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|---|---|---|
Searching... Dayton Public Library | MORGAN | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
In this "New York Times" bestseller, Morgan leads readers on the fictional spiritual odyssey of an American woman in the Australian outback.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-8-The Warner family has moved into the proverbial last house on the block. Appropriately named, Forget-Me House is having a strange and dangerous effect on its inhabitants. Danielle, 15, wishes her pesky younger brother Peter would just disappear. When her best friend suggests they do a fake hypnotism act for the school talent show, things quickly go awry. It seems Danielle has actually hypnotized Peter. He can't remember how to play his favorite video game or what he likes to eat for breakfast. Before long, other people begin to forget him. With their parents out of town, Danielle is in charge and she desperately tries to get him back to normal-before the curse of Forget-Me House gets her, too. Stine does a terrific job of building suspense and sustaining the macabre mood. Unfortunately, the characters are stereotypical and flat. The absent parents and other inept adults round out the cast of characters. Still, the story is entertaining and will quickly hook readers. This series, with its creepy horror but not too much gore, will likely be a big hit with the preteen set.-Elaine Baran Black, Gwinnett County Public Library, Lawrenceville, GA(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
The author of the Goosebumps and Fear Street series is up to his kid-pleasing, tried-and-true tricks in the first installment of The Nightmare Room series. Fittingly creepy cover art will catch youngsters' eyes and the plucky plot should hold their attention. Fifteen-year-old Danielle and her family have just moved into a rambling, 100-year-old "fixer-upper" house. When her parents take off on a business trip, they leave the teen in charge of her nine-year-old brother, Peter. Danielle practices her school talent-show act and pretends to hypnotize him. She finds it a bit scary when he doesn't wake up immediately--and scarier yet when he finally does come to and seems to have lost his memory. Shortly after the author sends the parents off on their trip, Stine adds a man dressed in black, skulking outside the house, and the sounds of moaning and whispers emanating from the basement (where Danielle finds slime-covered, zombie-like children) to set a spooky stage for the eerie events that follow. Effectively laced with foreshadowing, appealing Danielle's first-person narrative keeps the tale moving at a quick clip. This may not bring on nightmares, but it's likely to make readers think twice about venturing into dark basements and may well bring them back for the next installment, Locker 13, also releasing this month. Ages 10-up. (Sept.) FYI: A Web site, www.thenightmareroom.com, offers related games and information about the 10 planned forthcoming titles; a story published exclusively on-line, Dead of Night, is also available on the site (Children's Books, Aug. 7) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
Morgan's originally self-published fictional account of her trek with Aborigines in Australia's outback has already sold over 370,000 copies. But that hasn't stopped HarperCollins from picking it up and printing more. During her travels with the Aborigines, Morgan learns their customs, and she believes that she has come to a deep understanding and appreciation of their culture. The conflation of fact with fiction, and the assumption that the distinction doesn't matter, is bothersome. In any case, it's the old story: An earnest person strides out into the world and returns--a New Age prophet glowing with the wisdom of indigenous cultures--to tell us that we are living life out of balance. (First printing of 250,000; Literary Guild selection; author tour)
Booklist Review
The first incarnation of this spellbinding account of an American doctor's experience on walkabout in Australia was a "peaceful self-published work." As such, it stirred up quite a bit of controversy and sold more than 370,000 copies. Very few of these ended up on library shelves, however, and HarperCollins is banking on an ongoing demand with a 250,000-copy first printing, a decision bolstered by a Literary Guild special release designation. Does this quiet little book merit such faith and enthusiasm? Yes. Why? Because Morgan's spiritual journey is as compelling as any classical myth. Morgan has called her narrative a work of fiction to protect the identities of her Aboriginal guides, to conceal the locations of sacred places, and to let readers interpret her tale as they see fit. In fact, she wants us to be as open as she was when her adventure began. Morgan believed she was being taken to an awards luncheon for her work with urban Aborigines when, sporting a fancy new suit, she climbed into a jeep and headed out of town, but hours later, she found herself at the edge of Australia's outback clad only in a thin shift, watching her possessions go up in flames. Her guides, telepathic and spiritually advanced descendants of a 50,000-year-old tradition, call themselves the "real people" and refer to Westerners as "mutants." Morgan's trek across the heart of Australia involved a series of increasingly revelatory and even miraculous occurrences. This demanding journey transformed Morgan's work as a healer into that of a messenger with a message many are eager to hear. (Reviewed August 1994)0060171928Donna Seaman