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Aladdin and the Magic Lamp
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84 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 12, 1999
81 people are currently reading
1244 people want to read
About the author
Philip Pullman
260 books25.7k followersSir Philip Nicholas Outram Pullman is an English writer. His books include the fantasy trilogy His Dark Materials and The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ, a fictionalised biography of Jesus. In 2008, The Times named Pullman one of the "50 greatest British writers since 1945". In a 2004 BBC poll, he was named the eleventh most influential person in British culture. He was knighted in the 2019 New Year Honours for services to literature.
Northern Lights, the first volume in His Dark Materials, won the 1995 Carnegie Medal of the Library Association as the year's outstanding English-language children's book. For the Carnegie's 70th anniversary, it was named in the top ten by a panel tasked with compiling a shortlist for a public vote for an all-time favourite. It won that public vote and was named all-time "Carnegie of Carnegies" in June 2007. It was filmed under the book's US title, The Golden Compass. In 2003, His Dark Materials trilogy ranked third in the BBC's The Big Read, a poll of 200 top novels voted by the British public.
Northern Lights, the first volume in His Dark Materials, won the 1995 Carnegie Medal of the Library Association as the year's outstanding English-language children's book. For the Carnegie's 70th anniversary, it was named in the top ten by a panel tasked with compiling a shortlist for a public vote for an all-time favourite. It won that public vote and was named all-time "Carnegie of Carnegies" in June 2007. It was filmed under the book's US title, The Golden Compass. In 2003, His Dark Materials trilogy ranked third in the BBC's The Big Read, a poll of 200 top novels voted by the British public.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
April 20, 2017
A fairly standard retelling of the classic fairy-tale but still enjoyable even at my advanced years! A great story for kids :).
September 10, 2016
Brevemente...
April 30, 2021
1h 1'
Reminded me so much of Castle in the Air. Expertly narrated, even though the setting is a bit off.
Reminded me so much of Castle in the Air. Expertly narrated, even though the setting is a bit off.
March 14, 2024
An enchantingly written retelling.
"... and Aladdin paid Shaheed the Nervous Poet a thousand dinars to write the story of the Enchanted Lamp. Blessed be Aladdin, Prince of Publishers! May every poor writer of stories find a patron as generous and wise!"
"... and Aladdin paid Shaheed the Nervous Poet a thousand dinars to write the story of the Enchanted Lamp. Blessed be Aladdin, Prince of Publishers! May every poor writer of stories find a patron as generous and wise!"
June 8, 2014
I really like the story of Aladdin, however, I did not really like this adaptation much. I know it is by a renowned children's author, Philip Pullman, but it was just kind of odd. He says in the author's note that you should not adapt a known story unless you can bring something of your own to it, but the changes he made were strange. First of all there are two genie for no reason. One pops out of a ring before the one from the lamp even appears, which lessens the impact of the genie of the lamp's arrival. Aladdin himself is a bit of a git. It is hard to be on his side, even though he does improve throughout the tale. Also, Pullman says it was an Arabian tale, but set in China to seem more exotic to the listener's of the story. But all the names and customs are Arabic, with place names given as Chinese. It is quite disorienting. The illustrations are great though. I love that silhouette-style.
May 21, 2014
This is an old translation of the Alaeddin story. It uses biblical language with these and throus in it. There is racism and assumptions of people that aren't popular anymore. Still once I got past some of that's the story was interesting. Lots of footnotes so how faithful a translation it is I can't tell but maybe it was well researched.
August 20, 2023
I can't say if I liked or disliked this retelling of the story. Aladdin is depicted as a lazy child but is still rewarded with unfathomable riches. Most of the characters are greedy which is not the best trait to instill into a young reader's mind.
January 17, 2023
Classic re-telling the genie in the lamp story. Loved it. Side note: i wish I had a genie. 😆
March 14, 2018
Grades 3-5.
Motif- jinnee.
