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Giggleswick #1
Giggleswick: The Amadán Map
It’s a natural phenomenon -- a small country in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean hidden from the rest of the world by a circle of unnavigable fog. It’s called Giggleswick, and twelve-year old Elliot Bisby has never heard of it, that is until he and his family are approached by an unusual man and asked to move there. Before they know it, the struggling Bisby family finds themselves on a tiny boat captained by a man who prefers a singing parrot to a compass, and they soon embark on a journey that no other seaman could make and live to tell about.
In Giggleswick, Elliot and his parents find themselves mingling with a colorful set of locals the likes of which include an Irish-Arabian bagpiper, a man who thinks he’s a knight, and a woman who does her exercises on the roof in high-heels.
At last, Elliot has found the happiness he’s been waiting for and a place to call his own, but what he doesn’t know, is that helping Giggleswick to remain hidden from the rest of the world may prove far more difficult and dangerous than he could have ever imagined ...
In Giggleswick, Elliot and his parents find themselves mingling with a colorful set of locals the likes of which include an Irish-Arabian bagpiper, a man who thinks he’s a knight, and a woman who does her exercises on the roof in high-heels.
At last, Elliot has found the happiness he’s been waiting for and a place to call his own, but what he doesn’t know, is that helping Giggleswick to remain hidden from the rest of the world may prove far more difficult and dangerous than he could have ever imagined ...
326 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 9, 2012
About the author
Matthew Mainster
8 books12 followersA musician by trade, Matthew Mainster began writing Giggleswick on the backs of his piano scores while holed up in practice rooms throughout college. He is a graduate of Lebanon Valley College and Yale University, and lives with his family in Maryland.
Giggleswick is currently available in the United States and over a dozen European countries. For more on Matthew Mainster or to listen to his recordings, visit https://www.youtube.com/user/pianoplyr24
Giggleswick is currently available in the United States and over a dozen European countries. For more on Matthew Mainster or to listen to his recordings, visit https://www.youtube.com/user/pianoplyr24
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
June 27, 2015
Of course I like my own book! They say "write what you want to read" and that's what I did. I hope others will enjoy it too :-) Happy reading!
June 14, 2018
Although the book began with a whole lot of goofy, quirky characters, it didn't really move on from there. 400+ pages overall and it took over a hundred before the reader gets any glimpse of a plot. I was willing to look past that though because it seemed silliness was more important than sequence. Then it dramatically shifts to this mysterious, driven portion that screams, "Hey! The plot is over here!" It was hard to keep going at that point. When the book finally dropped a d-bomb, I was pretty much glad I didn't have to read any further. I'm actually surprised so many readers rated it 4+ stars. I thought two was generous.
February 17, 2019
The Amadán Map is the first book in the Giggleswick trilogy. It started out very interesting with a mysterious man looking for just the right family to invite to a hidden island. And then it kind of fizzled. It often dragged along and got downright boring, rehashing the same stuff over and over. My 10- and 12-year-old sons had no interest in continuing to read the books in the trilogy, so we will end our Giggleswick reading with this one. It’s not a horrible book, but it’s not one I’d really recommend either.
August 17, 2017
First I gave this 3 stars but honestly, if I were in the target age group I would have loved it, it earned 4 stars.
August 14, 2016
Clever, Charming and a Bit Odd,
I liked this book because it touched upon a number of common middle grade themes, plots and sub-plots, but in an unconventional and interesting way.
The book starts off with an unusual and very engaging feel. Wally, an ambassador/seeker from the fog hidden, unknown island nation of Giggleswick, arrives in America to search for a pleasant family to take home with him to be new Giggleswickian citizens. Wally wanders around being bemused and amazed by the modern gadgets and social practices he encounters. Wally is simple and vague and almost manically cheerful. There is a lot of subtle wit built into this part of the book, but also a lot of cheerfulness and good humor. The author avoids irony or sarcasm or satire, and just has fun with this uncomplicated soul wandering around America.
