Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman

Blurb:
“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.”
“Hullo,” I said to myself. “That’s not something you see every day. And then something odd happened.”
Find out just how odd things get in this hilarious New York Times bestselling story of time travel and breakfast cereal, expertly told by Newbery Medalist and bestselling author Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Skottie Young.
My thoughts:
This is a story about a family where the mother has left on a business trip and has delegated all the household responsibilities to her husband. Their two children are home alone with dad, and there isn’t any milk left for their cereal. Dad knows it’s no big deal; he can simply walk down the road and grab some milk from the store. As the children wait alongside their Toastios cereal, they wonder what could be taking their dad so long to get back. When he finally returns, he recounts an adventurous story of aliens, pirates, dinosaurs, time travel, and pretty much anything you can imagine. Will his story be convincing enough for the children?
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!
The version I read of this book is illustrated by Skottie Young. I plan to pick up the version with illustrations by Chris Riddell because he’s one of our favorite illustrators. I’ve read that the perspective is switched up in that version as well.
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.
4****
Find this book on Amazon and Goodreads:
- Publisher : HarperCollins; Illustrated edition (September 17, 2013)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 128 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0062224077
- ISBN-13 : 978-0062224071
- Reading age : 8 – 12 years
- Grade level : 3 – 7
Have you read this book? What are some of your favorite Neil Gaiman titles? Let’s chat in the comment section!
❤️ Mischenko
As I mentioned somewhere on your blog (maybe on your weekly post), I read (listened) to this book a bit over a year ago.
Revisiting my own review that I left on Goodreads, wow. How similar our thoughts were! My review says I laughed and giggled so many times!
To be honest, I already forgot what the story was all about, but maybe this is a great opportunity to revisit this cute, hilarious, yet charming story.
Brilliant review as always, Jen!
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Noriko, I do remember you reading this. Maybe it was during a time when you were reading children’s literature? I sampled the audio because my kids are going to read this next. It does seem like it would make the story even better! 😉 Thank you, and glad we both enjoyed this one.
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It does sound like a crazy adventure and boy does it make my imagination tingle. How fun! Wonderful review as always ❤️
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Thanks, Tessa. It’s hilarious! 😉
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So funny that you can actually identify with this fun sounding story. That makes for a very interesting read. Nice review!
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Thanks! It is funny. Dads can be that way sometimes. 😉
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I like this concept and sounds like kids and adults both would love it. Great review, Mischenko!
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Thanks, Yesha. It’s really geared toward adults, but I do think many adults can enjoy it too. 😉
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I am very thankful that no one in our house is a socialite. It would cause a lot of stress 🙂
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I’m thankful right along with you. My husband is a social aficionado and the only one in our house that extreme. Funny how we’re all so different. My kids are consistently joking around about how he’s probably stuck talking to someone about this or that or whatever. I can laugh about it now, but it’s caused a ruckus a time or two! 😉
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This sounds like a very fun read and I love the cover art! 🙂
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It’s hilarious! Thanks.
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