Books : The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles 30th Anniversary Edition

In association with Amazon.com

Rating:

- The Last Friendly Whangdoodle
For those who have read Roald Dahl’s “Charlie & The Chocolate Factory”, please rest assured that this is not about the large, hungry and mean Oompa-Loompa-eating Whangdoodles of that story. Julie Andrews’ creation rules as King of Whangdoodleland, lives in a remote castle and has a sweet tooth with a flower design on it. He is the last of his species, the rest having disappeared into a “Neverending Story” type “nothing” caused by human’s increasing inability to believe in fantasy. The last Whangdoodle looks like a small horse with horns, can change color at will, and grows a new set of slippers each year.

This is the enchanting story of the last adult on earth to believe in the Whangdoodle, and how he enlists three willing children to help him in his quest to actually meet him. Of course quests are never easy, and the children have to learn to use their imaginations through a series of brain-straining lessons before setting off for Whangdoodleland and the greatest adventure of their lives.

They encounter many new creatures along the way, some helpful and friendly, like the wise but ditzy Whiffle Bird, and some decidedly unpleasant, like the “oily” Prime Minister Prock, the Swamp Gaboons, the High-Behind Splintercat, the Sidewinders, the Flummox, the Tree Squeaks, the Oinck, the Gazooks, and not forgetting the fearsome monstrous Gyascutus.

This is a fast moving story that will entertain all ages, and it includes little educational tidbits about science and nature, as well as a couple of moral and biblical references. Strap on your scrappy caps, jump on your Jolly Boat, and set sail with Julie Andrews Edwards to Whangdoodleland.

Amanda Richards, March 15, 2006

Rating:

- My Adventure Through Whangdoodleland
This was a complete adventure through Whangdoodleland. It was very dramatic, exciting and surprising. I felt as if I were there meeting all these exquisite creatures. This book was a gift, and it was like receiving one million dollars for Christmas. It was probably the best book that I have ever read.

Rating:

- Absolutely Wonderful !!!!!
I have searched at every bookstore in the state of Georgia for this particular book for about the last ten years and was told it could not be found. My fourth grade teacher read this book to us in class and we never got to finish it because the school year ended. I am now 35 years old and have two children of my own. I am soooo excited to have finally found this book after all these years so I can share it with my children and actually find out what finally happens at the end. Julie Andrews Edwards is an excellent writer!!!!

Rating:

- Imagination journey
This cleverly written book taps into the imagination of each reader. You will enjoy traveling through Whangdoodleland and meeting the king himself. A great family book.

Rating:

- Something to celebrate
I must be one of that small band of people who came to know Julie Andrews first as a writer. LOTRGW was the book which turned me on to reading as a child. It was in the class library and is the first proper book I remember.

The story is wonderful and imaginative - a Wizard of Oz-style quest. Lindy, Tom and Ben meet a kindly professor who magics them to a strange kingdom in search of the last remaining whangdoodle. Of course they meet a fair number of challenges along the way - monsters disguised as motorbikes and two-faced friends - and their only hope of succeeding is to work as a team as they face a series of physical, emotional and moral obstacles.

My favorite creature is the brave, vain Whiffle Bird, who only speaks in emergencies and who I imagine as looking like something off Sesame Street. She is an unlikely but beguiling heroine.

My only sadness is that LOTRGW doesn't enjoy greater acclaim - to me it was the Harry Potter of its day. As an eight-year-old I found it practically perfect in every way and I couldn't have wished for a better introduction to the world of books.

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