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The Land Without Color #1
The Land Without Color
Lost in a strange land where everything is gray, Alvin must find the true color thieves to save the princesses and restore the color to the kingdom.
Floating into the air with an enormous gum bubble, Alvin lands in a strange world where everything is gray. The trees, the flowers, the dirt, the sky, the animals, and even the people are all missing their color.
Confronted with the mystery of the missing color, Alvin teams up with some unexpected friends to battle man-eating plants, outsmart the bumbling Crimson Guards, cross the Sugar Desert, overcome the two-headed dragon, and find the color-stealing goblins to restore color to the kingdom.
Floating into the air with an enormous gum bubble, Alvin lands in a strange world where everything is gray. The trees, the flowers, the dirt, the sky, the animals, and even the people are all missing their color.
Confronted with the mystery of the missing color, Alvin teams up with some unexpected friends to battle man-eating plants, outsmart the bumbling Crimson Guards, cross the Sugar Desert, overcome the two-headed dragon, and find the color-stealing goblins to restore color to the kingdom.
168 pages, Paperback
Published December 15, 2015
84 people are currently reading
554 people want to read
About the author
Benjamin Ellefson
3 books57 followersAward winning author Benjamin Ellefson loves writing whimsical adventures for children of all ages.
Childhood was a magical time for him. Benjamin grew up in a neighborhood full of kids. Every day was filled with imagination, adventures, fantasy, and wonderful stories. In school he loved any project that let him explore his creativity.
When Benjamin was older, he traveled across the country to study story telling at the University of Southern California in their school of Cinema/Television. While in school, he had the amazing opportunity to work on several film productions and saw stories coming to life first hand.
Over several years after school, Benjamin had four beautiful daughters. When they were little, he spent all of his creative energy giving them the magical childhood that he had when he was small. There was nothing as exciting to Benjamin as watching their imaginations flourish as they explored the world.
Now that they are older, he wants to give that magic to all of the children of the world. Benjamin focuses his writing on modern fairy tales that are fun for kids and thought provoking for adults. Each adventure celebrates important values of self-reliance, preparedness, and diversity. He hopes with each book to spark imagination in each reader.
Childhood was a magical time for him. Benjamin grew up in a neighborhood full of kids. Every day was filled with imagination, adventures, fantasy, and wonderful stories. In school he loved any project that let him explore his creativity.
When Benjamin was older, he traveled across the country to study story telling at the University of Southern California in their school of Cinema/Television. While in school, he had the amazing opportunity to work on several film productions and saw stories coming to life first hand.
Over several years after school, Benjamin had four beautiful daughters. When they were little, he spent all of his creative energy giving them the magical childhood that he had when he was small. There was nothing as exciting to Benjamin as watching their imaginations flourish as they explored the world.
Now that they are older, he wants to give that magic to all of the children of the world. Benjamin focuses his writing on modern fairy tales that are fun for kids and thought provoking for adults. Each adventure celebrates important values of self-reliance, preparedness, and diversity. He hopes with each book to spark imagination in each reader.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
July 30, 2017
This was a surprise as I don't read kids books, but I found myself constantly smiling as I turned the pages. It's great to know there are still books out there being written for children that are wholesome and inspiring. This is a good book for kids and I will be turning my nieces and nephews onto it.
December 18, 2018
Book Reviewed by Stacey on www.whisperingstories.com
Brandon and his friends had gone fishing but they soon realised that no-one had brought anything to cut the fishing line with. With his Grandpa living a few houses away the group mounted their bikes and set off to borrow a pair of scissors.
Grandpa Alvin was gardening when the group turned up. Alvin told them he had something better than scissors for cutting the line, he had a pocketknife that had been given to him by his Great-Great-Grandfather and how it had saved his life numerous times after he had ended up in the ‘Kingdom of Color’ (which turned out to be all gray) after blowing a giant bubble and floating away.
The Land Without Color is a magical book with a whole host of fabulous characters – Including animals that talk. The book starts off in the present day and then jumps back in time to when Grandpa Alvin was a young boy and his adventures after his birthday present – bubble gum – took him to a weird and colourless world.
The plot is essentially an adventure with a good versus evil storyline and twelve-year-old Alvin is our protagonist/hero. When I first began reading I pictured the scene in ET where the group of friends jump on their bikes and ride down the road together. When we arrive in the Kingdom of Colour, ET turned into The Wizard of Oz. It was a strange mixture but it really worked.
For those older children looking for a book filled with suspense, fabulous characters and something to really sink their teeth into, then this is the book to choose. There are even illustrations throughout that seem to bring the story to life.
This is the first book in a series and I can see kids rushing to get the second book the moment they have finished this one.
Brandon and his friends had gone fishing but they soon realised that no-one had brought anything to cut the fishing line with. With his Grandpa living a few houses away the group mounted their bikes and set off to borrow a pair of scissors.
Grandpa Alvin was gardening when the group turned up. Alvin told them he had something better than scissors for cutting the line, he had a pocketknife that had been given to him by his Great-Great-Grandfather and how it had saved his life numerous times after he had ended up in the ‘Kingdom of Color’ (which turned out to be all gray) after blowing a giant bubble and floating away.
The Land Without Color is a magical book with a whole host of fabulous characters – Including animals that talk. The book starts off in the present day and then jumps back in time to when Grandpa Alvin was a young boy and his adventures after his birthday present – bubble gum – took him to a weird and colourless world.
The plot is essentially an adventure with a good versus evil storyline and twelve-year-old Alvin is our protagonist/hero. When I first began reading I pictured the scene in ET where the group of friends jump on their bikes and ride down the road together. When we arrive in the Kingdom of Colour, ET turned into The Wizard of Oz. It was a strange mixture but it really worked.
