Measle Stubbs lives in a dreary, horrible house, with Basil Tramplebone, his dreary, horrible guardian. His life is miserable, and suddenly gets worse when Measle finds himself on the wrong end of one of Basil's evil spells. Now he's only half an inch tall and trapped in the world of a toy train set. But when Measle joins up with Basil's other victims, he becomes more than just a smelly little orphan. Suddenly he's a hero ... with a plan!
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From School Library Journal
Grade 4-6–Measle Stubbs lives in a vile house with his hateful guardian, Basil Tramplebone. Basil, who is a "Wrathmonk," a warlock gone mad, has one pleasure, his amazingly elaborate model train set, and one day he reduces Measle to a tiny size and sets him down within it. Before long, Measle discovers six other small humans and a dog, and together they must figure out how to survive in a hostile environment where the only food (donut crumbs left by Basil) will turn them slowly into plastic, avoid the hungry bat that stalks them, and find a way to vanquish Basil. This is a fine premise, but the farfetched methods through which the companions accomplish these goals are forced and unsatisfying. Why do carrots provide an antidote to the magic donuts? Could a half-inch-tall boy really outrun a four-inch-long cockroach? The characters are one-dimensional and uninteresting, and some of them seem to have been created solely for their necessary abilities. Good triumphs over evil, the tiny people are returned to their normal size, and Measle even gets his long-lost parents back, but the tone remains muted to the end.–Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Gr. 3-7. Ten-year-old Measle Stubbs is a scrappy orphan who lives with horrible, sinister guardian Basil Tramplebone. Basil is a Wrathmonk, a wicked wizard. When he discovers Measle playing with his cherished miniature railway, Basil casts an evil spell that shrinks Measle to tiny proportions and imprisons him in the world of the train set. This, of course, puts Measle in all sorts of fantastic predicaments, including his memorable escapes from hungry bats and roaches. The story ends with the suggestion of a sequel. This entertaining, fast-paced novel has moments of humor and suspense, but its characters and plot are derivative of such popular fantasy stories as the Harry Potter series and Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. Still, fans of those tales will no doubt find appeal in Ogilvy's quirky characters and their bizarre adventures. Ed Sullivan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
By John
Format:Paperback
If you like a book with excitement, revenge, and a few touching moments, then this is the book for you. Measle and The Wrathmonk, by Ian Ogivly, is a great fantasy book.
The main character’s name is Measle Stubbs. He’s shy, friendly, smelly, and smart for someone who hasn’t had an education. Measle’s parents died when he was very young and they left him a huge amount of money. He has a cruel legal guardian named Basil Tramplebone. Basil is Measle’s fourth cousin twelve times removed and he loves money. It’s weird, but the judge that decided Measle was too young to have the money himself, and sent Basil to take care of him, looked almost exactly like Basil, and Basil is a devastatingly ugly, terrible, horrifying creature. His skin is pure white and his hands are as cold as ice. His eyes are like fish eyes that follow Measle’s every move. Yes, he’s that creepy. They both live in a dreary, horrible, ugly house. In this house, Basil has a magnificent train set in the attic, with amazing features. Basil only lets Measle come watch him play with it once a year. This wasn’t going to work for Measle, because he was dieing to see it again. Then, Measle came up with a plan.
The main character’s name is Measle Stubbs. He’s shy, friendly, smelly, and smart for someone who hasn’t had an education. Measle’s parents died when he was very young and they left him a huge amount of money. He has a cruel legal guardian named Basil Tramplebone. Basil is Measle’s fourth cousin twelve times removed and he loves money. It’s weird, but the judge that decided Measle was too young to have the money himself, and sent Basil to take care of him, looked almost exactly like Basil, and Basil is a devastatingly ugly, terrible, horrifying creature. His skin is pure white and his hands are as cold as ice. His eyes are like fish eyes that follow Measle’s every move. Yes, he’s that creepy. They both live in a dreary, horrible, ugly house. In this house, Basil has a magnificent train set in the attic, with amazing features. Basil only lets Measle come watch him play with it once a year. This wasn’t going to work for Measle, because he was dieing to see it again. Then, Measle came up with a plan.
