EMMA Y EL GENIO AZUL

by Cornelia Funke

So ein Flaschengeist ist ja auch nur ein Mensch! Zumindest jener Dschinn, ja, so nennt man die Flaschengeister auch!, mit dem es die kleine Emma eines Tages zu tun bekommt. Die Flasche, die sie am Strand findet, leuchtet seltsam und herauskommt ein blauer Flaschengeist, dem aber seine ganze Macht abhanden gekommen ist. Der böseste aller Gelben Dschinns hat ihm nämlich seinen Nasenring gemopst, weshalb der Blaue Dschinn Emma nicht einmal die üblichen drei Wünsche erfüllen kann. Wenigstens seinen fliegenden Teppich hat er noch, und mit dem reisen Emma, ihr Hund Tristan und der Dschinn in dessen Heimat -- nach Barakasch, wo Emma ein Abenteuer wie aus 1001 Nacht erwartet. Dass sich auch der Leser in ein orientalisches Märchen versetzt fühlt, liegt nicht zuletzt an den charmanten, stimmungsvollen Illustrationen Kerstin Meyers, die einen auf jeder Seite bunt und teilweise großflächig erwarten. Wie schon bei früheren Kooperationen -- zuletzt Das Piratenschwein -- haben Cornelia Funke und Kerstin Meyer auch diesmal ein fantasievoll-witziges Kinderbuch abgeliefert. Nachdem Emma den kleinen Kalifen von Barakasch kennen gelernt hat und vom bösen Gelben Dschinn sogar in dessen Wüstenpalast entführt wurde, klappt es am glücklichen Ende doch noch mit den drei Wünschen. Da merkt Emma aber dann, dass auch Wünschen gar nicht so einfach ist. --Christian Stahl

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

96 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Cornelia Funke is a multiple award-winning German illustrator and storyteller, who writes fantasy for all ages of readers. Amongst her best known books is the Inkheart trilogy. Many of Cornelia's titles are published all over the world and translated into more than 30 languages. She has two children, two birds and a very old dog and lives in Los Angeles, California.

Reviews

[Ree · Rating 4 out of 5]

The older I get the more I find myself drawn to children's books again. They hold a special kind of magic in their simplicity. And this book is no exception.

[Kailey (Luminous Libro) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emma finds a bottle washed up on the seashore, and inside is a genie! But the genie has lost his magic because another genie stole his nose ring. Emma and the genie travel by magic carpet to the land of Barakash where they hope to retrieve the stolen nose ring. However, the entire land is being terrorized and Emma will have to think quickly if she wants to get her three wishes.

This is such a fun story! I really liked the crazy characters and weird setting. The magic is enchanting, and I loved how silly the plot can get sometimes. Emma meets some hilarious people, and the adventure is exciting!

I liked the illustrations with this book, but the design for the genie doesn't really fit the way I imagined him from the description. The cover art is different from the artwork inside, so maybe that threw me off.

The ending is a little bit quick, and seemed like it was just thrown together, so I took off one star for that. But otherwise, I really enjoyed this story. It's magical and fun!

[Nancy Kotkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little girl finds a bottle on the beach containing a magical genie whose nose ring, which controls his powers to some unclear extent, has been stolen by an evil genie. The girl and her dog accompany the genie on a quest to get back his magic. Lots of description but not quite enough action for a children's chapter book.

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fine -- I actually only just found out that this book was translated from its original German, and that makes a ton of sense. There are some odd linguistic choices. I think the basic concept of the story is fun, and interesting. A girl is whisked away to a magical land where she helps a land that has been blackmailed by an evil genie -- seems kind of fun. But to be honest, the first few pages of just Emma's life at home on the shore was more interesting to me. Something about it just falls a little flat, a little odd.

[Sara Siegesmund · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review from my 6 year old:
5 stars because it was super cool with the blue genie and nose ring adventure. we got to find out how the blue genie gets his power and nose ring back.

my opinion- good adventure story that held her attention, but vocabulary was difficult; possibly due to translation (I had to look up dromedary!!😂)

[Andrea Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really quick read so it must have been good :) Grabbed it because it was a girl named Emma, but ended up loving the story and the artwork. Hints of Aladdin. Great for boys or girls to read! Would like to read more about Emma.

[Jayce Senter · Rating 5 out of 5]

We listened to the audiobook and Cornelia reads it herself. She is utterly charming and I love that I can share her lovely story in her beautiful accent with my kiddos! If you have not had the privilege of meeting Cornelia watch and fall head over heels in love with her.

https://youtu.be/2IfBi-eotHA
https://youtu.be/4XltqNGSB_A

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emma often spends her nights out by the sea with her dog, away from her pesky brothers. One night she finds a bottle floating in the waves and opens it to discover Karim, a very small blue genie inside. Karim has had most of his magic stolen away when Sarim, the huge yellow genie, stole his nose ring and trapped him in the bottle. Now Karim has to head back to avenge himself and to save the kingdom from the evil rule of Sarim. Emma decides to go with him and she sets off aboard his magic carpet for the kingdom of Barakash. There, she is quickly caught up in the battle against Sarim, but once he sees her yellow hair, he immediately takes her prisoner. There’s not much that a girl can do to escape from an evil genie who keeps you in a cage, but all is not lost when you have a blue genie and a brave dog on your side!

