Name: Haroun and the Sea of Stories
Rating: 3.959183673469388 (49 reviews)
ISBN: 9780141342399

Rushdie Salman

Haroun's father is the greatest of all storyletters. His magical stories bring laughter to the sad city of Alifbay. But one day something goes wrong and his father runs out of stories to tell. Haroun is determined to return the storyteller's gift to his father. So he flies off on the back of the Hoopie bird to the Sea of Stories - and a fantastic adventure begins.

Haroun and the Sea of Stories

Salman Rushdie

It all begins with a letter. Fall in love with Penguin Drop Caps, a new series of twenty-six collectible and hardcover editions, each with a type cover showcasing a gorgeously illustrated letter of the alphabet. In a design collaboration between Jessica Hische and Penguin Art Director Paul Buckley, the series features unique cover art by Hische, a superstar in the world of type design and illustration, whose work has appeared everywhere from Tiffany & Co. to Wes Anderson's recent film Moonrise Kingdom to Penguin's own bestsellers Committed and Rules of Civility. With exclusive designs that have never before appeared on Hische's hugely popular Daily Drop Cap blog, the Penguin Drop Caps series debuted with an 'A' for Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, a 'B' for Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, and a 'C' for Willa Cather's My Antonia. It continues with more perennial classics, perfect to give as elegant gifts or to showcase on your own shelves. R is for Rushdie. Set in an exotic Eastern landscape peopled by magicians and fantastic talking animals, Salman Rushdie's classic children's novel Haroun and the Sea of Stories inhabits the same imaginative space as Gulliver's Travels, Alice in Wonderland, and The Wizard of Oz. Haroun, a 12-year-old boy sets out on an adventure to restore the poisoned source of the sea of stories. On the way, he encounters many foes, all intent on draining the sea of all its storytelling powers.

Michael Springer

After finishing The Satanic Verses, Salman Rushdie began work on a children's novel which was dedicated to his son. His son told him he should write some books that children would want to read, and this was his response. Well, I'm no longer a child, but I would've enjoyed the crap out of this one when I was going through my Daniel Pinkwater / Bruce Coville phase--hmm, which was about the same time Haroun was written. Too bad I never heard about it back in the day.
 
Haroun is the son of Rashid. Rashid is known as the Ocean of Notions, or the Sea of Stories. He is a storyteller who weaves tall tales constantly. And he weaves these tales in a city that is so sad everyone has forgotten its name. Being a storyteller in such a sad place has made him very famous. Then, after Haroun's mother runs off with the neighbor, the Sea of Stories dries up. Rashid runs out of stories.
 
Like many other children's stories, this one is a night adventure where Haroun is whisked away in the middle of the night and returned before morning. He travels to the Ocean of the Streams of Story, where different-colored stories flow and weave together, constantly remaking themselves. This is where the greatest stories come from, and Rashid's subscription to this ocean has been cancelled. It is Haroun's quest to get his father's subscription back so he can continue telling stories. 
 
Along the way, Haroun makes friends of mechanical birds, genies, rhyming fish and a very interesting flower-person-type-creature. Wordplay, allusions and goofy puns abound. The badguys are funny, and they are--of course--defeated. And, this is Salman Rushdie, so the whole setting of the novel is very fun from a worldbuilding standpoint. Even the "real world" Haroun comes from is full of fantasy (I see online the book is often considered magical realism, which leaves me confused about how fantasy and magical realism differ). 
 
This book was very fun. Like the best children's literature, it touched lightly on social issues without taking a hammer to your head. The badguys are part of a cult where everyone sews their mouth shut and doesn't talk--except for the leader, of course, who is exempt from the rule. And the goodguy army seems disorganized initially, because the soldiers argue with their leaders about battle plans. But, when it comes time for the fight, everyone is on the same page*, so everyone fights better. In other words, this is a fun book, but it does have a few things to quietly say as well.
 
If I could do a half-star, this book would be 3 1/2. Sometimes, the book gets carried away with silliness in a way that feels like an average television cartoon. But, the book has enough strengths to make it better than an average book. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a good children's book that wasn't written a bunjillion years ago, and will appeal to kids younger than the Harry Potter crowd.

Khalifa Brothers #1

Jeff James

This was also an Audible daily deal. I already owned a used paperback copy, but someone thoroughly marked it up, which I hate (and did not notice before buying.) I thought the audiobook version would be a good alternative, especially since it’s a fairly short book. Rushdie pitched the book a little younger than I was expecting, but I didn’t mind that so much. It was a fun adventure that reminded me a bit of Catherine Valente’s Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own (presumably the influence flowed the other way, but still.)

High Fidelity

Prica za sve,da se setimo kako da budemo srecni. Citajte svojoj deci,trebace im.

Maggie Standish

“What’s the use of stories that aren’t even true?” is a question asked by the antagonist.  Haroun and the Sea of Stories answers this question well.  They teach us about courage, bravery, love, and how much better off we are with stories. 

I couldn’t give it five stars because I found parts of it dragged, even if I absolutely love the message and the imagery.  Because who wouldn’t love to see a sea of various cloured story strands interweaving to become stories we love? I know I would.

Laura Springall

I had to read this novel for a class I'm taking on fairy tales, and honestly I didn't think I was going to like it. I'm not big on children's literature so I wasn't looking forward to reading this, but I was pleasantly surprised! At first the writing style, which is very repetitive, annoyed me. But after a little while I got used to it and actually started enjoying it. Haroun and the Sea of Stories is charming, entertaining, and provides a lot of good lessons for both children and adults.

Haroun and the Sea of Stories

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