For those older children looking for a book filled with suspense, fabulous characters and something to really sink their teeth into, then this is the book to choose. There are even illustrations throughout that seem to bring the story to life.
This is the first book in a series and I can see kids rushing to get the second book the moment they have finished this one.
September 10, 2016
The Land without Color (TLWC) is a literary Avatar crossed with The Wizard of Oz perfect for kids. It’s a beautiful book full of mystery, suspense and, adventure with a reluctant hero (12-year-old Alvin) and a Journey. At its core, TLWC promotes problem-solving and eating right: fruits and vegetables to be exact and the negative effects sugar in any form can have on you. All this occurs without being preachy and within the narrative of the story.
Great villains (dragons) and wholesome sidekicks (incorporating talking animals in the process, which means you can’t miss with kids), this one has it all. It celebrates working together as a team to accomplish more. I love it. There are also rudimentary political undertones that parents and/or teachers can address. Benjamin Ellefson has crafted a chapter book fit for upper-elementary school students with everything a young reader needs to develop a love for the written word; vivid descriptions, good dialogue, and great character development.
It addresses multiculturalism naturally as it should without a bang or huge fanfare. There’s even an introduction to Spanish imbedded in the midst of this little tome. Ah … and red and blue do make purple (have to read the book). There’s also a map at the beginning of the book that I felt compelled to go back to as the story progressed and the think kids will, too. Ellefson does a great job with pacing as well as he throws increasingly difficult challenges at our young protagonist until the climatic end. Highly recommended for the kiddies!
Great villains (dragons) and wholesome sidekicks (incorporating talking animals in the process, which means you can’t miss with kids), this one has it all. It celebrates working together as a team to accomplish more. I love it. There are also rudimentary political undertones that parents and/or teachers can address. Benjamin Ellefson has crafted a chapter book fit for upper-elementary school students with everything a young reader needs to develop a love for the written word; vivid descriptions, good dialogue, and great character development.
It addresses multiculturalism naturally as it should without a bang or huge fanfare. There’s even an introduction to Spanish imbedded in the midst of this little tome. Ah … and red and blue do make purple (have to read the book). There’s also a map at the beginning of the book that I felt compelled to go back to as the story progressed and the think kids will, too. Ellefson does a great job with pacing as well as he throws increasingly difficult challenges at our young protagonist until the climatic end. Highly recommended for the kiddies!
July 30, 2017
I had no idea what to expect with The Land Without Color. I'm a teenager and thought I might be a little old for the book, but found it hard to put down. After about 20 pages I decided to start over and read it with my little sister who is 10. We don't often get along but this book had us laughing together. Alvin is a cool hero. My sister loved him and we both thought the talking squirrel was cute. There was a lot of suspense. The book kept us guessing and we never got it right. Lol. We thought that was fun. It also taught a lot of neat lessons about eating right.
July 30, 2017
I really liked this book a lot. It was a quick read with lovable characters (Alvin's the best and bravest of them all). I love books where animals talk. It was quite an adventure that kept me guessing. I'm looking forward to the next one in the series.
February 21, 2017
My review is up on Booktube!
https://youtu.be/o797jjTEhDQ
https://youtu.be/o797jjTEhDQ
December 24, 2016
Hello I am a 7th grader who read the book. I wanted to give a review on it. Overall I think the book was good. Not usually what I read so it was fun to read something new. I would recommend this book to 5th grade and under or anyone who would like to read a story with a lot of imagination. So if u are interested you should really read the book.
January 22, 2024
Definitely one of the most unique middle grade books I've ever read. This was a quick , easy , and fun read! The plot was fast moving and all the characters were very lovable! (My fav was permy) at times I felt like it was kinda repetitive & a little too wordy. But in the end still so much fun & im super excited to jump right into the sequel
January 17, 2019
This is an entertaining, amusing and enlightening book. A boy who has fun with his friends, goes to ask his granddad if he can borrow a penknife. Before making the knife available his grandad Alvin tells the story of the day he was given the knife and how the many tools and blades saved his life.
Unexpectedly stranded in a land with no colour, young Alvin only wants to go home. The first friend he makes is a talking squirrel, but she turns out to be a lot more helpful than you'd expect. Alvin agrees to help find a way to bring colour back for everyone. Along the way he will face many challenges - he might not have started if he knew how many!
We learn that eating fruit and vegetables is better for us than candy, that you can't believe all you hear, and sometimes people in power promote stupid people, on purpose. All good lessons. I found the book compulsive reading as each dramatic scene doesn't last too long and there is always another trap around the corner. The friendly drawings of Alvin in many sticky situations are great. I really enjoyed the read and I can't wait to start on The Great Sugar War.
I downloaded an e-copy. This is an unbiased review.
Unexpectedly stranded in a land with no colour, young Alvin only wants to go home. The first friend he makes is a talking squirrel, but she turns out to be a lot more helpful than you'd expect. Alvin agrees to help find a way to bring colour back for everyone. Along the way he will face many challenges - he might not have started if he knew how many!
We learn that eating fruit and vegetables is better for us than candy, that you can't believe all you hear, and sometimes people in power promote stupid people, on purpose. All good lessons. I found the book compulsive reading as each dramatic scene doesn't last too long and there is always another trap around the corner. The friendly drawings of Alvin in many sticky situations are great. I really enjoyed the read and I can't wait to start on The Great Sugar War.
I downloaded an e-copy. This is an unbiased review.
