Books Kids Fiction Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again http://www.yabookscentral.com/media/reviews/photos/thumbnail/200x285s/91/04/e9/_chittychitty_1330360965.jpg

 
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Genre(s)
Age Range
8+
Release Date
March 13, 2012
ISBN
978-0763659578
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Buckle your seatbelt for the first-ever follow up to Ian Fleming's only children's story.

When the Tooting family finds an old engine and fits it to their camper van, they have no idea what kind of adventure lies ahead. The engine used to belong to an extraordinary car . . . and it wants its bodywork back! But as the Tootings hurtle across the world rebuilding the original Chitty, a sinister baddie is on their trail - one who will stop at nothing to get the magnificent car for himself.

Fueled by wry humor , this much-anticipated sequel to the children's classic by Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond - featuring a contemporary family and a camper van with a mind of its own - is driven by best-selling, award-winning author Frank Cottrell Boyce and revved up by Joe Berger's black-and-white illustrations.

Editor reviews

The Tooting family finds itself in a position that many families are experiencing these days-- the father has lost his job. Since he is clever and upbeat, he has decided this is an Opportunity and takes to unemployment with a flourish, but his family decides he needs a project. They get an old camper van which the mother thinks can't possibly be fixed, and tell the father that when it is fixed, they will travel around the world. Of course, he does fix it, so Jem, Lucy, little Harry and the parents take off on a trek around the world. It is soon apparent that Chitty, who has the engine of the car from the book by Ian Fleming, is on a mission to restore itself with original parts, so the family finds themselves in all sorts of unusual places, including sitting near the Sphinx in Egypt selling pancakes! They also meet an assortment of villians along the way, including the Circe-like Nanny who tries to get them to stay for a very long while at Chateau Bateau while she destroys the car. The Tootings, however, are nothing if not motivated and clever, and manage to escape. What will Chitty's next adventure be?

Fleming Reimagined

The Tooting family finds itself in a position that many families are experiencing these days-- the father has lost his job. Since he is clever and upbeat, he has decided this is an Opportunity and takes to unemployment with a flourish, but his family decides he needs a project. They get an old camper van which the mother thinks can't possibly be fixed, and tell the father that when it is fixed, they will travel around the world. Of course, he does fix it, so Jem, Lucy, little Harry and the parents take off on a trek around the world. It is soon apparent that Chitty, who has the engine of the car from the book by Ian Fleming, is on a mission to restore itself with original parts, so the family finds themselves in all sorts of unusual places, including sitting near the Sphinx in Egypt selling pancakes! They also meet an assortment of villians along the way, including the Circe-like Nanny who tries to get them to stay for a very long while at Chateau Bateau while she destroys the car. The Tootings, however, are nothing if not motivated and clever, and manage to escape. What will Chitty's next adventure be?

Good Points
The Tootings are a fun, resourceful family, and the adventure is well plotted. The different places to which they travel are interesting.
Bad Points
The tone is rather goofy, and British goofy is a slightly different flavor from US goofy. Also, very few of my students are familiar with the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang movie, much less the book, and I see this being a harder sell because of this unfamiliarity. Does make me want to keep the 1964 Fleming original, even though no one ever checks it out!

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