Illustrator: Skottie Young
Publisher: HarperCollins (September 17, 2013)
Audience: Grades 2nd to 5th
Formats: hardcover, e-book, audiobook
Source: book for review; purchased audiobook
Fiction * Adventure * Fantasy
Description from GoodReads:
"I bought the milk," said my father. "I walked out of the corner shop, and heard a noise like this: T h u m m t h u m m. I looked up and saw a huge silver disc hovering in the air above Marshall Road."
"Hullo," I said to myself. "That's not something you see every day. And then something odd happened."
Find out just how odd things get in this hilarious story of time travel and breakfast cereal, expertly told by Newbery Medalist and bestselling author Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Skottie Young.
My thoughts on this book:
When I heard that Neil Gaiman was reading Fortunately, The Milk, I knew I had to listen to the audiobook. Gaiman does a great job as the narrator for this story. As I listened to the audiobook, I couldn't help but imagine Doctor Who as the father, who goes out for milk for his children's breakfast and gets waylaid by a fantastical story. Was the excuse real or just made up? Fans of Doctor Who will recognize both the analogy (comparison of the Doctor to the father in the book), but also the fact that Gaiman has penned an episode or two of Doctor Who.
Fortunately, The Milk has time travel (albeit questionable at best), dinosaurs, slobbery aliens, pirates/wumpires, and ponies. The story is a fast-paced, fantastical adventure, definitely imaginative, and would make a great read aloud (especially if you can pull off a British accent), or better yet, just play the audiobook.
Check out the videos below for a taste of Fortunately, The Milk.
Watch the Official Book Trailer:
Neil Gaiman reading Fortunately, The Milk. Gaiman reads Fortunately, The Milk in the audiobook version:
Chris Riddell illustrating Professor Steg from Fortunately, The Milk. Chris Riddell illustrated the UK version of the book. Though I enjoyed Skottie Young's illustrations, I would love to find a copy with Riddell's illustrations.
Look for a copy of Fortunately, The Milk at your nearest Indie Bookstore.