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The Search for Delicious
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16 new or used available from CDN$ 1.73
Average customer review:
Product Description
Gaylen, the King’s messenger, a skinny boy of twelve, is off to poll the kingdom, traveling from town to farmstead to town on his horse, Marrow. At first it is merely a question of disagreement at the royal castle over which food should stand for Delicious in the new dictionary. But soon it seems that the search for Delicious had better succeed if civil war is to be avoided. Gaylen’s quest leads him to the woldweller, a wise, 900-year-old creature who lives alone at the precise center of the forest; to Canto, the minstrel who sings him an old song about a mermaid child and who gives him a peculiar good-luck charm; to the underground domain of the dwarfs; and finally to Ardis who might save the kingdom from havoc.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #415968 in Books
- Published on: 2007-08-21
- Original language: English
- Binding: Paperback
- 176 pages
Editorial Reviews
From AudioFile
"Delicious! Don't you agree?" No! And neither does anyone else in the kingdom. What exactly does "delicious" mean? To find an answer, Gaylen consults many delightful people, ancient dwarfs, odd woodland creatures and one very mysterious mermaid. Flawlessly narrating this adventure is author Natalie Babbitt herself, with a full cast to separately voice each character. Together they create a fast-paced wonderland brimming with excitement. The range of voices creates an authenticity far greater than any single reader could produce. For young readers, there is only one word to describe this productionÐdelicious! P.E.F. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine
Review
“Fantasy-adventure that’s as fresh and sparkling as spring water. It’s truly delicious.”—The New York Times
“The writing is distinguished by an immediate clarity and true poetry. . . . A wholly delightful story.”—The Horn Book Magazine
“The definition of this well-constructed story, combining fine imagery, humor, strong characterizations, legend, and an unobtrusive theme of good versus evil is: a good book for children hungry for light entertainment.”—School Library Journal, Starred Review
“Here is a beguiling tale, here is a story perfectly suited for reading in the still of an endless summer twilight.”—Publishers Weekly
“Fresh and imaginative, this play on words and on human foibles is a welcome and happy book.”—Cleveland Plain Dealer
“A made-up fairy tale that works. . . . This one is for kids who thrive on the discovery of new words.”—McCall’s
Ingram
"Because of disagreement in the castle over a definition for the new dictionary, the Prime Minister's young assistant is sent to poll the entire citizenry. How the kingdom is saved and the definition found climaxes an imaginative, winning story."--Booklist, starred review. New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year; Library of Congress Children's Book of the Year. 2 cassettes.
Customer Reviews
A Delicious Book
"There will be civil war!" the {Prime Minister} burst out at last. "Splits, upheavals, and people taking sides! Smiles will be forgotten and spring will escape notice! Little flowers will push up, only to be trodden down, and birds will sing unheeded." Prime Minister DeCree is making a dictionary, but this is not exactly an ordinary dictionary. Some of the definitions are things like 'Affectionate is your dog', 'Bulky is a big bag of boxes', and 'Annoying is a loose boot in a muddy place.' The King is extremely happy with this dictionary at first, especially the definition 'Calamitous is saying no to the King.' He then reads the definition of delicious, which is fried fish according to DeCree, and he says "no." He thinks the most delicious things are apples. The General thinks the definition should be a mug of beer and the Queen favors Christmas pudding. Soon the whole court is fighting over what should be the definition of delicious. So the King decides to send twelve year old Gaylen, DeCree's foster son, to take a poll of the kingdom. The story tells of Gaylen's obstacles and adventures along the way including some helpful dwarfs, a mermaid named Ardis, and a few angry villagers.
I loved this book and could not stop reading it. Natalie Babbitt creates such vivid characters and remarkable situations. I recommend this great fantasy to anyone who enjoys extraordinary adventures in imaginative worlds.
A New Favorite
I don't know why I picked this up to read it. I just ran across an old copy of a book by an author I haven't read much of and started it. I was absolutely startled to find such a warm book of authentic, feeling relationships, sincere humor, and true depth.
The story is of Gaylen. He lives at court where his father-figure, the Prime Minister, is writing a dictionary. The king and the rest of court have a great dispute on the meaning of the word "delicious." Gaylen is sent to poll the country to find out what is truly delicious. On his journey, he finds that the country is about to be throne into a war over the issue, and Gaylen has to try to contact some pretty magical people to try and save the country.
The book works on a lot of levels. On one hand, it is a humorous, adventurous, and truly touching little novel. You really love the main character and each of the episodes he undergoes makes you like him more. But the novel does have a little deeper side as the conflict over the word "delicious" comments a lot on the nature of relative truth in a fallen world, and Gaylen is on a search to try and bring order back to the world.
From whatever perspective one reads the novel, I think there is something wonderful to find. I am definitely going to purchase myself a copy and recommend it to everyone I know.
An overall good book
A very funny and exiting book.However, some parts were boring though.