Funke has written a wonderfully original book for young readers. The Middle Eastern setting comes alive as Emma walks through the busy castle on her way to see the young king. Funke incorporates many references to the desert into people’s vernacular, even more firmly setting this book in a specific place. Emma is a great female character, filled with plenty of gumption and not scared of much. She doesn’t shrink away from anything in the book, enjoying flying on a magic carpet, seeing new places and having wild adventures.

The illustrations are in full color and add a lot of life to the book. Used differently from one page to the next, they add a dynamic piece to the book design. The differences between the two genies could not be more clearly shown, with the calm blue and the wild yellow. Meyer also manages to show the opulence without things becoming too busy and overwhelming for the eye.

Fun and original, this book will share aloud well with a class and will be an inviting pick for children reading chapter books. Appropriate for ages 6-8.

[Emily Andrus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funke originally wrote the story back in 2002 in her native German. The story itself is pretty adorable, with little spots of good humor and imagination. It's rather fairy-tale-esque with a clear villain, hero, and clear consequences. The translation, however, is not my favorite. Just released this year in English, Latsch seemed to have forgotten the story is targeted towards kids. I mean, couldn't you have put in "camel" instead of "dromedary"? Basically, the language (vocabulary and structure) is pretty complex. So it's up to you. Give your kids a challenge, or read a cute story for them that you're prepared to re-translate.

[Bekka · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to Edelweiss and Random House Books for Young Readers for early access to this title.

2 1/2 stars -

This was ok, I guess, and perhaps kids will like it. I found it to be fairly cliché and not very original. I also didn't particularly like the illustrations. They were that kind of sloppy modern style, and I didn't feel they had very much charm. This would be a good book for beginning readers, as the book is short and fairly simple. Given Cornelia Funke's reputation, I was just hoping for quite a bit more.

[Wrenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is about a girl and a genie who lost his nose ring. They have to get it back from this other, yellow (I think that's kind of weird). This wasn't my favorite Cornelia Funke book, but it was pretty good.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

My child doesn’t want to read this book anymore. She’s on page 63.

Review from my child:

Emma is trying to get the nose ring back but she keeps not getting it. Nothing cool is happening, Emma is just walking around talking to people.

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit too simplistic of a story. There wasn't much charm and the characters were pretty flat.

[Yoyomaus Die Büchereule · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ein Abenteuer,
von dem du nie zu träumen gewagt hast!


Zum Inhalt (Booklet):
Eines Nachts findet Emmas Hund Tristan am Strand eine Flasche, und als Emma den Korken herauszieht, steigt eine Rauchsäule empor: Karim, der Blaue Dschinn. Aber Emma hat einen traurigen Geist befreit, der keine Wünsche mehr erfüllen kann, seit ihm der heimtückischste aller Gelben Dschinns seinen Nasenring gestohlen hat. Also reisen Emma und Tristan mit dem Flaschengeist ins Morgenland - auf einem fliegenden Teppich! Und das ist erst der Anfang einer Reihe aufregender Abenteuer ...

Cover:
Das Cover zeigt die kleine Emma, wie sie verwundert in Schlafanzug und Bademantel gekleidet in einer orientalischen Kulisse steht und dabei einem bedrohlich aussehenden Wesen entgegenblickt. Auffällig ist auch der Teppich den sie über der Schulter trägt sowie ihr kleiner Hund an der Seite. Das Ganze ist comicartig gestaltet und macht vor allem kleine Lesefreunde neugierig. Ich persönlich finde das Cover einfach nur gelungen und zuckersüß.

Eigener Eindruck:
Als eines nachts ihr Hund eine seltsame Flasche findet und Emma hineinsehen will, glaubt sie ihren Augen kaum, denn vor ihr steht plötzlich ein blauer Dschinn. Cool, findet Emma. Fatal, findet Karim der Dschinn. Denn er ist traurig. Emma versucht ihm zu helfen, denn Karim kann nicht mehr zaubern. Um dies wieder zu können soll Emma Karims gestohlenen Nasenring von einem anderen Dschinn wiederbeschaffen. Doch das ist einfacher gesagt, als getan und so begibt sich Emma auf ein geheimnisvolles Abenteuer inmitten im Orient – stilecht mit fliegendem Teppich.

Die Kinderbuchgeschichte aus der Feder von Cornelia Funke liest sich sehr schön und macht auch kleinen Kindern Spaß, denn die Geschichte ist leicht verständlich und lässt sich anhand der liebevollen Illustrationen auch sehr gut nachvollziehen – selbst ich als Erwachsene bin hellauf begeistert von dieser niedlichen Geschichte. Es geht hier um Mut, Trost und Freundschaft und das ist genau das, was wie manchmal so dringend in unserem Leben brauchen. Verpackt ist das Ganze in einem magischen Umfeld, welches mystisch und abenteuerlich anmutet, aber den kleinen Köpfen noch nicht zu viel abverlangt. Dieses Buch ist ein Muss im Kleinkinderzimmer. Aber auch für Erstleser ist das Buch sehr gut geeignet. Die Geschichte hält selbst die unerfahrenen Leser gut bei der Stange und lässt sich auch sehr gut portionieren.

