Fortunately, the Milk . . .: Neil Gaiman

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But can I plead my case Your Majesty?"I asked. "I do not know why I am here and what I have been accused of. And, by the way, I thought you were meant to be a Queen." I think because for me the challenge as an author is in making somebody believable and letting them find their own way through things. I love though that in Fortunately, the Milk when the father does actually save himself and, quite possibly, the universe, all anybody is really impressed with is the milk, and they fail to notice it's him. Overall, this is a non-stop, fast-paced, crazy adventure that’s fun to get lost in. If you’re a fan of Neil Gaiman or even Roald Dahl stories, give this one a try. Probably my own personal belief that I don't get to see everything going on all the time. And the more you study anything, the more you realize there are huge unseen worlds going on at any point, whether you're reading books about quantum physics, where you learn that actually, more or less, we are all a bunch of hypothetical particles with an awful lot of space between us, or whether it's studying Henry Mayhew and London labor and the London poor and realizing all of these strange, secret worlds that would've been completely invisible to somebody navigating the streets of London. All worlds are 50% unseen. This is such a charming story. Although the book is recommended for ages 7-9, this is a story for all ages and one that parents can enjoy reading right along with their kids. Younger readers will appreciate the neat time travel element and amusing characters like Professor Steg. There are references to well-known literature woven into the story, which is appealing for adults. To me, what makes the book so fun is the juxtaposition of the dad's ridiculous story and the reality as the kids begin to question how legit these events even are. The dad’s nonsensical story is hilarious, while the family story is real and relatable. My five children have a socialite for a dad, and we’ve found ourselves in this situation many times before!

Regardless, it is a delightful read. Especially for children. But it was a fun read for me also. I will must read his other works too. at the end of May in New York City, Neil Gaiman gave a talk provocatively titled "Why Fiction Is Dangerous." He noted that he had two books--Fortunately, the Milk and The Ocean at the End of the Lane --being published within two months of each other: one, a children's book with an adult narrator; the other an adult book from a seven-year-old's perspective. Gaiman recently paused during his cross-country U.S. tour for the books to answer a few questions about them (plus a few other things). Born and raised in England, Gaiman now lives in the U.S. with his wife, musician Amanda Palmer. Excuse me," I said to the nearest droopy-eyed sales attendant. "Do you have Neil Gaiman's new book, 'Fortunately, the Milk'?" This is an excellent book to read aloud to 4th grade kids who are in the process of developing a sense for the absurdities of life. It is mainly about telling stories and that you can make up a great plot about anything, no matter how boring the so-called truth of every-day life is. Small things give you big ideas - and they don't have to make sense. I bought the milk,” said my father. “I walked out of the corner shop, and heard a noise like this: t h u m m t h u m m. I looked up and saw a huge silver disc hovering in the air above Marshall Road.”He looked like he remembered that, without milk, he couldn’t have his tea. He had his “no tea” face

Update: The fourth grade kids are now Grade 8 students (that is unbelievable enough - they must have opened that door that let in the time-space-continuum!), and they still refer to the time when I read "Fortunately the milk..." aloud to the class. I would say that is the best praise a children's book can get. "Then the milk touches the milk" has become an insider saying! Either the universe will end, or we will be watching the madness of dwarves with flower pots go on for a while still. In Ocean, you never name the boy-man narrator. Yet the importance of naming is essential to the plot. Why didn't you give him a name? Is he Everyman? (In the same way that Bod is Nobody?) The children and their parents get no names in Fortunately, the Milk, either. Coincidence?No it's a Neil book, not a Neal book," I yelled as a group of knights in armour clanked out of the darkness and seized the shrunken man and I. If the same object from two different times touches itself, one of two things will happen. Either the Universe will cease to exist. Or three remarkable dwarfs will dance through the streets with flowerpots on their heads.” I won't spoil anything (don't worry! Geez!), I just want to comment that if you ever been able to contain yourselves of reading aloud the lines of the wumpires (yes, you read correctly...wumpires), well I just can say that you have more selfcontrol than me!

Oh you did it didn't you? You've gone and bought them. Well you'll not get that Neal's book from here", he scorned.You look down dearie," she said, and I explained my predicament to her. "Well, I know of a place that sells books. I bet they'll have that Neil Armstrong book of yours. It's a cafe down the main street there, and you go left down the lane with the shoe store on the corner and it's halfway along on the left."