Samuel Blink and the Forbidden Forest - Audio Audio CD – Unabridged, July 1, 2007

Found this book by accident and am so glad that I did. The story was well written and very hard to put down. Thoroughly enjoyed it and am a little sorry that I have finished it.

I appreciate how the author delves into Norway's culture, geography, and mythology to write this novel.

My son read this book and kept commenting how much he was loving it. When he finished he rushed it to his teenage sister's room & insisted she read it, too. She intends to once school is out & she has time to read for fun. This book really made a big impression on my son & I will definitely purchase more books from this author.

It has a great plot, recommend for youth. Samuel goes into the magical forest and discovers interesting creatures. He embarks on an adventurous journey into the forbidden Forrest!

This is one of those books that I had varying feelings about. It's a little dark, starting with the death of the children's parents, which we are present for (unlike most books which begin with the children already being orphans). We are left with a very angry, hostile, and rude Samuel and his sister Martha who suffers from selective mutism. The children are whisked from everything that they've ever known to a dull existence in a nowhere kind of place in Norway--something sure to build sympathy in young readers. The story takes a bit to really get going, although there is plenty of spooky foreshadowing along the way. Once we get to the part where the children are actually in the forest, the action speeds up and the story comes alive with palpable evil and exotic characters. The creatures felt very inventive to me, although I have seen notes that many things are based on Norse mythology. I think that kids will love the death-defying adventures of Samuel and Martha. This is not a book that shies away from death and there are many somber moments (including a bit of a plug for vegetarianism). I saw other reviews that said that the book was funny but I disagree. There are some quirky and wryly humorous asides throughout the book but I would not promote it as something with overall humor; it's something with an occasional smile, not something that would cause you to laugh. The creepiness is off the charts and this is what young readers will really thrill at.

I know this is a children's book, but for some reason I felt the urge to read it. I am so glad that I did. I really loved this book. There were so many twist and turns and surprises. I found it very refreshing and not predictable. Very imaginative. I will be passing it on to my grandchildren for sure!

What a fun, quick read!I liked how the author didn't drag it on through a 10 book series to get the bad guy, but there are so many creatures that I would love to read more about, hopefully in future books!

I won't repeat the plot here but just tell you that this is an adorable book filled with Norwegian/Scandinavian culture! The only reason I knock down a star is because I found some of the characters excessively, unnecessarily annoying at times.I can't wait to read the sequel!

The cover was not what I expected. The book should have the same cover as the one advertised above. The cover I got looked better but I still don't like the fact that the advertisement isn't completely true.