ummm, it feels like a LONG TIME between these blogs!
I haven’t felt 100% all summer; I’m still not healthy; it’s driving me CRAZY!
Anyway!
The feeling of Nostalgia hits me like a brick, so I’ve been buying some old movies I remember from when I was a kid. It took me a while; however, the other day (completely randomly) I thought of the tiny white mouse, wearing human clothes, Stuart Little.
I suddenly remembered that I REALLY like the two live-action movies.
I had to look on Amazon to see and I bought those two movies.
Also, to my surprise, I found out that it was also a book.
So I bought two movies and the book.
When all three got to my house, I watched the movies first, and OMG, I fell in love with them all over again. (If you want a movie review, let me know) I wish there were more movies like this.
Warm, cosy, ‘realistic’ family moments (ups and downs) and SO MUCH HEART!
* They don’t make movies like this anymore!!*
(I must be getting old!, I prefer the older stuff!)
Then I read the book!
and……
The book was first published in 1945!
(and sometimes with older books I struggle with. The style back then was different, etc.)
I understand this is a children’s book, so sometimes you have to allow for something to make no sense at all. You have to accept the ‘rules’ or ‘lack of rules’. It had some of the story bits that I remember from the movies.
You get the daily struggles, even from the Little family, who constantly have to look out for their son/brother. Having to watch where they’re stepping. Buying stuff from the doll projects because that’s the only stuff that fits Stuart. There’s even a small emotional scene where Stuart gets trapped in the curtains for hours; the Little family really thought that Stuart had died, and they shut the curtains, and Stuart was discovered again.
The never-ending struggles between Stuart Little and the cat Snowbell. When the rescue of Margalo. Stuart Little has to stand watch, and in a small moment, the book becomes a children’s horror book for a page.
And of course Stuart Little struggles, which is basically the point of the story! Having to watch over stray cats and dogs. Getting to places (it’s unclear how he got to certain places).
But by far my favourite chapter is the one where Stuart Little goes on ‘an adventure’ aboard a sailing boat. Which turns out to be a boat race on a lake, going in a straight line. But from Stuart Little’s POV, it was a MASSIVELY exciting trip sailing the treacherous waters.
Then he meets Margalo, becomes friends, and goes on an adventure. Then the cat goes to his ‘friend’, and they plan to get rid of the bird. Margalo finds out and flies away without saying a word.
This is where I get SUPER LOST with this book.
Chapter 11-15
A heartbroken mouse decides to run away from home, packs up his ‘bag’ and leaves the house, without saying a word or a letter, to search for Margalo.
This is a very short summary of what happens between chapters 11-15!!
- invisible car
- school substitute
- writing a letter to Harriet Ames (2-inch human girl??)
- buy a poor canoe and get ready for his date
- it doesn’t go well, and Stuart Little becomes really unlikeable
ummm….. what am I reading right now? I go through them one at a time.
- The Invisible Car, I thought I was reading a nice, cosy, warm story. All of a sudden there’s an invisible car. the geos crazy and makes a mess in the dentist office until the car runs out of gas.
🤔
2. Stuart becomes a substitute teacher….. why? Also (I could be wrong here), but due to his size, it’s really tricky to hear him speaking. The Littles family lost him a couple of times because they sometimes can’t hear or see him.
so….
How can he stand in front of the teacher’s desk teaching? Also, I was completely lost in the plot of this chapter! I had ZERO idea what was said, or what Stuart was ‘teaching’.
3. ok…… When Stuart goes to a pub or bar for a drink, the bartender tells him he knows someone who’s ‘small’ or the same size as Stuart. Then Stuart writes a letter, buys a tiny canoe, and walks over to the meeting point….
4. This chapter!!!!, haha. He spends some time around the lake. Fixing the boat, going for a swim……. until Harriet comes round at the meeting time, and Stuart is keen to show her the canoe. However, overnight it was destroyed by mud.
Then Stuart is a grumpy boy!
Here’s a short summary:
Harriet was about to fix the canoe….. Stuart couldn’t stand the idea “It’s no use.”
Harriet: “We could pretend we were fishing” ………. Stuart: “I don’t want to pretend im fishing”…… “Look at the mud. Look at it!” he was screaming now.
Harriet: “Would you like to come up to my house? After dinner you take me to the dance…… it might cheer you up”. Stuart: “No thank you”……..” I don’t know how to dance…”
WTF, what (main) character am I reading? This is nothing like the mouse that I like in the movies (or most of this book).
Also, this is a kids’ book, right?
What is the message of this chapter…. that being a grumpy, moody fart for no reason is ok. When plans don’t go well, you should give up?
Would it be better to send the message that when plans don’t go according to plan. is ok to be disappointed; however, keep your head up high and look for another plan. Like, in the quotes above, Harriet is TRYING to help Stuart, suggesting different ideas to cheer him over and over. However, Stuart is being unnecessarily grumpy.
That is not the mouse I know from the movies.
5. Lastly, in the last chapter, Stuart stops at a forked road, and there’s a repairman, and they had a conversation;
Now I’ve got to be honest here. I still have ZERO idea what Stuart and the repairman are talking about here!
NO IDEA!
When the talking is over, and Stuart drives off into the sunset and…
…..
….
THEN THE BOOK FINISHES
and….
…. I was left… a bit lost…
…..that wasn’t an ending, was it?…..
…….That can’t be the end, can it?
I’m not sure how I should feel after finishing the book, but that definitely isn’t an ending. Was it?
😵💫
That’s what I was like after finishing the book!
think that’s everything!
In conclusion, I LOVE THE MOVIES (1+2).
The book I like most of is just the last 4 chapters (11-15). The story goes a little off the rails, and I was struggling to find the story plot. And at times I feel like the character of Stuart Little gets messy. His character just takes a 180-degree left turn, and the way he behaves doesn’t feel right to me. It was an odd feeling reading those last chapters!
HAHA
That was the strangest review I think I had of my site.
Now I am thinking of reading other nostalgic children’s favourite books and comparing them to the movies again.
ThomasGKandiah 