My son was sad when the book was over
346820
My son was sad when the book was over... he wanted more clues and more animals to figure out! He was having such a great time guessing and learning!
3995167
My son loved  this book.  Although not his favorite of all the books, he enjoyed it as part of the series just as much as if it had been any of the books.
3446116
I read an autographed ARC copy of this book to my son.  It's a story about a cat who lost it's owner and went to live with a new family.  The sad/tragic story is told in a nice way and shows that change can be good.

I really liked the line, "For he realized that as long as he had Nana in his heart she would always be there for him." It's similar to the way I described the loss of a family member to my young son.

We had a discussion afterward reading the book together, and my 4 1/2 year old son showed he understood the story.  He thought it was mostly sad, but liked the cat.  He did want to hear it again, but said we could wait a bit to re-read it.

The spelling and grammar in the book seemed great.  The rating is based on my son's opinion of the book.
913508
This review is geared towards parents thinking of getting this book for their younger children. I bought it for my 8 year old son and decided to read it before I gave it too him. I will be holding onto it for a few years. First, unlike the commercials for the movie (I grant you I have not seen the movie only the ads), this is not an action/adventure story of travel to a magical land, i.e., Narnia or Secrets of Droon. It is a story of the friendship between two kids who do not quite fit in with the rest of the world. Terabitha is a special place for the 2 friends where they pretend they are rulers. They do not even spend much of the book there, although its an important part of the story. Mostly it is about their life at home and at school.

Second, it is not a book for kids who still believe in Santa Claus, as there are a few passages that may spoil that belief.

Lastly, this is a very sad book. I knew going in (based on other reviews) that this was a sad book about a tragic death, however, I thought it might be somewhat suger-coated since this is a children's book. It was not. Even from an adult perspective, it was one of the saddest books I have ever read.

Overall, I thought the book was a poignant story of friendship, loss and dealing with that loss, which I did think was done well. I recommend waiting until your child is ready for such a tragic lesson.
2211737
I have to be in the right mood to read a book that makes me cry like this one. It is very well written but sick children in books is just too sad to comprehend.
1445083
My son is on the spectrum, but very advanced in his reading skills(He's in 1st, reading at almost a 4th grade level), when we can get him to pay attention to it. I had found a Locker ate Lucy at a store and gave it to him for his birthday, and after he finally picked it up and read it(in 2 or so hours no less), he was absolutely BEGGING me for the rest of the series. I got him this and one other one, as well as the first Dragon Masters, and he's begging for the rest already. It warms my heart to see such a love of reading instilled in my little guy. He's talking about the characters as if they are schoolmates of his, and I can't wait to afford the rest of the series.
3922290
I read this with my almost 6 year old. I didn't think he would get through it, as it has many pages, but he did and was sad it was over! I loved the message and I think it will really help my son with his little sister.
3044392
I read it before giving it to my son top read.. it is well written very sad though.. Just FYI!!
2764644
My son found this book when he was feeling a little down.  Helps kids put things into perspective.  Short stories keep their interest.
4415029
This was a book our son enjoyed when he was a little boy, ( he is almost 60) in fact he was only learning to talk and could say some words as I turned the page, we read it so often.  So, when his daughter announced her pregnancy, I had to give this to her for her expected son.
1297107
I didn't think he would like it so much, but my 4 year old son lives this book. Every night he is allowed tow books to read before bed and for the last few weeks this has always been ine of them.
2325975
I use to read stories from this book while my son was still in his mothers womb, continuing on with reading to him until he was ready for preschool.  It's such an emotional thing for me to find it this book again as it was lost while moving. He's grown up now, they're having their first child, for him to receive this as a present was equally as emotional. These were a collection of three, I couldn't help myself I bought them all, who knows grand dad may have to do some emergency reading :-), lighting strikes or the boogie
1506277
My son is an avid reader, he was happy, so I was happy :)
714024
My son, 9, finished the third book of this trilogy last night. He's about as average as a boy can be. He's not crazy about reading (or writing). He's not known for his empathy. So when he starts to tear up and has trouble speaking over his trembling chin as he tells me about the climax of the whole story in the final book, I pay attention. The moral dilemma that the main character faced was heart-breaking for my son.

Never fear, all ends well, and the trilogy as a whole has ranked as one of my boy's favorites. This third book was the best, according to him.

I should mention that he read these actively, not passively, and he wrote nightly summaries (scrutinizing details about character, setting, plot, for school) after reading 2-3 chapters each day. The side-effect was a deeper investment in the story, hence (I think) his strong reaction.

It's not Pulitzer Prize material, but I don't freaking care. If a story can captivate and move a young man, then, holy guacamole, it's a winner.
465969
My five-year-old is a new reader but a long-time book lover. He was very excited to get his hands on a new book to read. Unfortunately, after reading the story he was "sad" (his words verbatim), not exactly the emotion I was hoping for.  Reading along with him I could see where the story was headed, but felt it never reached its destination in a satisfying, kid-pleasing way.  To boot, the illustrations were considered "quaint" by me, but "odd" to my son - the target audience.  We did not consider it a keeper or "must read" by any means.
1746104
My son lost focus early on in this book. The first book he flew through. When we read this second one together I thought it was very enjoyable to read, however I'm rating it a three because of my son's lack of interest once he got about a quarter of the way through.(He's an avid reader)
4407470
My 7yo son absolutely enjoyed it.  Typically, I read to him at night.  As I was getting ready to settle down to read to him, I found him reading the book on his own.  Clearly, it's a book he enjoyed.