The family he finds, the Bisbys, consists of a failed dreamer Dad, a steadfastly supportive Mom, and a bright shy youngster, Elliot, who will end up being our hero. The Bisbys are portrayed as an almost ideal happy family, again without irony, and with a gentle good natured regard. Once the Bisbys arrive in Giggleswick their unbounded happiness in finding themselves in a nice, friendly, peaceful place reads like the happy ending of a fable.
At this point Elliot makes a friend in Giggleswick, we work through a bunch of middle grade drama that is presented in a low key and almost tongue in cheek style, and the actual action plot moves into gear. Elliot and his new friend Eliza are both pretty grounded so they make nice foils for the idiosyncratic Giggleswickians, and their running dialogue keeps the book from going over the top.
No spoilers here, but we have a thing, it's hidden, people want to find it, there are chases and so on. It's all pretty standard, but it's still infused with the cheerful oddness that marks the rest of the book. The supporting characters are almost in a quirkiness competition, and I'd call it a thirty-way tie. By the end of the book the oddness and quirkiness is getting a little old and forced, but because it's all in fun and because it ping pongs all over the place, the read is very forgiving.
So, a young reader with a taste for silliness and appreciation of the off-beat could take a great liking to this book. A nice change of pace.
Please note that I found this book while browsing Amazon Kindle freebies. I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.
I liked this book because it touched upon a number of common middle grade themes, plots and sub-plots, but in an unconventional and interesting way.
The book starts off with an unusual and very engaging feel. Wally, an ambassador/seeker from the fog hidden, unknown island nation of Giggleswick, arrives in America to search for a pleasant family to take home with him to be new Giggleswickian citizens. Wally wanders around being bemused and amazed by the modern gadgets and social practices he encounters. Wally is simple and vague and almost manically cheerful. There is a lot of subtle wit built into this part of the book, but also a lot of cheerfulness and good humor. The author avoids irony or sarcasm or satire, and just has fun with this uncomplicated soul wandering around America.
The family he finds, the Bisbys, consists of a failed dreamer Dad, a steadfastly supportive Mom, and a bright shy youngster, Elliot, who will end up being our hero. The Bisbys are portrayed as an almost ideal happy family, again without irony, and with a gentle good natured regard. Once the Bisbys arrive in Giggleswick their unbounded happiness in finding themselves in a nice, friendly, peaceful place reads like the happy ending of a fable.
At this point Elliot makes a friend in Giggleswick, we work through a bunch of middle grade drama that is presented in a low key and almost tongue in cheek style, and the actual action plot moves into gear. Elliot and his new friend Eliza are both pretty grounded so they make nice foils for the idiosyncratic Giggleswickians, and their running dialogue keeps the book from going over the top.
No spoilers here, but we have a thing, it's hidden, people want to find it, there are chases and so on. It's all pretty standard, but it's still infused with the cheerful oddness that marks the rest of the book. The supporting characters are almost in a quirkiness competition, and I'd call it a thirty-way tie. By the end of the book the oddness and quirkiness is getting a little old and forced, but because it's all in fun and because it ping pongs all over the place, the read is very forgiving.
So, a young reader with a taste for silliness and appreciation of the off-beat could take a great liking to this book. A nice change of pace.
Please note that I found this book while browsing Amazon Kindle freebies. I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.
September 25, 2013
The imaginary world within Matthew Mainster’s Giggleswick is magical and full of surprises. It is truly a feel good book with an exciting and adventurous plot. Once readers are immersed into its captivating story, they will never want it to end. Although the town of Giggleswick is bursting with magic and mystery, it will feel like it is a real place.
