The Wild Things by Dave Eggers

The Wild Things — based very loosely on the storybook by Maurice Sendak and the screenplay cowritten with Spike Jonze — is about the confusions of a boy, Max, making his way in a world he can’t control. His father is gone, his mother is spending time with a younger boyfriend, his sister is becoming a teenager and no longer has interest in him. At the same time, Max finds himself capable of startling acts of wildness: he wears a wolf suit, bites his mom, and can’t always control his outbursts. During a fight at home, Max flees and runs away into the woods. He finds a boat there, jumps in, and ends up on the open sea, destination unknown. He lands on the island of the Wild Things, and soon he becomes their king. But things get complicated when Max realizes that the Wild Things want as much from him as he wants from them. Funny, dark, and alive, The Wild Things is a timeless and time-tested tale for all ages.

Today is another buddy review with Chris from Stuff as Dreams Are Made On... We haven't done one in a while, so it seemed fitting that we do one for the book that it was his fault I bought, right? I always enjoy posting with Chris.

Chris' Questions:

1. Have you read the original Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak and if so, how do you think this novelization compared as a translation of it? Okay, easy answer... No... If I read the original I was so young I don't remember it! I was always aware of it, but my early reading was dictated by what my parents bought me and then when I got older I thought I was too old. Nowadays, I do plan to get to it!

2. Did you like Max? Why or Why not?
He annoyed me at times, but I think was a typical kid. He was cute. I enjoyed reading about his adventures and his time on the island. He had a great imagination and if he hadn't got mad at his mother and freaked out the story never would have worked out.

3. What did you think of the design of the book itself?
I loved the design of the book! I do sort of wish I had got the furry edition, but this one was so nice! I liked the way it looked and appreciated the fact that it didn't have a paper cover. They did a really good job on the book to make it appealing.

My Questions:

1. Without giving anything away, what did you think about the ending?
I liked the ending. I thought it was fitting. When I first finished it I thought more should have happened, but the more that I thought about it the more I decided that it worked. If it was too detailed it wouldn't have worked with the magic and imagination of the rest of the story.

2. Who was your favourite Wild Thing? Why?
Katherine. I liked that she was sort of a do her own thing type of personality. She was really fun to read about and I liked what she added to the story. I felt really bad for her when it came to Carol, though.. There seemed to be a lot more going on there than met the eye.

3. What did you think the age range for this book was?
I really think that this is a book for all the children that have grown up with the original. It isn't so much about how old you are. It is about the magic of the story and remembering what it was like to read the picture book. It just elaborates on a story that is well known and fills in the parts you always just wondered about before.