The plan was to get Basil out of the house by telling him he there was a phone call for him from the bank telling about some extra money, and Measle knows how Basil feels about money. Then, once he’s out of the house, Measle will go up to the attic and play with the train set. It was a great plan, except that Measle forgot it was Sunday, and banks are closed on Sunday! Hopefully, Basil will forget, too.
If you want to find out what happens to Measle and his mischievous plan, then you should definitely read the book. I also recommend that if you do read it, you be 8 – 12 yrs old, for otherwise, it might not be as enjoyable for you because you might find it’s just not your style of reading, unless, you still love a book that you can never put down.
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
This book i would deffinatly say is for younger readers, or readers who are young at heart. I thought it was acceptionally well done!! i have also read it's sequel "Measle and the Dragodon" and i am very much looking forward to the third (Measle and the Mallockee)
I am at a loss for words to describe how good this book is. It's action packed, and extremly funny. It makes one forget the troubles of the world. I have rarely read anything as amusing and wonderful as this. Even Harry Potter can barely compare.
Measle Stubbs is an acceptional boy, who with his courage and pure of heart takes us on a whirl wind adventure. Through his journy he makes some valuable friends, and in less than 48 hours his life goes from terrible to terribly wonderful.
I could hardly put this book down, and when i did, i was always thinking about it. it's deffinatly a good read!
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.7 out of 5 stars
18 reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
My daughter and I really liked this book.
Jan 13 2006
By Peter W. Shor
- Published on Amazon.com
Don't pay any attention to the School Library Journal review. While some of the means our heros use to defeat the villain do seem relatively far-fetched (one of the review's complaints), the book is very entertaining anyway. I've suspected for a while that some of the reviews Amazon finds, like this one, are by people who merely skimmed the book, and I believe this review proves it. Contrary to the review, a half-inch boy never outruns a four-inch cockroach in this book. Or rather, he does, but he has a real big headstart. In fact, it's clear from reading the book that the cockroach actually can run much faster than our hero, so he has to outwit him instead.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Get infected with this Measle!
April 1 2005
By S. Hendricks
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
This is a thoroughly entertaining children's book. For children there is just enough "scary" tension to have them worried about what could happen to Measle. The book demonstrates that even at a young age one is capable of facing fear and rising to confront adversity. It also shows that teamwork is important. It's a fun story despite the horrible situation Measle finds himself in. It's a great adventure for the age group it was written for.
If you have no objections to magic and wizardry, and you think that Harry Potter is not appropriate for your child, this could fill the bill. In fact, I think I enjoyed this as much as Harry Potter, if not more. (But I really hate comparing it to Harry Potter because the targeted age group is different, and I think this book stands on its own merits.)
I can't wait for the next "outbreak" of Measle`s predicaments.
If you have no objections to magic and wizardry, and you think that Harry Potter is not appropriate for your child, this could fill the bill. In fact, I think I enjoyed this as much as Harry Potter, if not more. (But I really hate comparing it to Harry Potter because the targeted age group is different, and I think this book stands on its own merits.)
I can't wait for the next "outbreak" of Measle`s predicaments.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Dash of Action, a Pinch of Fantasy....
Aug 30 2004
By M. Carpenter
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
Any 4-6 grader who loves action and/or fantasy will love this book! Ogilvy writes an exciting story encompassing everything from a tortured orphan to a bat-like beast, from a mysterious train set to a giant cocroach, and thrilling chase scenes to tunneling through a table! It is highly imaginative, and his excellent understanding of action pushes the reader through the well written scenes with little effort. Aside from a slightly contrived twist at the end, this is a well written and easily read book for any young person.
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4.7 out of 5 stars
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