August 29, 2018
Benjamin Ellefson writes fairy tales that are fun for kids and thought-provoking for adults. In The Land Without Color he introduces an everyday boy, living a contentedly everyday life, then sends him, via the gift of a knife, to a very strange place. Black and white images provide visual clues to events in the tale, and detailed descriptions bring everything to life, from how to make a fishing rod to how to escape from jail. Solutions are imaginative and fun, and the contrast between real color and fake, where fake is seriously tempting, is cleverly portrayed. The story invites thought, not just on an adult’s part, about what we allow ourselves to be tempted by, and how easily we believe what we are told. When laws come before common sense and listening, danger looms. But the hero will win through, as he surely should in fairytales.
Disclosure: I was asked to look for this, found it on a deal, and enjoyed it.
Disclosure: I was asked to look for this, found it on a deal, and enjoyed it.
August 12, 2018
I don't know how to review Benjamin Ellefson because he writes like authors from yesteryear, when I was a kid, and not todays dribble that insults the intelligence of children. He gives them credit for the ability to think and doesn't shy from challenging their vocabulary—a good thing to send your kid thumbing through Webster's. Besides an entertaining book, Ellefson uses The Land Without Color to teach—like how to tie the knot in a fishing pole— something every Tomboy should know.
He teaches sage advice about always being prepared and the gift of a pocket knife starts it all.
He teaches courage: Permy running "her heart pounding" to escape from the Goblin prison and Crimson Guards to run up the mountain and roll down the snowball to rescue Alvin.
He teaches perseverance: when frustrated, Permy tries again and again to get the snowball unstuck to roll down the hill. Regardless of the obstacles Alvin faces, he uses his noggin to think creatively of a way to save himself and his friends. He doesn’t give up.
He teaches obedience to younger kids, “Everyone in the kingdom needs to be wearing a helmet…” and for older kids how to discern absurdity, but that sometimes we have to swallow our pride and sacrifice for the good of others.
He teaches that people are different, but that we can all live together peacefully and help one another. And that hero’s aren’t always the popular kids. Sometimes it’s the nerd.
And he does all this teaching (and so much more) in a way kids won't read as lessons, but a fascinating story. As good as reverse psychology!
Throughout the book Ellefson uses his story to teach kids about health and healthy eating: after eating beets, Alvin’s color was returning, “From here on out, it would be only fruits and vegetables for him.” The free ice-cream and other junk food draining color and energy from the people.
A few of my favorite passages:
Page 102
“Scared people are willing to do things they normally wouldn’t do.”
“The conspiracy was darker and deeper than they had imagined.”
Page 110
“Evil always lurks in the shadows to spread its tyranny onto the land.”
Page 130
“…too much power was in the hands of one man.”
Page 138
“Cut off the head, and the body will fall.”
“Color is not meant to be controlled by the few.”
“Thissssss land has always been ruled from the shadows…even when the people didn’t know it.”
But my favorite is Gwendolyn’s speech at the end of chapter 22, “You must take care of yourselves and not rely on the whims of great men to decide your destiny, for that is when you will be deceived—not with a threat but with a treat.”
Ellefson may not develop his characters as one reviewer writes, but kids don’t care about that. His characters are colorful. His story, page turning. And he accomplishes more in this 155 page book than I’ve read since I was a child a long time ago, and his style struck a cord. I regressed and read the book as a kid. Most kid books I read as an adult. Kudos to an excellent kids author and wonderful illustrations by Kevin Cannon.
This is an action-packed story for kids from around seven to ten and I highly recommend The Land Without Color, guaranteed to become one of your child’s favorite stories.
He teaches sage advice about always being prepared and the gift of a pocket knife starts it all.
He teaches courage: Permy running "her heart pounding" to escape from the Goblin prison and Crimson Guards to run up the mountain and roll down the snowball to rescue Alvin.
He teaches perseverance: when frustrated, Permy tries again and again to get the snowball unstuck to roll down the hill. Regardless of the obstacles Alvin faces, he uses his noggin to think creatively of a way to save himself and his friends. He doesn’t give up.
He teaches obedience to younger kids, “Everyone in the kingdom needs to be wearing a helmet…” and for older kids how to discern absurdity, but that sometimes we have to swallow our pride and sacrifice for the good of others.
He teaches that people are different, but that we can all live together peacefully and help one another. And that hero’s aren’t always the popular kids. Sometimes it’s the nerd.
And he does all this teaching (and so much more) in a way kids won't read as lessons, but a fascinating story. As good as reverse psychology!
Throughout the book Ellefson uses his story to teach kids about health and healthy eating: after eating beets, Alvin’s color was returning, “From here on out, it would be only fruits and vegetables for him.” The free ice-cream and other junk food draining color and energy from the people.
A few of my favorite passages:
Page 102
“Scared people are willing to do things they normally wouldn’t do.”
“The conspiracy was darker and deeper than they had imagined.”
Page 110
“Evil always lurks in the shadows to spread its tyranny onto the land.”
Page 130
“…too much power was in the hands of one man.”
Page 138
“Cut off the head, and the body will fall.”
“Color is not meant to be controlled by the few.”
“Thissssss land has always been ruled from the shadows…even when the people didn’t know it.”
But my favorite is Gwendolyn’s speech at the end of chapter 22, “You must take care of yourselves and not rely on the whims of great men to decide your destiny, for that is when you will be deceived—not with a threat but with a treat.”
Ellefson may not develop his characters as one reviewer writes, but kids don’t care about that. His characters are colorful. His story, page turning. And he accomplishes more in this 155 page book than I’ve read since I was a child a long time ago, and his style struck a cord. I regressed and read the book as a kid. Most kid books I read as an adult. Kudos to an excellent kids author and wonderful illustrations by Kevin Cannon.
