Twenty One  Balloons by: Al Cahaul and Luna Tic Reviewed by: Emma

Twenty One  Balloons                 By Al Cahaul and Luna Tic     Professor Sherman loves hot air ballooning.  In fact he loves it so much, that he decides to build a gigantic one balloon house, and cruise around the globe for what he plans to be a yearly trip, starting on the pacific ocean.  On his seventh day in the air, Sherman spies a little island in the distance, but doesn't think much more about it. Later that day, he dumps all his garbage overboard, and some seagulls decide to see what he has to throw away.  They fly up to the top of his balloon, still fighting over a cold chicken wing, and one of the seagulls tears a hole in the top of his hot air balloon, and the balloon starts to sink.  Sherman begins throwing things overboard, and changes course to the island.  This is the story of the inhabitants of the island and why Professor Sherman "was found in the wrong ocean with too many balloons."        Everything in this book was delightful, but when, on the island, he visits Mr. A's American house, and Mr. F's French house,  Mr. M's Moroccan house of marvels, and all the other houses, the author could have used more description. The rest of the book was good, and I especially the daring escape from his balloon. I also liked the description of the diamond mines on the island.  The rest of the book was action packed and chock-full of surprises.       The quote I really liked was "People were getting ready for the professors arrival.  If you walked into a grocery store you would see watermelons with bananas hanging from them and honey duke melons with baskets of strawberries dangling beneath, all designed to look like blimps and hot air balloons."  I liked how the author described all the different fruits instead of just saying " Fruits were hanging from the ceiling in a way that looked like hot air balloons." The way the author described the fruits really made me feel like I was in the store.     I really recommend this book because I think just about anybody would like the adventures of a daring balloonist, and even adults would stay entertained while reading Twenty One Balloons.  Young kids around five would also enjoy this book because there is nothing that they wont understand, and because it is very descriptive at most parts, and also will  readers on their feet with cliff-hanger endings for almost every chapter.  It's a great book!

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