Fazit:
Eine tolle Geschichte, die man unbedingt lesen sollte!

Idee: 5/5
Charaktere: 5/5
Logik: 5/5
Spannung: 5/5
Emotionen: 4/5


Gesamt: 5/5

Daten:
ISBN: 9783862722938
Sprache: Deutsch
Ausgabe: eBook (Download)
Umfang: 96 Seiten
Verlag: Dressler
Erscheinungsdatum: 01.05.2012

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emma and the Blue Genie is charming and witty. I laughed out loud more than once as I listed to this one. The language is very descriptive and cleaver. The plot may have been just a touch simple, but absolutely in keeping with the younger middle-grade audience it is meant for. I recommended it to my daughter, who informed me that she really enjoyed it when she read it several years ago. ;) The audio book is narrated by the author, who does a wonderful job. The are a few moments where the author's accent shows through, but they didn't bother me excessively or take me out of the story for more than a few seconds.

[Eva Siagian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tidak menyangka saya menikmati membaca buku ini.. cerita tentang genie in a bottle bukanlah my fav theme, makanya buku ini hanya teronggok mesra beberapa tahun setelah saya beli. Tapi kenapa saya membelinya kalau begitu? Karena ini Cornelia Funke.. saya selalu menikmati buku CF. Dan meski mungkin ilustrasinya bukan tipe yang saya suka, tapi saya suka format bukunya yang HC, kertasnya yang tebal, dan warna2 yang digunakannya funtastic.. Saya benar2 menikmati warna2nya. Tapi setelah membacanya saya menikmatinya! dan saya yakin kanak2 akan suka cerita ini ;)

[Brenda Bergreen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been trying to read longer books to my young kids who love reading. After having read and loved Inkheart myself, I found some of Cornelia Funke's books for younger kids. My kids loved this book, they were literally saying, "what's going to happen," while sitting on the edge of their seats with their hands to their mouths.

I didn't feel quite the same suspense that they did, but then again the storyline is simple which is nice to them to be able to understand and learn. I appreciate books like this that keep my kids hungry for reading.

[McKenzie Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

For more reviews, check out my blog: Craft-Cycle

This is a great adventure story. I loved the silliness and excitement of the plot. The characters are fairly simple, but it works for young readers. I did like Emma's character.

It's a quick read, but a lot of fun. Great descriptions.

Also, the audiobook is read by Cornelia Funke, which makes listening to it all the more amazing.

Good read. Very much enjoyed.

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

The small child really liked this one - he's been talking about it nonstop all week. And again, I've had to answer a million "why" questions about the genies in particular. Some day I'm going to sit down and write a book for preschoolers with an appendix that gives detailed backstories and motivations for all the characters, because this feels like an unmet need :) 3.5 stars, rounded up because the kid loved it.

[Rhianwen the Elf-Heart · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh. Listened to this while waiting for an audiobook to come available on Libby. Kind of fun, but also kind of pointless. The main character didn't do anything to move the plot along--she was sort of just along for the ride. Also not really any character development, although it was an extremely short kid's book, so I can sort of understand that, but even so...definitely expected better.

[Jeanna Kunce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute story and well written (of course!) by Ms. Funke. I enjoyed the simple ending with the wishes, although I felt Emma could've had more of a role in the rescue. My kiddos especially enjoyed the funny parts with Emma's dog, Tristan.

[Jillian Anderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was such a promising book for my young readers, but the vocabulary is waaaay to difficult for the audience I had in mind. With that being said, it is an interesting story with beautiful illustrations.

[Doug Wilhelm · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic kid's adventure, drawing on the richness of the Arabian Nights storytelling tradition. Who can resist a flying carpet, an alluring but tragedy-plagued desert kingdom, and a magic-charged battle between two genies? One of the very best children's books.

[C.J. Milbrandt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emma finds a bottle, pulls the stopper, and frees a genie in need of help. Which sends her and her noodle-tailed dog off on an adventure in a faraway land. A lower middle grade story that will appeal to young readers. Nicely illustrated.

[Sherri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Middle Grade March 2023- Read #1
The color illustrations make this a lovely book. There are some word choices that could be better or at least explained, but overall it's a cute story. Who doesn't like a good genie story?

[Emery Bell]

It took me years to find this book. Lowkey thought it was a childhood fever dream. Really just wanted to find it and see if I remembered it like it really was. I did. Miss you Mrs. Bishop. You always had good recs for me <3

[Hilarie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun book that my daughter and I read together.

[LJF · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the magical pen of Cornelia Funke comes a charming read for the youter set.

[Jess Deanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a magical adventure. The writing style was beautiful and descriptive, and the characters were strong and lovable.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not our favorite of all Cornelia Funke's work, but still fun to read aloud with my younger kids. :)