An Undiscovered Gem!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                      

                                                                                   

                                       I may be The Raving Queen, darlings, but, believe it or not, I do have some testosterone in me, which is why I probably have a penchant for adventure books.  I love Jules Verne,  

H. Rider Haggard, (I still intend reading "King Solomon's Mines, if only I can find a Modern Library paperback edition)  and, especially, anything having to do with aerial balloon travel. Count "The Wizard Of Oz"--book and film--in here!

                                        When I was in sixth grade, the hardbacked Newberry Medal stickered edition of William  Pene du Bois' "The Twenty- One Balloons," adorned our Showcase Book Shelf, along the side windows of the classroom.  It stared at me constantly, daring me to read it, but, alas, this was the year I was too busy devouring and discovering Marguerite Henry (another Newberry Medal winner) and her horse books.

                                           This year, during the pandemic,  I came upon the paperback edition of this book, in one these charmingly designed bird-like houses, used for storing random book donations.  I took it from the house,  intending to read it.  When I did, what a surprise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!       

                                              As the  title suggests, balloons abound, and there is, indeed plenty of aerial travel, but there are actually two journeys. 

                                               Professor William Waterman Sherman, a  retired school teacher from San Francisco, is rescued from by a steamship, floating on what appears to be a wreckage of twenty balloons. He had been traveling abroad himself, alone, in one balloon, (hence 21) intent on traveling wherever alone,  for the sheer relaxation of  it.  Not quite a latter day Phileas Fogg, but pretty darn close.

                                                 Eventually, Sherman crashes onto an island, inhabited by a community of people having ended up there.  Guess what kiddies--and this is one way the book turns educational as well, combining both history and physics--the island turns out to be Krakatoa--yes, darlings, THAT Krakatoa!!!!!!!--and, while I knew nothing of it in sixth grade, I knew of it by this time, not the least of which from having seen the 1968 film, "Krakatoa, East Of Java," which may have been the last film to be released in Cinerama.  By the time  it got around to playing at my local theater, which was back in New Brunswick, New Jersey, the Cinerama aspect was gone, though the disaster sequence was still quite effective.

                                                   All the residents on the island know the potential  for disaster exists, and, for when time should come, they have built a giant platform to hold the population, supported  aerially by twenty other balloons.

                                                    Well,  you know what happens, darlings!  Krakatoa erupts, it explodes, everyone gets on the platform with the balloons, and off they go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                       It actually is  possible to enjoy reading children's books as an adult!  As with  "Emil And The Detectives," earlier, one can get more  out of them than when young.

                                                        I urge you  to read this one, girls! It is  captivating!

                                                        Now, if  only I could  get my hand on  "The Happy Hollisters!"  Or the  original "Honey Bunch" books!   And how about bringing back "Honey Bunch And Norman?"

                                                         And I don't mean Norman BATES, kiddies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!