This is an action-packed story for kids from around seven to ten and I highly recommend The Land Without Color, guaranteed to become one of your child’s favorite stories.
August 3, 2018
I tried to find the email where the author contacted me about reviewing his three-book series, “The Land Without Color.” The first book’s title is the same as the series. When it first arrived, I saw that the main character (who turns out to be Alvin) was African-American and that the title referred to race. I was so wrong! This is a highly imaginative tale that was a lot of fun to read.
When the gang wants to go fishing, leaders Brandon and Steven needs something to cut the string that they will use as poles. Since Grandpa Alvin lived close by the pond, the gang of about six to eight kids jump on their bicycles and race over…as boys are wont to do.
Grandpa pulls a small Swiss Army knife from his pocket, a knife that he has had since he turned twelve. Grandpa Alvin tells that Brandon that the knife was given to him by Brandon’s great-great-grandfather Otto and it “saved my life many times.”
Then the story switches to Alvin’s twelfth birthday. His parents take him to visit Grandpa Otto. Grandpa Otto gives him the knife as a present. While Alvin is waiting to go home, he starts to chew a stick of never-popping gum his parents gave him earlier in the day.
As he begins to blow a bubble, it grows, and grows, and grows, and grows. It really is never-popping and soon the giant bubble begins to float, taking Alvin with it. Once he manages to land, he doesn’t recognize the place. Nothing looks familiar and it’s colorless. Everything is gray. Everything!
As he begins to explore, he runs into a small snag, but it’s how he meets a talking squirrel named Permiella, Permy for short, and learns that he has landed in the Kingdom of Color. Permy tells him how the color from the land has been stolen. Alvin decides that is unacceptable and vows to restore color to the kingdom. And off they go on their grand adventure, meeting a charming little rat named Ronaldo, “battle man-eating plants, outsmart the bumbling Crimson Guards, cross the Sugar Desert, overcome the two-headed dragon, and find the color-stealing goblins.” The story is a lot of fun.
The story is framed with Brandon and his pals, which was totally unnecessary. For that reason, “The Land Without Color,” receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.
When the gang wants to go fishing, leaders Brandon and Steven needs something to cut the string that they will use as poles. Since Grandpa Alvin lived close by the pond, the gang of about six to eight kids jump on their bicycles and race over…as boys are wont to do.
Grandpa pulls a small Swiss Army knife from his pocket, a knife that he has had since he turned twelve. Grandpa Alvin tells that Brandon that the knife was given to him by Brandon’s great-great-grandfather Otto and it “saved my life many times.”
Then the story switches to Alvin’s twelfth birthday. His parents take him to visit Grandpa Otto. Grandpa Otto gives him the knife as a present. While Alvin is waiting to go home, he starts to chew a stick of never-popping gum his parents gave him earlier in the day.
As he begins to blow a bubble, it grows, and grows, and grows, and grows. It really is never-popping and soon the giant bubble begins to float, taking Alvin with it. Once he manages to land, he doesn’t recognize the place. Nothing looks familiar and it’s colorless. Everything is gray. Everything!
As he begins to explore, he runs into a small snag, but it’s how he meets a talking squirrel named Permiella, Permy for short, and learns that he has landed in the Kingdom of Color. Permy tells him how the color from the land has been stolen. Alvin decides that is unacceptable and vows to restore color to the kingdom. And off they go on their grand adventure, meeting a charming little rat named Ronaldo, “battle man-eating plants, outsmart the bumbling Crimson Guards, cross the Sugar Desert, overcome the two-headed dragon, and find the color-stealing goblins.” The story is a lot of fun.
The story is framed with Brandon and his pals, which was totally unnecessary. For that reason, “The Land Without Color,” receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.
June 30, 2018
Such a cute story, with a fun and quirky plot. The main message seems to be "eat your fruits and veggies" because too much sugar will steal your color and energy, and also to always carry a pocket knife as you never know when you might need one.
I loved the characters, they were a quirky bunch with headless people, talking animals Kings and Princesses, dragons and evil snakes. I loved the comparison between eating to much junk food and losing your color/energy, making that much easier for young kids to understand why they should eat healthy.
A couple things though... 1. the first chapter is about young Brandon and his friends trying to go fishing and then chapter 2 is the story of his grandfather as a young boy.. with no into that was happening and the last chapter is about Brandon too but again with no sort of reasoning as to why, honestly those 2 chapters don't even need to be there for the point of the story. 2. I wish the Kingdom of Color had been a little more fleshed out in other words I thought the world building was lacking a little. 3. I felt the obstacles that needed to be overcome by Alvin were too easy for the age group that the book is geared for and he does a lot of walking around, with only once did he need to sleep, but still nothing sounds that close together.
Overall, for a kids book, I thought it was a fun read, with simple to understand terms and references with a quirky plot not usually seen in kids books.
*I was invited to read and review by the author, but the books are available on Kindle unlimited and were being offered for free to everyone when I downloaded them.
I loved the characters, they were a quirky bunch with headless people, talking animals Kings and Princesses, dragons and evil snakes. I loved the comparison between eating to much junk food and losing your color/energy, making that much easier for young kids to understand why they should eat healthy.
A couple things though... 1. the first chapter is about young Brandon and his friends trying to go fishing and then chapter 2 is the story of his grandfather as a young boy.. with no into that was happening and the last chapter is about Brandon too but again with no sort of reasoning as to why, honestly those 2 chapters don't even need to be there for the point of the story. 2. I wish the Kingdom of Color had been a little more fleshed out in other words I thought the world building was lacking a little. 3. I felt the obstacles that needed to be overcome by Alvin were too easy for the age group that the book is geared for and he does a lot of walking around, with only once did he need to sleep, but still nothing sounds that close together.
