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The Silver Arrow
The Silver Arrow | Lev Grossman
19 posts | 17 read | 14 to read
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Magicians comes a must-read, wholly original middle-grade debut perfect for fans of The Chronicles of Narnia and Roald Dahl Dear Uncle Herbert, You've never met me, but I'm your niece Kate, and since it is my birthday tomorrow and you are super-rich could you please send me a present? Kate and her younger brother Tom lead dull, uninteresting lives. And if their dull, uninteresting parents are anything to go by, they don't have much to look forward to. Why can't Kate have thrilling adventures and save the world the way people do in books? Even her 11th birthday is shaping up to be mundane -- that is, until her mysterious and highly irresponsible Uncle Herbert, whom she's never even met before, surprises her with the most unexpected, exhilarating, inappropriate birthday present of all time: a colossal steam locomotive called the Silver Arrow. Kate and Tom's parents want to send it right back where it came from. But Kate and Tom have other ideas -- and so does the Silver Arrow -- and soon they're off to distant lands along magical rail lines in the company of an assortment of exotic animals who, it turns out, can talk. With only curiosity, excitement, their own resourcefulness and the thrill of the unknown to guide them, Kate and Tom are on the adventure of a lifetime . . . and who knows? They just might end up saving the world after all. This thrilling fantasy adventure will not only entertain young readers but inspire them to see the beautiful, exciting, and precious world around them with new eyes.
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review
MurialRob48
The Silver Arrow | Lev Grossman
Pickpick

It was a very good story line and I enjoyed the concept. I did think that it pushed environmentalism a little too much, so I would give it a 4 out of 5 stars!

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megnews
The Silver Arrow | Lev Grossman
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Pickpick

A magical middle grade journey.

29 likes1 stack add
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Nebklvr
The Silver Arrow | Lev Grossman
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Pickpick

A magical train trip packed with adventure, talking animals, and train cars packed with books and candy. The plot is imaginative and the characters witty. Humor relieves some of the serious issues addressed.

33 likes2 stack adds
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Branwen
The Silver Arrow | Lev Grossman
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What a great Sunday afternoon! 😍💕📚

Mitch Looks idyllic! 4y
53 likes1 comment
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Branwen
The Silver Arrow | Lev Grossman
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Starting these two new beauties today! 💕📚 Along with some popcorn and cheese and of course, tea! 😁 There's snow outside and I'm warm and cozy under my blanket! A perfect Saturday!

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GerardtheBookworm
The Silver Arrow | Lev Grossman
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Pickpick

A charming children's fantasy. Kate her little brother live humdrum lives until their eccentric uncle gifts them a magical locomotive called The Silver Arrow that takes them on a wild adventure. For kids who enjoy J K Rowling, Rick Riordan ans C S Lewis, this delightful tale will enchant readers.

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SassenachTheBookWizard
The Silver Arrow | Lev Grossman
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Pickpick

This was so stinking cute! Definitely a good winter holiday gift for kids

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Vee_Bookish
The Silver Arrow | Lev Grossman
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Panpan

I really wanted this to be a fun, magical advebtire story but instead I got a Natural History lesson, deforestation and global warming. Disappointed.

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underground_bks
The Silver Arrow | Lev Grossman
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Mehso-so

I love The Magicians so I was intrigued by Lev Grossman‘s middle grades debut. While I found the premise Roald Dahlian and the deeper environmental message well made and well timed, I just didn‘t enjoy myself, and that may just be because I‘m an old fogey!

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HeatherBlue
The Silver Arrow | Lev Grossman
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This! Book!! It was so lovely and sweet and hopeful. It gave me major Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland vibes. There‘s also a beautiful scene involving trees that mesmerized me. Just all of the heart eyes for this book 💙💙💙

LibrarianRyan It‘s just as good on audio. 4y
50 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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UnabridgedPod
The Silver Arrow | Lev Grossman
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Pickpick

Happy Pub Day to Lev Grossman's The Silver Arrow! And thanks to Partner @LittleBrownBooks for the ARC.⠀

After devouring Grossman's The Magicians trilogy, I was excited to see that he was moving into the world of children's literature. This lovely novel--it's labeled as middle grade, but I think younger kids could definitely handle it--features the whimsical magic of books like Chronicles of Narnia or Neil Gaiman's books for younger readers. ⬇️

UnabridgedPod The book opens on Kate's eleventh birthday. Yearning for some sense of adventure, she's written a letter to her strange uncle Herbert requesting a gift, hoping that he'll bring her something fun to make her life a little less boring. He shows up--enraging her parents--with a 102.36-ton train engine smack dab in their front yard. ⠀

Kate and her little brother Tom are thrilled until they realize that a stationary train engine isn't very fun. ⬇️
4y
UnabridgedPod Still, their imaginations are big, and so they hang out in the train, dreaming of the adventures they never get to have. Then, the train starts to move, and Kate and Tom are swept up in an adventure full of travel to exotic places, talking animals, and a few troublemakers to take care of along the way.

