everything, everyone is spied on, and the rich enjoy indulgences not available to the many. The only fun Eloise has -- and about the only page to get a giggle out of an 8-year-old -- is when Weenie the dog senses an intruder and they all frighten themselves. It's also fun seeing Eloise dress up in disguise to explore the hotel at night.
Most of the time, however, it's snowing hard and she's stuck seeing only the sights allowed by her government guide. With the guide constraining them, Eloise finds very little mischief to get into, but there is travelogue -- lots and lots of boring tour guide-speak. Parents unfamiliar with Russian pronunciation are likely to further slow down the narrative as they stumble over foreign phrases.
Grown-ups who wish to recall the Cold War years will enjoy this book most. It's easy to understand why Thompson, during the last decades of her life, refused to let ELOISE IN MOSCOW remain in print. To entertain your children, try Eloise and Eloise in Paris.
Other choices
More Eloise:
Books:
The Absolutely Essential Eloise
Eloise: The Ultimate Edition
Eloise in Paris
TV:
Eloise
DVDs:
Eloise: Little Miss Christmas
Eloise in Hollywood
Parents and kids say



