Review: Into the Labyrinth
This philosophical story raises questions about the natures and interactions of stories, readers, authors, and characters, and could provoke some very interesting discussions at home or school. This sequel also raises issues relating to the Internet and computer viruses.
What Parents Should Know
This philosophical story raises questions about the natures
and interactions of stories, readers, authors, and characters,
and could provoke some very interesting discussions at home or
school. This sequel also raises issues relating to the Internet
and computer viruses.
Common Sense Media Review
Townley takes the intriguing premise of
The Great Good Thing into cyberspace, with mixed
results.
On the one hand, it's as fascinating as ever. Sylvie, a fictional character in a story that now includes some people from the real world, moves easily between book, dream, and now computer. She and her cohorts act out their story whenever a Reader looks in, but have lives of their own when no one is reading.
On the other hand, the logical holes in the concept have grown wider and more noticeable. Though there are thousands of books, there is only one set of characters who are looked in on by every Reader. What do they do when more than one person reads at the same time? The words seem to be physical objects over which they can trip, yet the story seems to be set in the illustrations. The interaction between words and scenery is frustratingly unclear. And some of the computer details, such as firewalls and cookies, seem to be backwards. The kind of bright, book-loving children who will have wanted to read this sequel may be annoyed by the inconsistencies even as they are enthralled by the idea. Nevertheless, for a discussion group even the inconsistencies provide fodder for thought and conversation.
From the Book:
Sylvie had an amazing life, and she got to live it
dozens of times a day, now that the book she lived in was back
in print.
Her life, in print again! For years, there had been one known copy of her story, and it sat on a shelf in the second-floor bedroom of an old house. But now, through what seemed a miracle, the book was republished, and Sylvie suddenly found herself in living rooms and waiting rooms, apartments, bus stations, and the windows of bookstores.
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