I absolutely loved Grossman's gentle tale, which is both sweet and a little bit salty, too (Kate's sarcasm is fabulous!). ⬇️
4y
UnabridgedPod There are some beautiful messages here, about the blessing and curse of growing up and about the importance of trying to do our best for the natural world. I think the lessons are woven into the story in a way that they'll hit home for children.⠀

What new books are you excited for this month?
4y
LibrarianRyan I loved this story and it was great as an audiobook 4y
UnabridgedPod @LibrarianRyan That‘s great to know!! It very much has such lovely storytelling vibes. ❤️ 4y
26 likes5 comments
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LibrarianRyan
The Silver Arrow | Lev Grossman
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🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟5 🌟
I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook. The reader was perfect for the story. His tone and accent kept the listener interested and the story kept the reader engaged. This book could rank up there with Roald Dahl and Beverly Cleary. It has the family drama and heart of Cleary, with the lessons, animals and fun of Dahl.

LibrarianRyan Plus the big lesson in the end I was not expecting, but it fit so perfectly and tied everything together. It‘s modern, but has that classic feel that could keep kids entertained for decades to come. A great book for young and old alike!!!!!!
#BBRC
#ReadHarder
#PopSugar
4y
JanuarieTimewalker13 Can you help me with a book? My niece has 2 little boys, 2 and 4 and the death of their grandma is imminent (likely tonight), can you recommend a book that explains death to little kids? (edited) 4y
LibrarianRyan @JanuarieTimewalker13 yeah. Let me check some of my lists. The only one I can think of right now is about a teee dying. And while the illustrations are awesome the books suck. Be right back. (edited) 4y
See All 17 Comments
LibrarianRyan @JanuarieTimewalker13 this one is great in the end but is really sad to start off. 4y
LibrarianRyan @JanuarieTimewalker13 this one is based on a true story of New York Zoos polar bears. 4y
LibrarianRyan @JanuarieTimewalker13 this one is about a grand mother but may be too old for the two year old. 4y
LibrarianRyan @JanuarieTimewalker13 another oldie but it‘s never been out of print for a reason. 4y
LibrarianRyan @JanuarieTimewalker13 last one. This isn‘t about death so much but celebrating your family and how they did amazing things. It‘s a 5 star book for me. 4y
LibrarianRyan @JanuarieTimewalker13 PS. Sorry for your loss. I miss my grams every day. 4y
JanuarieTimewalker13 Omg, you are the best!!! Thank you so much😘☮️❤️ I‘m going to write all of these down!! 4y
JanuarieTimewalker13 She passed last night. 4y
JanuarieTimewalker13 No, she wasn‘t my grandmother, my niece‘s husband‘s mother. I‘ve never even met her, oddly. They live in Delaware now, and they got married pretty quickly and had kids quickly. My niece comes here bc it‘s a long ride for me. Thanks again🌸🌻⭐️ 4y
JanuarieTimewalker13 I purchased these: Our Tree Named Steve, The Memory Tree, Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs, and The Invisible String. Thank you again for your help!!!!🖖🏽 4y
63 likes3 stack adds17 comments
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Schlinkles
The Silver Arrow | Lev Grossman
Pickpick

This had the feel of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory meets the Polar Express, with some heavy-handed environmentalism thrown in. Which is excusable because it‘s a middle grade book and they don‘t always err on the subtle side.

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coffees
The Silver Arrow | Lev Grossman
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Pickpick

TBH, it started a bit boring, it has a bit of an Alice in Wonderland vibe where it has a kid(s) going on a magical adventure that doesn't really make sense where they learn about responsibility but it got “darker“ down the line. Talked about negative effects humanity has had on nature but also how there's so much potential for good. Hadn't expected it

Listen on Libro: http://libro.fm/referral?rf_code=lfm135487

#awesomeaugust @andrew65

Andrew65 Well done 👏👏👏 4y
12 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Schlinkles
The Silver Arrow | Lev Grossman
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Next up on my #bookspinbingo journey...

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LibrarianRyan
The Silver Arrow | Lev Grossman
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I was not a fan of the Magicians. However, I am a fan of the author. He is so nice, and was really great when my library choose his book as our One Book One summer read when it first came out. He even did a little video for our library. This is his foray into MG. I have it as an audio galley. I'll try to listen to it this weekend and give a report.

Out September 1
#CoverLove #MGedition

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TracyReadsBooks
The Silver Arrow | Lev Grossman
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Pickpick

Grossman‘s middle grade debut is delightful. A tale of resilience & courage, adventure & danger, a speeding train & talking animals. In other words, it has all the right ingredients to thrill & entertain young readers. The story—when Kate asks for a birthday present from her mysterious, rich uncle, she gets far more than she could have hoped. With her brother tagging along they head off for the adventure of a lifetime. Definitely a fun read.

19 likes1 stack add
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TracyReadsBooks
The Silver Arrow | Lev Grossman
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Finishing the weekend off with an ARC of Lev Grossman‘s middle grade debut. (And if it feels like almost everyone is making their middle grade debuts these days, well, it‘s because so many people are!) This one has a fun premise—on the eve of her eleventh birthday Kate asks her rich uncle, who‘s she has never met, for a present. The next day a train is delivered...& of course it‘s going places! Eight chapters in & so far it‘s a fun story.

22 likes1 stack add
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LibrarianRyan
The Silver Arrow | Lev Grossman
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Hey all,

Netgalley finally has Audiobooks up. You have to download the Netgally Shelf app on IOS or Android. I have already selected the tagged book, The Shadows, and the Genesis Game.

Lets see how it goes.

Im a little aprehensive about the tagged book. Grossman is such a nice man, and he loves libraries, but I was so board with the Magicians. Uggg. This is his first MG so here is hoping it does not put me to sleep.

rockpools Oh no! This is a rabbit hole I really haven‘t time for right now! 🐰 4y
62 likes1 comment