TOBY ALONE (2009 MARSH AWARD)

De Fombelle, Timothee

ISBN 10: 0763641812 / ISBN 13: 9780763641818

Published by Candlewick, MA, 2007

About this Item

2009 MARSH AWARD. 1ST U.S. EDITION. Toby Lolness may be only one & a half millimeters tall, but he is in BIG trouble. Toby's father has discovered that the tree they live in is alive & as a result the family's whole civilization is at risk. Set in a great oak tree, populated by minature beings. DJ turns into a large map of the oak tree when unfolded. A riveting fantasy. De Fombelle is a renowned French playwright- this is his first YA novel. 384pp. Translated by Sarah Ardizzone (from the French)- won MARSH AWARD for translation. Wonderful b/w illus by French artist Francois Place. Seller Inventory # 010430

Bibliographic Details

Title: TOBY ALONE (2009 MARSH AWARD)

Publisher: Candlewick, MA

Publication Date: 2007

Binding: Hardcover

Illustrator: Place, Francois

Condition: Near Fine

Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine

Edition: 1st Ed, 1st Prt

About this title

Synopsis:

Translated into twenty-two languages.

Toby Lolness may be just one and a half millimeters tall, but he’s the most wanted person in his world — the world of the great oak Tree. Toby’s father has made a groundbreaking discovery: the Tree itself is alive, lowing with vital energy, and there may even be a world beyond it. Greedy developers itch to exploit this forbidden knowledge, risking permanent damage to their natural world. But Toby’s father has refused to reveal his findings, causing the family to be exiled to the lower branches. Only Toby has managed to escape — but for how long? And how can he bear to leave his parents to their terrible fate?

Review:

Amazon Best of the Month, March 2009:  Who says great characters need to be larger than life? Meet Toby Lolness, a boy who stands one and a half millimeters tall (just smaller than the tip of a pencil). This Lilliputian hero lives in a marvelously vast complex of trunks and branches known as the Tree, an enormous oak inhabited by a tiny civilization. Toby's idyllic childhood is threatened when his scientist father figures out what keeps the Tree alive, and what will eventually cause its death: a seemingly endless supply of sap that people hope to tap and convert into a source of energy. In this thrilling eco-allegory, young Toby is in the race of his life to rescue himself, his family and the Tree from imminent destruction by powerful corporate interests that threaten them all. Timothée de Fombelle's Toby Alone takes readers on a fast-paced adventure of unusual proportions and unexpected perspectives. Now translated into nearly two dozen languages, this cleverly illustrated debut is sure to win the hearts of English readers (ages 9 and up) on this side of the Atlantic. --Lauren Nemroff