It some ways I LOVED it and in others I did not. I'll start my I am very important and should critique books professionally review with the negative.
I'm left with an overall sense that Robin grew more and more weary of writing this book. As it goes on, there's an increasing laziness as though she (he?) (Robin?) started thinking of her next book, half way through this one, but Robin ain't no quitter so she was all GIT'ER DONE. Even the end, with the (spoiler alert) happy ending, the writing is rushed and, perhaps, even MORE happy because she's about to send this off to the publishers. I think, based on the first 75 pages, the book should have been 600 pages instead of 250. ...OK, Robin is a childrens' book writer, technically, so you could say the length is for the youngers. phooey. I'm getting up there and want more book.
I should watermark this post with lines of IMHO IMHO IMHO IMHO IMHO because yeah, I'm probably wrong.
BUT, let me praise the author a bit. Robin can write!
OK, here's a fun little taste-
A miniature staircase, complete with a banister on one side, rolled up to me; I had the feeling that it would have cleared it's throat respectfully if it had had a throat to clear. "You remind me of our butler in the city," I said to it. "He stood at attention just the way you're doing now. Do you clean silver as well as he did?" It moved in a half circle backwards, and I thought it was probably eyeing me in confusion.
"Don't distress it," said the Beast mildly. "It will try to clean silver to please you, and it isn't built for it."
I laughed. "Pardon me, sir," I said to the waiting staircase. "I do NOT wish you to clean silver." It settled down on its wheels with the faintest sigh of condensing springs. "Do you ever get yourself in messes by wishing inappropriate things?" I said to the Beast.
"No," he replied. "My orders are obeyed, not my wishes."
Fun, right??? How fun is that writing?! I know this isn't Tolstoy stuff, but Tolstoy doesn't work when I'm interrupted every 6.5 minutes with kids' popsicle drama.
I need easy cuz I rarely read and I have 16 kids.
Also- I've read my share (not really) of heavy books and I prefer my books to be relaxing escapes. Delightful wastes of time, if you will. And this one was just right for a hot afternoon. OH MY GOSH I just thought of one of the funniest moments on King of the Hill. Know that show? Cartoon with Hank Hill? Hank is horrified to see his son Bobby becoming a southern bell when, visiting family in the south, Bobby comes down the veranda, fanning himself and says "I do declare I am wilting like a summer flower" but he says it with a real drawl and doesn't pronounce the 'w' in flower. OH MY GOSH SO FUNNY.
But back to the book.
It's silly, it's clean, it's lighthearted. I liked it. I recommend it! How lucky is award-winning Robin to have an endorsement from me? And just 40 years after she wrote it!
Alright. After 7 months of blog-avoidance this is all I got. Or wanna got. When we're old and gray and I read my next book I'll get all self-important and do another review. Oh, feel free to borrow the book, my fellow sophisticated readers, for I am one of you.