Overall, for a kids book, I thought it was a fun read, with simple to understand terms and references with a quirky plot not usually seen in kids books.
*I was invited to read and review by the author, but the books are available on Kindle unlimited and were being offered for free to everyone when I downloaded them.
October 15, 2018
I love this clever and original tale of a land where it doesn’t pay to eat the ice cream.
Brandon and his friends live in a pleasant suburb and play together outside all day long doing fun things like play Kick-the-Can, ride bikes, and go fishing. When they decide to go fishing one day and discover while they are making their fishing poles that they have nothing to cut the string for their fishing lines, they decide to visit Brandon’s grandfather, Alvin, to borrow some scissors.
Alvin lets them use his old pocket knife. But first, he tells them the story of how he got the knife for his birthday when he was a boy, and how one of his other presents transported him to the Land of Color. Alvin is puzzled by the fact that nearly everything in the Land of Color is gray.
One of the first creatures he meets in the Land of Color is a squirrel named Permiella. Her friends call her Permy. Permy explains that much of the color has gone missing from the kingdom and that the only place that has color any more is the Rainbow Castle. She offers to take Alvin there.
Permy turns out to be very resourceful. Alvin would probably never solve the mystery of the disappearing color.
Alvin and Permy have adventures throughout the kingdom and discover that more and more things are not what they are reported to be. They have to travel far, solve riddles, outwit the King’s guards (fortunately this isn’t too hard), and discover who the real hidden enemies are who have stolen all the color. But with the help of the children they release from the so-called Goblin Prison, they are able to rescue the missing Princesses and set things to rights again after all.
Brandon and his friends live in a pleasant suburb and play together outside all day long doing fun things like play Kick-the-Can, ride bikes, and go fishing. When they decide to go fishing one day and discover while they are making their fishing poles that they have nothing to cut the string for their fishing lines, they decide to visit Brandon’s grandfather, Alvin, to borrow some scissors.
Alvin lets them use his old pocket knife. But first, he tells them the story of how he got the knife for his birthday when he was a boy, and how one of his other presents transported him to the Land of Color. Alvin is puzzled by the fact that nearly everything in the Land of Color is gray.
One of the first creatures he meets in the Land of Color is a squirrel named Permiella. Her friends call her Permy. Permy explains that much of the color has gone missing from the kingdom and that the only place that has color any more is the Rainbow Castle. She offers to take Alvin there.
Permy turns out to be very resourceful. Alvin would probably never solve the mystery of the disappearing color.
Alvin and Permy have adventures throughout the kingdom and discover that more and more things are not what they are reported to be. They have to travel far, solve riddles, outwit the King’s guards (fortunately this isn’t too hard), and discover who the real hidden enemies are who have stolen all the color. But with the help of the children they release from the so-called Goblin Prison, they are able to rescue the missing Princesses and set things to rights again after all.
May 14, 2018
In the Land Without Color, young Alvin is given a pack of magic bubble gum on his birthday that whisks him away to a far-away land above the clouds that is without colour. There, with his trusty pocketknife and talking squirrel sidekick, he has a series of adventures in his attempt to discover the truth as to why the previously vibrant land has no colour.
The story is written well enough, and illustrated nicely, but there were some problems with it's structure that kept me from giving a higher rating.
The first bit of confusion comes when the story begins with a rather young for his age twelve year old Brandon who apparently lives sometime in the past when kids still went fishing for fun. That's not the confusion, however. Rather, Brandon realizes they need help with their fishing lines and goes to his Grandfather who lives nearby. And then, the real story starts with a young version of the grandfather.
The apparent intent of the story structure was to be 'listen and learn from your elder'. However, the way the chapters segue and the absolute immersion in the flashback with exception to the first and last chapters left me, as a reader, wondering why Brandon and his friends needed to be in the story at all.
The adventures of Alvin is entertaining, although I found, for the apparent age of the target audience (from the length I'd expect 9-12), the threat levels he encountered were too mild and required little effort to overcome. Most of the villains were stupid, as Alvin himself realizes and uses to his advantage, and the only real struggle is in the climax. In addition, at times movement around the kingdom was so quick and easy that what I assumed would take days, seemed like a walk around the block. There are, however, some plot twists that I believe the target audience would find interesting.
The story does have two lessons to impart. First, a pocketknife, like that of your grandfather in the good old days, is a really handy device to have. Second, vegetables are better than sugary food. These aren't bad lessons, but they are delivered in a rather heavy-handed manner.
Overall, The Land Without Color wasn't a bad read, but in my opinion it lacked a certain polish to the structure that left it feeling less than it could be.
**I received this book for free from Authors Marketing Club in exchange for a fair and honest review.**
The story is written well enough, and illustrated nicely, but there were some problems with it's structure that kept me from giving a higher rating.
The first bit of confusion comes when the story begins with a rather young for his age twelve year old Brandon who apparently lives sometime in the past when kids still went fishing for fun. That's not the confusion, however. Rather, Brandon realizes they need help with their fishing lines and goes to his Grandfather who lives nearby. And then, the real story starts with a young version of the grandfather.
The apparent intent of the story structure was to be 'listen and learn from your elder'. However, the way the chapters segue and the absolute immersion in the flashback with exception to the first and last chapters left me, as a reader, wondering why Brandon and his friends needed to be in the story at all.
The adventures of Alvin is entertaining, although I found, for the apparent age of the target audience (from the length I'd expect 9-12), the threat levels he encountered were too mild and required little effort to overcome. Most of the villains were stupid, as Alvin himself realizes and uses to his advantage, and the only real struggle is in the climax. In addition, at times movement around the kingdom was so quick and easy that what I assumed would take days, seemed like a walk around the block. There are, however, some plot twists that I believe the target audience would find interesting.
The story does have two lessons to impart. First, a pocketknife, like that of your grandfather in the good old days, is a really handy device to have. Second, vegetables are better than sugary food. These aren't bad lessons, but they are delivered in a rather heavy-handed manner.
Overall, The Land Without Color wasn't a bad read, but in my opinion it lacked a certain polish to the structure that left it feeling less than it could be.
**I received this book for free from Authors Marketing Club in exchange for a fair and honest review.**
June 14, 2018
The beginning of the story starts with Alvin's grandson and his friends.. It was confusing to go from them to Alvin … There needs to be a segue into the fact that Alvin is telling his own story.
You are what you eat! I love this! If you only eat junk food then all your colors drain. Alvin makes friends along the way in the land without color. He travels all over trying to figure out how to restore color to the world.
The ending comes back around to Brandon and his friends... Which would have been great if there had been any fade in or out with them throughout the book. Also, time apparently had no meaning. Alvin only slept twice I think and they meandered around the kingdom like they were walking around a small town. With that said, I think people of all ages will enjoy reading about The Land Without Color. My enjoyment of the story is why I am rating it at 4 stars instead of 3.
I was gifted an ARC in return of an honest review.
You are what you eat! I love this! If you only eat junk food then all your colors drain. Alvin makes friends along the way in the land without color. He travels all over trying to figure out how to restore color to the world.
The ending comes back around to Brandon and his friends... Which would have been great if there had been any fade in or out with them throughout the book. Also, time apparently had no meaning. Alvin only slept twice I think and they meandered around the kingdom like they were walking around a small town. With that said, I think people of all ages will enjoy reading about The Land Without Color. My enjoyment of the story is why I am rating it at 4 stars instead of 3.
I was gifted an ARC in return of an honest review.
August 2, 2018
In the tradition of L. Frank Baum, Benjamin Ellefson creates an interesting fantasy world for children. I particularly liked the two headed dragon with only one brain, but the hero meets many interesting creatures in his adventures. I also appreciated the way that Alvin thought his way out of difficulties. I lowered the rating, because I prefer my stories served straight up. This book contains a story within a story so that the main plot line is actually a backstory, and the focus shifts from the original main character to his grandfather. The frame story also bored me, and I felt sorry for his parents in the end. Overall, however, I liked it and would recommend it for families with young readers.
I was asked to review this book with my honest opinion, and I received a free copy through a kindle give-away.
I was asked to review this book with my honest opinion, and I received a free copy through a kindle give-away.
June 28, 2018
kindle unlimited, it seems, but also freebie day or permafree; interesting, probably more so if was kid, and the illustrations, too, pay attention to those
Floating into the air with an enormous gum bubble, Alvin lands in a strange world where everything is gray. The trees, the flowers, the dirt, the sky, the animals, and even the people are all missing their color.
Confronted with the mystery of the missing color, Alvin teams up with some unexpected friends to battle man-eating plants, outsmart the bumbling Crimson Guards, cross the Sugar Desert, overcome the two-headed dragon, and find the color-stealing goblins to restore color to the kingdom.
The Land without Color
The Great Sugar War (The Land without Color Book 2)
The Collapsing Kingdom (The Land without Color Book 3)
Floating into the air with an enormous gum bubble, Alvin lands in a strange world where everything is gray. The trees, the flowers, the dirt, the sky, the animals, and even the people are all missing their color.
Confronted with the mystery of the missing color, Alvin teams up with some unexpected friends to battle man-eating plants, outsmart the bumbling Crimson Guards, cross the Sugar Desert, overcome the two-headed dragon, and find the color-stealing goblins to restore color to the kingdom.
The Land without Color
The Great Sugar War (The Land without Color Book 2)
The Collapsing Kingdom (The Land without Color Book 3)
July 28, 2018
Alvin got a mysterious pack of gum for his birthday, and, as boys are wont to do, he blew the biggest bubble he could. That bubble floated him away and deposited him in a strange land where there was no color, and he finds himself the only person capable of bringing the color back. Of course, along the way he has to deal with a two-headed dragon, a sneaky king, and all manner of other challenges.
The Land Without Color by Benjamin Ellefson is intended for young readers, and contains, not so subtly, advice on the importance of eating properly, but I found it entertaining—maybe it’s because I’m entering my second childhood. Wonderful illustrations and the non-preachy style make this a great book for your young reader—or, perhaps, even yourself.
I give this book five stars.
The Land Without Color by Benjamin Ellefson is intended for young readers, and contains, not so subtly, advice on the importance of eating properly, but I found it entertaining—maybe it’s because I’m entering my second childhood. Wonderful illustrations and the non-preachy style make this a great book for your young reader—or, perhaps, even yourself.
I give this book five stars.
August 13, 2018
Thoughts: This series is truly incredible. I loved how Benjamin Ellefson was able to connect the three different books in The Land Without Color series into one truly incredible story. For example, in every book there is a different main character, however each main character is related to each other. An example of this is one of the main characters is the grandson and great-great grandson of the two other main characters. I also enjoyed all the sidekicks in this series including a talkative squirrel, a dim solider, and a helpful eagle. Finally, I liked how Kevin Cannon drew such amazing and descriptive illustrations. Overall, I loved this funny, amazing, truly incredible series.
Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review. All thoughts are my own.
Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review. All thoughts are my own.
May 31, 2018
Won a free Kindle edition through Goodreads! Hooray!
So, this seemed like a strange book to me. Yes, it has good messages. Yes, it was kind of an interesting idea. To me the framing at the beginning and ending, while it could have been handled better in the beginning, was okay overall.
BUT, so many things seemed to happen when they were most convenient. Main character did SO MUCH WALKING, and not a lot of other stuff, until the very end.
Just not my style of writing. I kept thinking to myself, this could have been done this way, or that way and been much more interesting!
Overall, meh.
So, this seemed like a strange book to me. Yes, it has good messages. Yes, it was kind of an interesting idea. To me the framing at the beginning and ending, while it could have been handled better in the beginning, was okay overall.
BUT, so many things seemed to happen when they were most convenient. Main character did SO MUCH WALKING, and not a lot of other stuff, until the very end.
Just not my style of writing. I kept thinking to myself, this could have been done this way, or that way and been much more interesting!
Overall, meh.
June 30, 2018
This book is fun, funny, and an absolute thrill ride of imagination.
No kidding, I got four story ideas just from reading the first few chapters.
A kid being having adventures while being lost in a freaky world is so 1970s -- I mean that as a compliment, like "Land of the Lost."
It's a terrific book for kids or anyone who at one point was a kid. Sorry, robots.
Luckily for people who will definitely become new fans, there are two more already done. I'm going to need creator Benjamin Ellefson to write more. Lots more.
No kidding, I got four story ideas just from reading the first few chapters.
A kid being having adventures while being lost in a freaky world is so 1970s -- I mean that as a compliment, like "Land of the Lost."
It's a terrific book for kids or anyone who at one point was a kid. Sorry, robots.
Luckily for people who will definitely become new fans, there are two more already done. I'm going to need creator Benjamin Ellefson to write more. Lots more.
May 23, 2016
The Land Without Color certainly is an ambitious work, creatively imagined, that succeeds very well in drawing the reader into a fast moving adventure and a magical world. It is not short on many surprises and clever twists in the plot line. I expected that the theme was about diversity but found much more. There were many insightful sub-themes that are relevant and tie into the main theme very well. A lot is very educational as with clever allegory in an adventure written for children the author explores how responsibility and authority can become corrupted. A ruler who is made dependent on others in turn makes his subjects dependent on him in a conspiracy with layers of deception that is slowly unraveled by an adventurous boy who feels he must right all the wrongs.
The segue however between chapters one and two when the story changes from boys asking a grandfather for a scissors to cut fishing line to the grandfather waking up as a little boy to begin his adventure in a flashback seemed a little awkward. As an adult I felt confused as to whether this was the grandfather now young or a grandson with the same name. I can imagine this would be confusing for awhile for a child to read. I got it after a little while and then the adventure started to flow better. Upon second reading I wasn’t sure how exactly this problem should be resolved.
In this story a young boy finds himself in a world with police and guardsmen who don't make any sense and people who go around with their heads unattached because they feel that thinking just gets in the way of getting practical things done. I must say this reminds me of Alice In Wonderland in which a normal girl finds herself in a world of characters who make no sense. I find the writing style here is more like the Oz stories and the political implications are similar.
The boy, Alvin, finds allies with a talking squirrel who it turns out is female and a talking bi-lingual mouse who speaks in Spanish and English. The mouse warns the boy not to eat the free candy or ice cream that is considered to be "free color" because he says it is "empty color". Upon being thrown into prison by the king who has been turned into a turtle the companions encounter a man who is in prison for growing his own vegetables which is considered to be illegal color. Everyone in the kingdom has been told that goblins who live on the other side of the Shadow Mountains have been stealing the color from the land which has mainly turned gray. This turns out not to be true as the conspiracies and deceptions unravel. The adventurous boy meets with the goblin king and finds that he is actually a nice guy and the goblins would never do anyone harm. They, also, do not have the power to pull off such an insidious plan either. Do you see the relevant themes in their complexity at work here?
This is an amazingly great, fantasy story in that as it unravels there is a rich past history to draw upon that fleshes the story out. I am in awe of the work that went into the conception of this story. The illustrations as well do justice to this work of literature that could become one of the greats in literature for children. This is why it makes great reading for an adult as well. It is very thought provoking. I could see a child growing with this story instead of outgrowing it. I could, also, see this story being turned into a full length animated film that could be very popular.
I wasn't going to nitpick about the grammar problems. I wasn't going to mention anything about my pet peeve of unnecessary commas separating dependent clauses and worse yet even being used to separate prepositional phrases. I understand that the new grammar people are being taught these days gets people to use the idea that wherever there would be a pause in speaking or reading a sentence a person should put in a comma. This is used by people who have never diagrammed a sentence as a crutch when it comes to understanding comma placement. After awhile the grammar problems kept increasing and I see they would even be distracting to a child or anyone trying to read this story. I found a preposition and a word transposed in the reverse order of how they should have read. Although a sentence can go without a verb if in the context of the paragraph the verb is understood I found a sentence in which a necessary verb was completely missing. I even found a word with the same preposition before and after it. It became obvious that the problems were beyond disagreement about style and there are definitely problems concerning editing and even simple proof reading.
Except for the awkward segue at the beginning however the continuity even with all the intricacies of the plot unraveling is excellent. The Land Without Color rings with greatness in a way that is modern and yet classic. I would recommend it (with some improvements) to children between the ages of eight and ten very much. The hard work that is evident in this otherwise, well crafted book should not go to waste and I am hopeful that with just a little editing and proof reading The Land Without Color will go on to become one of the greats in children's literature! By the way now I see that just one sentence at the end of chapter one would solve the problem with the awkward transition to the flashback and help to tie the story together better with the ending!
The segue however between chapters one and two when the story changes from boys asking a grandfather for a scissors to cut fishing line to the grandfather waking up as a little boy to begin his adventure in a flashback seemed a little awkward. As an adult I felt confused as to whether this was the grandfather now young or a grandson with the same name. I can imagine this would be confusing for awhile for a child to read. I got it after a little while and then the adventure started to flow better. Upon second reading I wasn’t sure how exactly this problem should be resolved.
In this story a young boy finds himself in a world with police and guardsmen who don't make any sense and people who go around with their heads unattached because they feel that thinking just gets in the way of getting practical things done. I must say this reminds me of Alice In Wonderland in which a normal girl finds herself in a world of characters who make no sense. I find the writing style here is more like the Oz stories and the political implications are similar.
The boy, Alvin, finds allies with a talking squirrel who it turns out is female and a talking bi-lingual mouse who speaks in Spanish and English. The mouse warns the boy not to eat the free candy or ice cream that is considered to be "free color" because he says it is "empty color". Upon being thrown into prison by the king who has been turned into a turtle the companions encounter a man who is in prison for growing his own vegetables which is considered to be illegal color. Everyone in the kingdom has been told that goblins who live on the other side of the Shadow Mountains have been stealing the color from the land which has mainly turned gray. This turns out not to be true as the conspiracies and deceptions unravel. The adventurous boy meets with the goblin king and finds that he is actually a nice guy and the goblins would never do anyone harm. They, also, do not have the power to pull off such an insidious plan either. Do you see the relevant themes in their complexity at work here?
This is an amazingly great, fantasy story in that as it unravels there is a rich past history to draw upon that fleshes the story out. I am in awe of the work that went into the conception of this story. The illustrations as well do justice to this work of literature that could become one of the greats in literature for children. This is why it makes great reading for an adult as well. It is very thought provoking. I could see a child growing with this story instead of outgrowing it. I could, also, see this story being turned into a full length animated film that could be very popular.
I wasn't going to nitpick about the grammar problems. I wasn't going to mention anything about my pet peeve of unnecessary commas separating dependent clauses and worse yet even being used to separate prepositional phrases. I understand that the new grammar people are being taught these days gets people to use the idea that wherever there would be a pause in speaking or reading a sentence a person should put in a comma. This is used by people who have never diagrammed a sentence as a crutch when it comes to understanding comma placement. After awhile the grammar problems kept increasing and I see they would even be distracting to a child or anyone trying to read this story. I found a preposition and a word transposed in the reverse order of how they should have read. Although a sentence can go without a verb if in the context of the paragraph the verb is understood I found a sentence in which a necessary verb was completely missing. I even found a word with the same preposition before and after it. It became obvious that the problems were beyond disagreement about style and there are definitely problems concerning editing and even simple proof reading.
Except for the awkward segue at the beginning however the continuity even with all the intricacies of the plot unraveling is excellent. The Land Without Color rings with greatness in a way that is modern and yet classic. I would recommend it (with some improvements) to children between the ages of eight and ten very much. The hard work that is evident in this otherwise, well crafted book should not go to waste and I am hopeful that with just a little editing and proof reading The Land Without Color will go on to become one of the greats in children's literature! By the way now I see that just one sentence at the end of chapter one would solve the problem with the awkward transition to the flashback and help to tie the story together better with the ending!
February 9, 2017
Good moral lessons & unusual story but definitely too far fetched I feel to be taken seriously ie: bubblegum that lifts you up like a balloon in the clouds only to fall into a fantastical land. BUT enjoyed the imaginative ideas drawn from this & granted I am not a child so could taken the story too seriously when it is based on imagination action not facts!
July 11, 2018
An adventure you never thought it ever could happen.
Be aware of bubble gum that is not popping.
Because of the difference, even I enjoyed reading it, even I am not a young person.
I could say more about the book, the start of the book and the ending, but others have done that. so I won't repeat it here.
Only one thing, it's a good fun read
Be aware of bubble gum that is not popping.
Because of the difference, even I enjoyed reading it, even I am not a young person.
I could say more about the book, the start of the book and the ending, but others have done that. so I won't repeat it here.
Only one thing, it's a good fun read
June 16, 2018
This was a surprise. I like to sign up for ARC of children's books to read to my kids. That's hown I base my reviews, if my kids enjoyed it. This was a bit too lengthy for my kids but I did enjoy it. I was smiling often. It was very nice and refreshing.
July 8, 2018
Great book
"The Land without Color" by Benamin Ellefson was written for those 8+ in my opinion. Younger readers that are mature might like it. Interesting topics that keep the reader rivited.
"The Land without Color" by Benamin Ellefson was written for those 8+ in my opinion. Younger readers that are mature might like it. Interesting topics that keep the reader rivited.
July 17, 2018
I was given a copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.
This was a fun middle grade read with a good "moral to the story". Good characters, fun new world. I give it four stars.
This was a fun middle grade read with a good "moral to the story". Good characters, fun new world. I give it four stars.
January 13, 2021
Perfect Middle Grade story
This was a great story with a great moral. I enjoyed reading it immensely. I would recommend this book to any middle grade reader... In fact, I'm recommending it to my daughter right now.
This was a great story with a great moral. I enjoyed reading it immensely. I would recommend this book to any middle grade reader... In fact, I'm recommending it to my daughter right now.
August 12, 2017
I read this book with a group of students in my school for a writing class. It was fun. The character was brave and the squirrel was funny. I want to read the next book in the series now.
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