I read this book years ago when it was bought for me from a thrift store by my grandfather. I remember loving every second of it, and revisiting it all these years later, I still do! I loved how immersive the book was, how I could feel what Sylvie felt, and how overall it was such a refreshing read.

This book was great in the beginning, but then it became a little confusing. It would switch the timeline and setting without describing it. The owl was a little confusing also. I kind of wish there was more explanation on that too. Plus, the antagonist Pingree the Jester, was he supposed to be a joke? I mean making the jester into the villain must have been a joke. Anyways this has been kind of a rant more than a review. But it is a good children's story that takes you on an adventure.

I might have liked this as a kid, but it lacked magic to me.

This book is great read it read it

Such an adorable little book! The world was fantastic, and it was such a breeze to read.

A book about fictional characters living in a book, and jumping into their Reader's minds, this is a very unique book. I did not enjoy this book. I felt the writing was hard to follow, and the characters seemed to be for one thing in one sentence, but then we learn they actually don't feel that way in the next. I also didn't have a clear description of how the characters jumped into the Reader's minds. Although this was a clever idea, I didn't think the story was pieced together very well.

Great little meta-story where sentient fairytale characters are merely acting out their story every time a Reader picks up and opens their book; each character has their own personality and can even interact with the Reader. The main protagonist is a spunky princess who is adventurous, curious and very bored with her 80-year old fairytale - but soon enough, her life gets very interesting and complicated.

As a kid, the idea of characters breaking the fourth wall blew my mind - and Townley did this in wonderfully creative ways. This is like a kid's introduction of Italo Calvino, the more I think about it - which makes me love it even more. Anyway, I highly encourage all budding readers to pick this up!

I loved the begining premise of this book. That the characters in the story existed within the book and could act independantly when the book was not being read. Rushing to the correct page when the book wa opened by a "Reader".

Unfortunately, it got confusing and convoluted and the more it became so, the less interested I was and the less I enjoyed the book.

I don't want to say how it become confusing because that would give spoilers.

Great premise, imaginative elements, messy application.

Charming, Thought-Provoking, Stirring

James Mustich listed this book as one of the 1,000 Books to Read. However, The Great Good Thing wasn’t available on Libby. My local library didn’t have it. I had to order it through Mel-Cat, a network of Michigan libraries. This is a definition of a book half-forgotten.

On the surface, this is a children’s book. Princess Sylvie lives inside a book with her parents, reciting the same old tired lines. Although her book was once much beloved, it hasn’t been read in many a year. Until one day.

At one point in the book, the mischievous Ricky opens the book and globs jam between the pages of the book. In my copy of the book, some potato chip crumbs came tumbling out of the pages! Talk about immersive reading!

This short book is incredibly moving. It is a symbol of how a story becomes part of your thoughts and memories, invading your mind, how stories will whisper from the past.

The Great Good Thing is also a challenge to the routine, the mundane, a reminder to break out of the tried-and-true lines, to push boundaries.

A gentle book that I will remember for many years to come…..

How much I spent:
Hardcover text – Free through Mel-Cat (Michigan Library System)

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IDK, I didn't completely actively dislike this book so in some ways "it was o.k." but I also didn't like it? None of the "surprises" were in any way surprising, it wanted to be way more profound than it was, and it can't decide if it wants to push going outside your defined role to do new things or preserving the way things were.

A sweet book, but I didn't finish it because it just wasn't interesting enough. I probably would have absolutely loved this book at age 10, but it is clearly meant for that age. I'd probably even enjoy reading it to a kid, but I just skipped to the end after I read the first half because I didn't really care what happened. Oh well! It's been on my to read shelf for years, so at least I finally read it (sort of)!

The Great Good Thing is a wispy children's novel, fun and imaginative but not leaving much impression when you're done with. The idea is that the characters in a fantasy book have a mind of their own, even as they're set up to act out the same sequence of scenes whenever anyone reads the book. The adventurous princess eventually starts breaking free from the story. Then … other things happen. There are some twists and turns that aren't at all what you'd expect. Overall a sound and well-written book, but not one that sets the world on fire.