Rem World (Turtleback)

by Rodman Philbrick (Author)

4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

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Product Details

Turtleback: 190 pages
Publisher: Demco Media (September 2002)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0606249095
ISBN-13: 978-0606249096
Product Dimensions: 19.7 x 14 x 1.3 cm
Shipping Weight: 205 g

Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

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Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

An 11-year-old orders a weight-loss device, but because he fails to follow the directions, he unleashes a force that could destroy the universe. Imaginative characters and a string of cliffhangers make this science-fiction novel a fun and faced-paced read, said PW. Ages 9-14.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6-This fantasy may appeal to a young audience unfamiliar with the genre, but it leaves much to be desired. Arthur Woodbury, 10, has had enough of fat jokes, so when he sees an ad for a sleep device that guarantees weight loss, he wastes no time. However, he fails to read the instructions completely, and the magic helmet deposits him in REM World, creating a conundrum that violates the laws of the universe. Arthur must get home, or the creeping Nothing will envelop Everything and the universe will cease to exist. In action-packed, cliff-hanging chapters, Arthur is helped by REM World beings ("Morf," "Grog," "Mr. Pockets") and earns himself a new name, Arthur Courage. The plot wanders from one surprising encounter to the next, with only a cursory mythology to explain Nothing and Everything, and an underdeveloped setting, so that REM World never quite feels like an actual place. Arthur is miraculously thin when he returns home, but the explanation that he's been unusually active over the course of a few days doesn't suffice. In fact, the issue of Arthur's body shape drops out of the picture while he's in REM World (it's the "courage" issue that surfaces there), so this framing device for the story seems hollow. It also is conspicuously reminiscent of Norton Juster's The Phantom Tollbooth (Knopf, 1961), in which this device is carried through and developed. Despite the thinness in plot, REM may hold appeal for some reluctant readers; Philbrick's narrative voice is exciting and pulls the right strings.
Nina Lindsay, Oakland Public Library, CA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Customer Reviews

4 Reviews

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
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Average Customer Review

4.2 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)

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Most helpful customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A fun Fantasy, Oct 19 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Rem World (Paperback)

I think this book is a brilliant piece of work with a lot of fun parts.
The author writes about what we can relate to ,and what we like to read
about in a book. This book is a very interesting fantasy. In this book a boy
named Arthur Woodburry finds in a magazine an ad where we can go to
sleep fat ,and wake up thin. So he bought the device and he put it on ,and he
went to sleep. Then he woke up and he wasn�t thin. He took the device and
threw it at the floor and he said what a waste. He walked out of his room ,and he was in a beach. He looks back and there is no door. Then he meets a
creature called morph who is his guide. Arthur does not have his helmet on
,so he does not have a way to go back home. So he goes on a journey to find a way home . I give this book two thumbs up.

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5.0 out of 5 stars REM WORLD is a fascinating book about...., May 15 2001

By	Brian Michael Schulz (Long Valley, New Jersey USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Rem World (Hardcover)

REM WORLD is a fascinating book that will spark the imagination of those who read it. After many years of being called nicknames such as Biscuit Butt, Goodyear Blimp, and Jelly Belly, Arthur Woodbury decides that he is to be fat no more. He buys a losing weight device that garuntees that you will go to sleep fat, and wake up thin. But when Arthur wakes up, he finds himself in a fantasy world full of creatures he has never seen before. When Arthur finds out that he has let out the Nothing, which will destroy everything in the universe, he must find a way back home and save the universe. With the help of his guide Morf, Arthur faces many challenges throughout his journey. Will Arthur save the universe from the Nothing? Find out by reading this great book that I recommend for all ages.

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3.0 out of 5 stars One of the strangest books I have ever encountered, Jun 17 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Rem World (Hardcover)

Make no mistake, I like strange books and fantasy, but REM WORLD had one of the most peculiar storylines I've ever heard. it is about a boy named Arthur (or "Biscuit Butt" as the kids at school have dubbed him) who sees an ad in the back of a comic book for a helmet that, when you fall asleep with it on, makes you thin. Naturally Arthur orders it, and falls asleep in his basement with it on.

He wakes up in a different world still wearing the helmet. He takes the helmet off, and when it disappears, Arthur's adventures start, because without the helmet he needs a new way to return home. Galump, the leader of these giant toadlike creatures who live in REM world, alerts Arthur to another problem: Arthur is still REALLY asleep in his basement in OUR world, and because the Arthur in REM world got rid of the Helmet, there are now two Arthurs in two different worlds, which causes Nothing to come. The Nothing is sort of like a blackness that just eats away at the universe, destroying everything. Of course, its up to Arthur to find a way home so he can get rid of the Nothing.

Arthur has quite a journey and meets up with many strange characters, like Morf, who was dry and cardboardish but still rather amusing, and the Cloud People. The story had an extremely rushed and fast pace, with short chapters. All the action happened quickly; never did it slow down and dwell for long on anything. Although many chapters ended in cliffhangers, I did not feel much suspense. REM World was a quick read for me, and although it wasn't GREAT, I still enjoyed it.

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Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Loved it
I loved this book. Arthur enters the magical REM world. This science fiction novel has great characters ranging from Cloud People to Morf. Read more

Published on April 18 2000