The combination of Matthew’s imaginative mind and writing prose has produced a very vivid imagery of a world that is over and above of what we know. Readers will discover that Giggleswick is a magical town with very peculiar people living in it. The characters are absolutely amazing, unique, and unforgettable. Matthew has done a remarkable job of capturing the magic and mystery of Giggleswick. The illustrations are a great addition to its already captivating storyline. With each word, it was like a paintstroke, painting a very vivid picture
Matthew is a skillful storyteller. The way he describes the things inside an imaginary city is simply incredible. There are plenty of surprises from beginning to end. This is the perfect book to kickstart to what it is certain to be an amazing series.
4.5
The combination of Matthew’s imaginative mind and writing prose has produced a very vivid imagery of a world that is over and above of what we know. Readers will discover that Giggleswick is a magical town with very peculiar people living in it. The characters are absolutely amazing, unique, and unforgettable. Matthew has done a remarkable job of capturing the magic and mystery of Giggleswick. The illustrations are a great addition to its already captivating storyline. With each word, it was like a paintstroke, painting a very vivid picture
Matthew is a skillful storyteller. The way he describes the things inside an imaginary city is simply incredible. There are plenty of surprises from beginning to end. This is the perfect book to kickstart to what it is certain to be an amazing series.
4.5
May 12, 2015
Quirky, wholesome, fantasy-driven fun. Lots of wish fulfillment going on, not unlike Hogwarts (a secret, hidden place) with eccentric inhabitants where our protagonist immediately has a 180 degree life turnaround. From extreme poverty, bad luck, authority being intentionally unfair, and having no friends to an idyllic place where all that changes and is almost utopia with just enough evil left lurking to give us some conflict to drive a plot.
I'm glad it wasn't about some extremely evil threat like Voldemort. The stakes were slightly higher than I feel is necessary for a MG book, but I think the audience has been jaded and probably demands a higher level of risks, deadly consequences, and so on. Still, this is on the lighter side and quite appreciated for that.
I'll definitely read the next book in the series.
I'm glad it wasn't about some extremely evil threat like Voldemort. The stakes were slightly higher than I feel is necessary for a MG book, but I think the audience has been jaded and probably demands a higher level of risks, deadly consequences, and so on. Still, this is on the lighter side and quite appreciated for that.
I'll definitely read the next book in the series.
June 11, 2012
The reader is in for a nice surprise to learn that Giggleswick is not a typical town, but one with a touch of magic, making the people, items, and events seem quirky. The characters will quickly become your favorites, especially Eliza's kind parents and Trixie. It can be fun for a reader to immerse him or herself in the world of Giggleswick, with their foo trees and candy, and different social customs. But don't get too enamored of this new world, for there is a mystery that needs to be solved! If you like Harry Potter, you will like Giggleswick.
October 1, 2014
This is a charming and fun book. I loved the story of the island and how the Bisbys got there. The Bisbys are just barely getting by in the US and everything begins to go downhill - the hotdog cart blows up, the car gives up at last, the sink fixture breaks and floods the house.......They are approached by a strange man, who wants them to go live on an island, with the offer of a job and a home. What have they got to lose?
March 23, 2015
Secrets
The story is about good people and a wondrous place to live. As in any city or town, there are always secrets. Giggleswick is such a place. The story moves along quickly with the two young characters finding clues while trying to keep up with school. A magical town and good people make for a good story.
The story is about good people and a wondrous place to live. As in any city or town, there are always secrets. Giggleswick is such a place. The story moves along quickly with the two young characters finding clues while trying to keep up with school. A magical town and good people make for a good story.
Read
August 18, 2012Fabulous! I loved this book and looking forward to finding out what happens next. Fresh.
April 10, 2015
it's a move to a dream life with a mystery and adventure added in.
March 12, 2016
Great Read!
This is a very good book and I cannot wait for another! It is a mystery and adventure book that has some wonderous things on this island.
Enjoy!
This is a very good book and I cannot wait for another! It is a mystery and adventure book that has some wonderous things on this island.
Enjoy!
Want to Read
August 1, 2014Loved this book. My eight year old son also enjoyed it very much. Must read kids book.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews