The Outlandish Adventures of Liberty Aimes

by Kelly Easton, Greg Swearingen (Illustrator)

Everyone has a destiny. Sometimes it takes an adventure to find it.

Liberty Aimes has spent all of her ten years captive in her parents' crooked house on Gooch Street. Her spry father, Mal Aimes, is a crook who sells insurance, while her overweight mother sits at home in front of the TV, demanding that Liberty cook nonstop. Liberty’s only knowledge of the outside world comes from the secret stash of children’s books and fairy tales she discovers beneath the floorboards. One day, Liberty enters her father’s forbidden basement laboratory. There she discovers a world of talking animals and magic potions. With the aid of one such potion, Liberty escapes into the world in search of her destiny.

Genres: Fantasy, Adventure, Middle Grade, Childrens, Juvenile, Chapter Books, Fiction

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Wendi Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I enjoyed reading about Liberty and her journey, I was deeply uncomfortable with the amount of fat-shaming going on in this book.

[Kathy Mathey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must admit...I chose to read this book because the cover was so cute ~ glad I did. Liberty is one of my new favorite heroines.

[Nilsson]

Everybody in this story (except for Liberty) were so quirky and odd.
Interesting tale about a plain, ordinary girl living with extraordinary, mentally disturbed people.
I wish Liberty had a little more of a personality though, considering she is the one that the book is about. Maybe the author thought it would be too overwhelming since everyone else was already so weird. I would have liked to delve into their stories a little more and see what caused them to act this way. There must have been some intricate back stories, I'm sure, since nobody acts as demented as they did for no reason. It's sad we will probably never get to learn more about them and instead see only what happened to Liberty.
I'm glad everything worked out for her and all, but in comparison she was not the one I was the most curious about, to tell the truth! That mother and father were two odd and fascinating people for instance, who I'd like to know more about!

[Ellie Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember this was my very first "big" book reading as a little baby third grader, and as I was reading it, and figuring out words, I realized that I loved reading. This book got me into it. Now, this is a review based off of what I remember, so, bare with me.

This book was beautiful, a story told about a girl in a bad home space and some how manages to take a potion her dad created, allowing her to speak to animals. From there on, she escapes her home and travels all over, meeting strange new people along the way, and eventually finds the thing she has always wanted, a nice place to safely call home.

I remember wondering where in the world this book was going, and being inthralled in the adventures of this little girl, just the same age as me, and escaping. This novel is wonderful for elementary readers, and those grown ups with children hearts looking for a little dose of young

[Brittany (Hiatus-On/Off) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely LOVED this book there is no words for it other than outlandish because that's what it is outlandish adventures of a wonderful girl called Liberty Aimes (I want her as my Friend by the way, her personally, her style, and her thoughts are amazingly great!)

I read this book in grade 6 and finally remembered the name TODAY!!! Finally!!! Yay!!!

I would gladly and happily read this book again. :D

I would recommend this book for anyone who wants an adventure/fantasy middle grade read, but Liberty came across as more older I found because she was a really interesting and intelligent character. The side characters were also good but not as GREAT or OUTLANDISH as Libby! Also if you want a good laugh in a book pick this up, please! Because if I remember right this book was touching and meaningful but also LOL! ^^ I wanted to read it again as soon as I flipped the last page! <3

[Katharine Ott · Rating 1 out of 5]

"The Outlandish Adventures of Liberty Aimes" - written by Kelly Easton and published in 2009 by Wendy Lamb Books. Oh boy did I dislike this book. I was enticed by the lovely cover artwork done by Greg Swearingen but what was inside was a sorry mixture of comic book-like action and preachy social work asides, with a sloppy plot. Some of the disagreeable phrases a middle grade reader will encounter are: "she was now fat, married to a dud" - "Because I'm a friggin' genius and you are a zero" - "shut up" - "Especially..when I've had too much beer the night before" - and "I'm so hungry I could vomit." Author Easton seemed to be trying to appeal to children who live bleak lives, so hopefully her target audience could relate to her story better than I could.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goodness! I laughed from beginning to end in this book. I will be using this book in my book talks with the elemetary kids. It reminds me of Roald Dahl's books. My favorite part of the book is Birdbrain naming his bird droppings. If you are looking for a quirky, laugh-out-loud read, this is the book for you!!! It will appeal to all ages, especially those of us who are young at heart! WRITE MORE MS. EASTON!!!

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely delightful. I just love the fact that she lives in a universe where no one even stops to wonder about a flying girl. And I just about died in the part where she was reading the labels in Mal's lab. No Name is the most adorable cat character of ever.

I love how it didn't tell you exactly what would happen at the end, but it left enough hints for you dream up the happiest ending you could think of.

[Michele · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rather superficial.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book

[Librarian Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

How many of you think it would be awesome to escape from home and have grand adventures out in the world? Liberty longs to go to school, but her parents hold her captive at home. Finally, she sneaks into her dad’s basement laboratory and finds magic potions and talking animals that help her escape. But how will she make her way when people want to kidnap her? Will she find a good family where she can be loved and have some freedom too?
Booktalk above on a slide at https://www.canva.com/design/DAGDKlYn...

[Kristin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is basically a second-string Matilda - reprehensible parents, a girl wanting to go to school, and a bit of magic (via potions in this case). There are even characters who could be easily likened to the Trunchbull and Ms. Honey. Unfortunately, the richness of Dahl's storytelling isn't there to make this book work.
I was also irked by the term "friggin' genius" used at least a half dozen times. The writing is geared toward the lower middle-grade range, which makes use of this phrase unnecessary and inappropriate.

[Laura DeGrave · Rating 2 out of 5]

Liberty made Cinderella look like a short order cook.
Her evil inventor father had Liberty feed her mushy headed obese mother all day and clean.
The one forbidden room had been his laboratory in the basement.
One day her curiosity got away from her and that's when her adventures began.
The author did well on vividly odd characters, from a chicken with human feet to a neighbor having an army of worms.
I lost interest several times throughout the tale, finding it difficult to believe a mother would just sit in a chair and did nothing to look for her child.

[B.J. Ellison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book thoroughly entertaining. I read the hardcover as a teen and found the puns and absurdity of it all enough to keep me reading. Whether it's the the events of the story (when Libby finds the mysterious orange soda that allows her to fly) or the prose (her dad is described as bathing only in months with the letter Z in them) there is usually something peculiar going on. If your looking for quirky prose and an odd plot, this is for you.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

With a daughter named Liberty, we just had to read this book together. It did remind me of Mathilda, as another reviewer mentioned, as Liberty's parents treated her terribly, but with the added bonus of quite an adventure. Liberty met some fun characters along her journey, but there was also a couple who kidnapped her, in order to return her to her parents. That part might be a little scary for young readers. Overall though, we both greatly enjoyed Liberty's adventure.

[Aenelra Eyes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was surprisingly good. I bought this because of its cute cover, and to my surprise, the story of Libby (or Liberty, I should say, since that's the name she wants to be called) was indeed adventurous and a page-turner. No wonder why I finished it in just one sitting. The ending made me feel like there should've been book 2 for this. I'm hoping to know about Libby's adventures at Sullivan School. 

[Kaley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Strong 5/10

It's fine as a kids' novel though nothing special. The story was like a mix of other kids stories that we've heard of before, but didn't try to make it better or more different from the originals. The writing was whimsical enough and some of the characters and animals were at least fun to read.
Overall, it was alright.

[Christina Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute book! It was a favorite of mine when I was young so I decided to re-read it! It was a super slow read though just because I have definitely outgrown it so it didn't keep me engaged but it was very nostalgic to read and remember what I thought about it back in the day versus now. Good book overall!

[Anna C · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite child hood books

[Michele N · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a cute book. It reminded me of Ronald Dahl’s books. Some mean untrustworthy adults, some kind people, some magic and a little girl with big dreams.

[Flyingzebras · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and well written. Many gems of metaphor and language rolled up in an engaging and entertaining story. Like Liberty, I can't wait to see what happens next.

[Abdmoody · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute adventure. great read aloud.

[Dot Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading with my niece she loves the adventure as well as the bravery of Liberty.

[Jennifer Denney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this aloud to my second grader and we loved it. It’s whimsical and fantastical and Liberty is so easy to root for. We loved her outlandish adventures!

[Maren Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute book that’s sort of like Matilda and A Series of Unfortunate Events. The artwork is also lovely.

[Leah Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still a fabulous book!

[Treasa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was torn between giving this book 3 and 4 stars. I would have liked to give it 3.5. But I went with 4 just because there were certain moments in this book that are brilliant, hilarious, priceless... or just basically make the book well worth reading.

Liberty Aimes is a prisoner in her own house. Her father, a self described genius, spends his days selling worthless insurance and his evenings inventing things in his secret laboratory in the basement. Her mother spends her days eating fried food (cooked by Liberty) and watching TV. Ten-year-old Liberty is not allowed to leave the house or even look out the windows and consequently has little idea of what is in the outside world. But one day when she manages to get the key to her father's lab and gets her hands on some of his inventions, things begin to happen. Throw in a cat named No Name, a pigeon named Birdbrain, a circus troupe, some scoundrels, a kind teacher, and a worm-obsessed neighbor, and Liberty is in for some bizarre adventures.

My favorite part of this book, besides the very likable character of Liberty and some of the wonderful friends she makes during her adventures, was the narrator. Every once in a while the omniscient narrator talks directly to the reader, which I generally found highly amusing. The whole tone of the book is fairly light - obviously it doesn't take itself seriously, which makes it fun to read.

Parts of this book are reminiscent of other children's fantasy books (prime example: lifting soda - totally right out of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), but sometimes that seems to be intentional - one of Liberty's favorite books was Alice in Wonderland, and she actually mentions being like Alice at times.

This is a fun book that I would certainly recommend to children who enjoy fun, light fantasy.

[kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book thinking that one day my daughter, who is now five, might want to read it.....since her name is "Liberty" as well and is, in fact, the reason I even picked up the book to begin with. I was extremely wary of the book right away when I found out that the "bad guys" were the young girl's PARENTS. I kept reading, however, and it turns out that it's really just her father (not her mother - which is a little better I guess). It was painful to read at first in regards to this, but I did get used to it and ended up really enjoying the adventure and the characters in it.

On a short side note: in the book Liberty is "homeschooled", apparently to keep her away from the world. Being exposed to homschooling as a child, I know that the overall conclusion from those who know nothing about it and those who think they do, is (for the most part) a nagative one. This book doesn't help with that misinformed view.

It kept my attention! and I actually read it through without picking up another book in my usually A.D.D. fashion. I love the quirky/playful notes from the author which are tastfully nestled between the lines on occasion. I also found myself, putting little strips of tissue in the book to mark some poetic, and creative thoughts from the author.
"The drawers in the mind are interesting. Some are easy to open. Like the drawer with your best friend's name in it. Some are harder to nudge, like the answer to a question on a test." "Then there are the drawers that open on their own time. These drawers have jewels in them: the diamonds of the imagination, the rubies of memory, the sapphires of dreams, the tiny pearls of wisdom. Getting them open is tricky." " But there is one thing you can do to unlock them: absolutely nothing. Stare into space. Glance out the window. Gaze at the horizon. Watch the stars."

[babyhippoface · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three-and-a-half-stars, if it were possible: Liberty Aimes lives with a wicked, controlling father, and a mother whose voracious appetite for fried foods has rendered her incapable of leaving the house. When she overhears Mal, her father, telling Sal, her mother, that she will begin work cleaning out stopped toilets, Liberty decides to escape her prison-like home and chase her dream of attending The Sullivan School for children.

About 3/4 of the way through I realized it reminded me of Cat Weatherill's Barkbelly and Snowbone, in that the protagonist is "on the run", on a quest for something, be it safety or a dream, and everywhere she goes, she meets new and interesting groups of people, but trouble always shows up and forces her to run again. I liked Easton's book best of the three, though.

Here's my favorite quote, a quite brilliant one, I think: At any time in history, gazillions of lives are being lived simultaneously. In Zimbabwe, Thailand, Tasmania, and Borneo, in the poorest hovel and the richest palace, in the sky and on the moon, the lives of ants, plants, gorillas, and people are going on. But we are generally fixated on that infinitesimal thing in the scope of the universe, ourselves. --p67

[Joanne Baines · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Outlandish Adventures of Liberty Aimes" is a fantastic, fun, smart book. It should be in everyone's library, young or old. Liberty Aimes has the makings of a classic, sitting alongside Lemony Snicket and Dr. Seuss. If this isn't made into a movie, I'll be very surprised because the characters are so alive and vibrantly leaping out of the book.

Greg Swearingen has done a marvelous job with the illustrations, adding another layer of warmth and depth to the whimsical adventure.

The story is engaging and exciting and a lot of it is laugh out loud funny but there are also many themes running through the book that provide opportunities for intelligent conversation:

"In Eastern philosophy, breathing is the key to enlightenment. For the next half hour, Libby was very unenlightened: She was holding her breath."

These opportunities are so sensitively written that it never feels like a lesson, only a new word or concept. The above phrase is almost a puzzle with the laugh at the end being the prize for working it out.

I need to find a kid to read it with because it's just too good not to share.