Parents' Guide to

Escape From Hat

By Mary Eisenhart, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 8+

Clever epic of heroic rabbits vs. evil black cats.

Book Adam Kline Fantasy 2012
Escape From Hat Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

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age 6+

Based on 1 parent review

Booboolita
Booboolita Parent of 6 and 8-year-old
March 8, 2013
age 6+

Well written book gets and keeps my kids's attention .....and they always ask for more!!

This book is very well written. I read it to my 8 and 6 year old boys and we were all immediately hooked on the storyline. I love the way the author plays with words to describe the details of the story. I wish David Kline (author) had written other books because I have become a fan of his writing. This book is just right for young children. My kids scare easily so I have to be very careful with what they read. This book has mystery, suspense, adventure, good and evil but in such a lighthearted tone it makes it a great read right before bed. I would highly recommend this title to any family with young children. As the parent, I am also enjoying the storyline.

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
Great role models
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

You may not know this, but every human has his own black cat and lucky rabbit working behind the scenes -- the cat to cause as much bad luck as possible, the rabbit to make everything turn out great. Faithful Leek the rabbit has his work cut out for him to protect his boy, Cecil Bean, from the endless mayhem of Millikin the cat. Then one day, thanks to the cat's sinister schemes, he falls through a magician's hat into the world of Hat itself, where the sun never shines, and where he soon finds many other rabbits who've met a similar fate. He's determined to make his ESCAPE FROM HAT and get back to Cecil, even when wiser rabbits tell him it can't be done. He sets off on this difficult quest, accompanied by Morel, brave warrior princess of the rabbits. Meanwhile, Cecil undertakes his own expedition to get his rabbit back.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1):
Kids say: Not yet rated

Author Adam Kline's funny, fast-moving story and imaginative characters engage young kids, their parents, and their older sibs, with grand adventures and frequent laugh-out-loud moments. Scottish artist Brian Taylor's gorgeous, anime-like full-color illustrations and cute pen-and-ink drawings are fun to explore, adding another dimension to the story.

An especially good choice for kids who aren't ready to deal with real villains and monsters, Escape From Hat gives them good tools for handling future scary stuff, since some bad guys are comically inept while others turn out not to be so bad after all.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Why does the rabbits' luck change for the better just when they seem most doomed? How does Cecil make his own magic from scratch?

  • What other magical adventure stories do you like? How does Escape From Hat compare with them? Does it make a difference that many of the characters aren't human?

  • Why do you think stories about being trapped in another world and trying to get home are so popular?

Book Details

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