This was enjoyable up until the last few chapters. In fact, I was seriously considering reading it to my 2nd graders. It's just subversive enough, without being too much so. The writing is adequate, although over-simplified. There are whole scenes missing, and many of the jokes remind me of movie dialog. Nevertheless, I like the world of the Tollins. It's a kind of Borrowers meets wunderkind-saves-the-world. The ending, though, totally ruined it for me. It became a moralist treatise on the importance of science leading the future and the stupid people who would try to stop it.

Ultimately, I think it's the kind of children's book that is created by and for adults who really don't know anything about children's books, and will therefore think it's either cute or subversive. ( )

I previously knew Conn Iggulden from his work, The Dangerous Book for Boys, soon to be an Amazon Original series. Since I rather enjoyed that book, I picked this one up on sight. I wasn't disappointed.

In collaboration with illustrator Lizzy Duncan, Iggulden has created a rather charming children's book that is a not-so-secretly a paean to science and the industrial revolution, in a very English way. I enjoy the dry, subtly sarcastic humor Iggulden uses to describe the Tollins, and their home of Chorleywood.

I opened up the book in the store and I read the opening paragraph:

Tollins, you see, are not fairies. Though they both have wings, fairies are delicate creatures and much smaller. When he was young, Sparkler accidentally broke one and had to shove it behind a bush before his friends noticed.

And I immediately started snickering. Paging through the first chapter, I quickly found more bon mots like this. My kids wanted to know what was so funny, so I had to sit down and start reading it to my 6-year-old and 3-year-old. My 6-year-old especially loves this book. The mixture of humor, adventure, and romance is just right for him.

Lizzy Duncan's illustrations really make this book work. Her work is expressive and in perfect counterpoint to the text. I enjoyed Sparkler and Wing's joy, consternation, and determination written on their faces. And of course, the super pathetic Tollins in jars.

This is a fine work that I look forward to reading many, many times to my children. I'll probably pick up the sequels as well. ( )

Well, at a year and a half old, my son might be a little young for this book still, but he did enjoy the illustrations and more to the point, I think he enjoyed the book because he heard me laughing now and then.

Yes, it's a children's book - but it's a smart one overall and if you're going to be reading to your children anyway, there's no harm in having something you'll both enjoy - and this book fits the bill nicely, being long enough for quite a few bedtime reads, with three different stories involving the Tollins - creatures faery-like, but quite a bit bigger ( to the faeries dismay usually).

Illustrations are also bright and fun and attention getting for the little ones. ( )

„Wir schreiben das Jahr 1922, George V. ist König von England…“ Tollins haben zwar auch Flügel, sind aber keine Feen. Aber Tollins sind anders. Viel besser. In ihren Augen sind Feen nur kleine flatternde Angeber. Eine Verwechslung mit den Feen macht die Tollins ziemlich wütend. Und dann erzählen sie keine Geschichten über ihre zahlreichen verrückten Abenteuer, wie etwa in diesem lustigen Buch. Bezaubernde Unterhaltung mit frechen neuen Geschöpfen. Für Leserinnen und Leser ab 8 Jahren. „…Feen waren gestern – heute gibt es Tollins“
Zu finden im Erdgeschoss: JE1.J, IGGU

mj (19.1.12)

I couldn't make it through this one. Too patronizing, twee, and the writing was flat and stilted. It doesn't help that I dislike the commenting narrator style, as per Series of Unfortunate Events. The story was trying very hard to be quirky and just came over strained. Ick.

ISBN: 0007303998; Published October 2009 by HarperCollins; Borrowed from the library