Stuart Little by E. B. White Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Stuart Little
Book Review: A disappointment! "I didn't get what they said" says child
Summary: 2 Stars
I had just finished reading "Mrs. Frisbee and the Rats of NIMH" and "Charlotte's Web" to my 5 year old son (who thoroughly enjoyed both of those books) and was looking forward to reading him Stuart Little. But as I read a chapter each night, I kept thinking "it has to get better! Didn't I like this book as a child?" I noticed my son wasn't begging me to read more each night, as he had with all the other books. After we finished the book I asked him his thoughts about it. "I didn't really like it. I just didn't get what they said!" I had to agree. The language and especially the sailing jargon was not clear. Yet this 5 year old "got" the much more complicated concepts in Rats of NIMH? I was disappointed that this book didn't spark conversations from my son, like the other books had. Though we did talk about how interesting it was that the same person who wrote "Charlotte's Web", a book he truly loved, could also write a book like "Stuart Little", that he didn't enjoy at all.
We're happy to leave Stuart Little behind and be several chapters into "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". Now I'm hearing "just one more chapter PLEASE..." again.
Book Review: A nine year old says this is the best book in the world
Summary: 5 Stars
Stuart Little is written by E.B. White. This book is about Stuart Little, who is a mouse adopted by a human family. He lives with Mr. and Mrs. Little and his older borther, George, in New York City. Stuart has many adventures as a mouse in a human world.
Stuart was a unique mouse and he had experiences different from regular mice. He used his small size to get his mother's ring that had fallen down the drain. Also, he went inside the piano to fix a stuck key for his brother, George. Stuart became the captain for a small model sailboat race in Central Park and won for the ship's owner, Dr. Casey.
Despite his full life, Stuart was very lonely until a light, brown bird named Margalo became friends with him. He saved her from the famly cat, Snowbell. She even saved him from a garbage boat that would have dumped him into the coean. Unfortunately for Stuart, Margalo left to go north when she found out another cat planned to kill her. Stuart's biggest adventure came when he tried to find Margalo while driving a tiny yellow car.
E.B. White did a great job of writing Stuart Little in a way that respected the reader. Even though it is hard to imagine that a mouse could live as part of a human family, E.B. White made it seeem really normal. He made the book interesting by making Stuart a really fast-moving mouse. He almost had a new adventure on each page. That makes the story really exciting, and I could not wait to see what Stuart would do next. Finally, he made the reader feel like a part of the story because all the characters, including the cat, had real personalities like us.
I wold give thie book five stars. It was so fast-paced and fun to watch Stuart as he grew up. Stuart was a really great character, and I really liked him even though he was different. He always tried to help others. I recommend this book to anyone.
Book Review: A small human animal growing up among giants - kids can relate
Summary: 5 Stars
I just finished reading the book to my little boy. He did say, at the end, "I want to read more about Stuart Little," but I told him there wasn't a sequel. He's young enough to just accept that. I think the story is really meant for very small children and other people who are able to read, accept, and evaluate on its own merits. Little kids are great in their ability to do that.
As for Wikipedia's explanation of the abrupt and unsatisfying ending, the current version of the article doesn't give any source, so I would give that factoid a 25% chance of being true.
The book is a fantasy. It doesn't matter how Mrs. Little might give birth to a mouse. (Would she even notice that she was giving birth to a newborn mouse?) The premises are (1) Stuart Little is a full (birth) member of the family, (2) he is a mouse, (3) but he is as smart as or smarter than a boy, (4) ordinary people are not surprised by a talking mouse (or by 2-inch-high girls, either), and (5) he can grow up (or at least grow reasonably competent) fast, so he can leave home and drive north at age 7 or whatever it is.
Sure that's a bizarre set of premises to ask somebody to accept, but if you think about it in a certain way, it makes sense. Imagine someone thinking, "What would it be like to grow up two inches high? Well, you'd be as small as a mouse...so what would it be like to be a human but growing up as a mouse? A mouse, by the way, that has all the spunk and independence of a very bright, competent, independent-minded boy." Well, all the premises behind the book follow from that suggestion.
There does seem to be a problem in how the book ends so abruptly, without answering some crucial plot questions. It is quite possible that White intended to finish it, but considering that he lived for another 40 years, he must have felt satisfied with leaving it as it was, and so that was his artistic intention -- to leave it "unfinished." There's just one reasonable interpretation of that, which is very clear from the last few pages of the book: the message of the book is that, if you have courage and spunk, you'll get along fine in this long, strange, still unfinished journey called life.
I like neat, satisfying, life-fulfilling endings more than most people, I imagine, and so for a little while I was disturbed by the end, but I've decided that Stuart gets along just fine and probably even finds what he's looking for. The unfinished nature of the story poignantly underscores the unfinished nature of life itself.
Book Review: Another classic by EB White
Summary: 5 Stars
If you own one EB White book, you should own all three. This book chronicals the adventures of Stuart, a mouse born into the human family (the Littles). If you have seen the movie or enjoyed either of White's other two books, then you will be sure to adore Stuart and his story.Book Review: Awesome Book
Summary: 4 Stars
My teacher let me borrow this book, and I wasn't so sure that I would be interested in it. But, as soon as I read a few pages, I kind of liked it. As I read a few more pages, I began to LOVE it, and couldn't put it down. When I would finally find a chance to read it, I became very sad when my mom told me to do my chores, or come to dinner. This is an AWESOME book. I think people of all ages will like it!