The Neverending Story

by Michael Ende and Mihaels Ende

Book Overview

From award-winning author Michael Ende, The Neverending Story is a classic tale of one boy and the book that magically comes to life

Unicorns, dragons, sprites, will-o'-the-wisps: the inhabitants of an enchanted world. And into this world - through the pages of an old book - ventures Bastian, a lonely boy of ten or twelve. But Fantastica is slowly decaying, its Childlike Empress dying. Only a real human being can set things right...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140074317
• ISBN13: 9780140074314
• Release Date: July 1984
• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Length: 377 Pages
• Weight: 0.71 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.1" x 7.7"
• Age Range: 10 to 13 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 8

Customer Reviews

My favorite

If you aren't a child of the 80's you won't understand the awesomeness of this book. The characters, the plot and the imaginary worlds it's a joy to read

Pretty Good

I read this book after a friend loaned it to me. Took me a while to read, as the plot can get somewhat slow in some places. The first part of the book, about Atreyu's quest, is great! Then, the plot of (SPOILER!!!SPOILER!!!SPOILER!!!SPOILER!!!) Bastian finding out how to get to The Childlike Empress and renaming her to save her, also great. THEN, comes the entire second half of the book. Bastian creates the rainbow jungle, desert and lion, that parts good. Then he journeys on , and becomes haughty, proud, and powerful. He keeps making wishes, and brushing off Atreyu's warnings. The entire rest of the book is somewhat bland and confusing. He can't see Moonchild again, he must find out how to get home, and when Fantastica residents try to leave, they become lies and corrupt the world. What? Also, NOT a fan of the cover. Some people may love the olden feel, but not me. I know I'm saying a lot of not-so-good thing about this, but it was still a good read, especially the first half.

Came in quick and not damaged. To be honest looks pretty ugly once in your hands. Ordered it brand n

Not like the movie

246 unnecessary pages.

I loved the first 199 pages, they were great. Then I feel like Ende just added 14 unnecessary chapters. Due to it being a classic, I would still recommend buying it. Second half of the book was good writing style, just felt like there was no plot.

Mediocre

Not a great book, if I'm honest, but it's a good enough book with great ideas. If you love vivid fantasy exploits I imagine you'll enjoy this book quite a bit. Michael Ende has a very interesting imagination. You can find everything, from a rainbow desert with a color changing lion (my personal favorite) to an endless mine of glass-paned dreams. I agree with most folk that the first half of the book is the better half, but to me, both sides had the same problem. They were disjointed with no firm direction, and were happy to leave any of the smaller plotlines behind. I officially hate the quote "but that is a story best told another time". The author had to have said that at least ten times! It really grated on my nerves, but the details make it worth at least a skim through. And like I said, it's good enough, just think of it as a bunch of smaller stories and don't get attached to anyone other than Bastian. You'll probably end up liking it really well. 3 out of 5 cows <3

This is my favorite book!

Forget the movie! The movie if a fail compared to the book. A book about true friendship. A lesson about how easy it can be to loose oneself, but being found again by the love of true friendship.

A classic adventure that's a wonderful read for all ages.

The NeverEnding Story embodies what children look for in fantasy adventure, but it also delivers a hero's journey that shows people how to better themselves and learn to live their adventures in the real world

The Orginal 'The Neverending Story'

I have been looking for this item for many years, and I've found it here. This is one of the best stories ever written, and having read the english translation and learning that it was originally written in german, I decided I must have it. The movie based on the english translation is good if one considers the movie independently of the book, which is twice as long. The original german version is both good for reading and is collectible. Definitely five stars.

Never Wanted It To End

Wow what a great book! very esoteric which gets better and better after the parts covered in the first movie ends

The book of books!

"The book of books!" This quote from The Neverending Story says it all, as I've never come across another book like it! Its engrossing plot (told using two different colors of ink in hardcover editions!) follows the story of poor unwanted Bastian Balthazar Bux (printed in red) who is "found" by a copper-colored, silk-bound book, titled The Neverending Story, which he begins to read while locked up in his school's attic. As Bastian reads the story of the heroic Atreyu (printed in green) and a Great Quest to save his dying world of Fantastica and its Childlike Empress, he has no idea that he is also a character in a book! (It makes you wonder, huh?) The Neverending Story is filled with unbelievably imaginative characters such as Grograman the Fire Lion, the Old Man of Wandering Mountain, Querquobad the Silver Sage, and Ygramul, "the horror of horrors!" to name just a handful! And not only are the characters and plot creative, but the book itself is as well! It is printed entirely in colored ink as I have mentioned, plus it has 26 chapters - each one beginning with a letter of the alphabet! Each chapter begins with a magnificent illustration (also in only red and green ink in the hardcover edition) around the first letter! How did he think of that?! But perhaps the best thing about The Neverending Story is what you get out of it. You cannot read it without looking at the nature of wishes, imagination, and love differently from that point forward, no matter what your age is. The Neverending Story is, as you shall see, your story as well. And that of course (to quote the book again,) "shall be told another time!"

Tops!

Everybody knows the Neverending Story; almost no one knows that it was originally written in German! I've only been taking German for a year and I muddled through it all right, so it doesn't take any fabulous proficiency in the language--it's a wonderful book!

A Real Gem

The Neverending Story is truly an outstanding book. First published I believe in German, it has been translated into English quite adeptly, although there are a few cases of awkward wording resulting from this. Other than that, this is a nearly perfect book. Bear in mind one thing while you're reading though -- while it is great, it is also a children's book, so don't go looking for really challenging vocabulary and adult themes. I picked up this book in Zany Brainy maybe seven years ago, and I have read it quite a few times since then. I find something new in it every time, and it never gets old. It stays just as beautiful and perfect each time.If you've seen the first two movies, they are both based on this books, the second only nominally, but even the first hardly does the book justice. This, despite being a children's book, has themes that apply all throughout life, and its simplicity is wonderfully refreshing after so many other books which try to impress you with their incredibly flashy wording and daunting size. The pictures at the beginning of each chapter are skillfully sketched, and this is just overall an amazing work of art.No matter what your age, buy this book. Buy it for yourself. Buy it for your kids and read it to them. You won't be dissapointed.Another fascinating book is Ende's Momo, which unfortunately only seems available in spanish at the moment, but keep your eyes out for it.