In this version of the tale, which is set in China, Aladdin is portrayed as a lazy troublemaker. He was such a troublemaker that his father died of worry. Aladdin and his mother were barely surviving only because she would spin cotton and sell it so they could eat. One day while Aladdin was out, a stranger claiming to be his uncle asked him to accompany him to a “garden of wonder.” When they arrive, he tells Aladdin to retrieve the lamp and not to touch anything else. Aladdin brings back the lamp but asks to be helped out of the garden first. The man turned out to be an evil sorcerer known as the Moor and was enraged that Aladdin did not give him the lamp so he closed up the entrance to the garden and left Aladdin for dead. While in the garden Aladdin had found an iron ring that claimed to be able to help him. In desperation, he rubbed the ring and a dark jinnee came out and commanded him to be set free from the garden. He then returned home and rubbed the lamp and another jinnie came out and Aladdin commanded that he bring food. Later, Aladdin sees the princess and falls in love at first sight. He sends his mother to the sultan with a gold plate of jewels to ask for her hand. The sultan’s royal vizier challenges him and says they would consider the proposal if Aladdin brought forty slaves with a plate of jewels each. He then went to rub the lamp and his command was once again granted. The sultan then said that he could marry his daughter if he could build her a suitable palace. The next day a palace appears and the princess falls in love with Aladdin at first sight. Meanwhile, the Moor still wanted the lamp and he uses magic and sees that Aladdin was still alive and married to the princess. The Moor returns to China and gets a hold of the lamp. He uses it to tear away the palace from China with the princess inside and gets it taken back to his garden in Morocco. The Sultan gives Aladdin twenty-four hours to save the princess so he uses his ring and is taken to Morocco by the jinnee of the ring. In the end he saves the princess and his greed goes unnoticed. Aladdin’s portrayal of a lazy troublemaker getting the girl and all the riches is not a good message to give to children. He did not earn any of it. His only act of heroism was when he actually made the effort to save the princess. This was quickly shattered when he decided to cut off the Moor’s head who was already down from drinking sleeping herbs. A strength of this book was that the author kept the tales original setting. It was strange thought that although he kept this location, the images were clearly not in China. The illustrations were done in layering of chalk pastels. The main colors used in the illustrations were all earthy tones. Violets and reds were used for the villains, greens were used for Aladdin and his mother, and bright oranges were used for the sultan, and the slaves. This book was more text than illustrations. I would not recommend this book. The setting and illustrations do not match and I did not like how Aladdin’s greed went unnoticed. He was also very disrespectful to his mother and his mother was weak because she let him get away with being a troublemaker before he even had the lamp. Furthermore, Aladdin never made wishes he made commands and the commands were not limited.
Motif- jinnee.
In this version of the tale, which is set in China, Aladdin is portrayed as a lazy troublemaker. He was such a troublemaker that his father died of worry. Aladdin and his mother were barely surviving only because she would spin cotton and sell it so they could eat. One day while Aladdin was out, a stranger claiming to be his uncle asked him to accompany him to a “garden of wonder.” When they arrive, he tells Aladdin to retrieve the lamp and not to touch anything else. Aladdin brings back the lamp but asks to be helped out of the garden first. The man turned out to be an evil sorcerer known as the Moor and was enraged that Aladdin did not give him the lamp so he closed up the entrance to the garden and left Aladdin for dead. While in the garden Aladdin had found an iron ring that claimed to be able to help him. In desperation, he rubbed the ring and a dark jinnee came out and commanded him to be set free from the garden. He then returned home and rubbed the lamp and another jinnie came out and Aladdin commanded that he bring food. Later, Aladdin sees the princess and falls in love at first sight. He sends his mother to the sultan with a gold plate of jewels to ask for her hand. The sultan’s royal vizier challenges him and says they would consider the proposal if Aladdin brought forty slaves with a plate of jewels each. He then went to rub the lamp and his command was once again granted. The sultan then said that he could marry his daughter if he could build her a suitable palace. The next day a palace appears and the princess falls in love with Aladdin at first sight. Meanwhile, the Moor still wanted the lamp and he uses magic and sees that Aladdin was still alive and married to the princess. The Moor returns to China and gets a hold of the lamp. He uses it to tear away the palace from China with the princess inside and gets it taken back to his garden in Morocco. The Sultan gives Aladdin twenty-four hours to save the princess so he uses his ring and is taken to Morocco by the jinnee of the ring. In the end he saves the princess and his greed goes unnoticed. Aladdin’s portrayal of a lazy troublemaker getting the girl and all the riches is not a good message to give to children. He did not earn any of it. His only act of heroism was when he actually made the effort to save the princess. This was quickly shattered when he decided to cut off the Moor’s head who was already down from drinking sleeping herbs. A strength of this book was that the author kept the tales original setting. It was strange thought that although he kept this location, the images were clearly not in China. The illustrations were done in layering of chalk pastels. The main colors used in the illustrations were all earthy tones. Violets and reds were used for the villains, greens were used for Aladdin and his mother, and bright oranges were used for the sultan, and the slaves. This book was more text than illustrations. I would not recommend this book. The setting and illustrations do not match and I did not like how Aladdin’s greed went unnoticed. He was also very disrespectful to his mother and his mother was weak because she let him get away with being a troublemaker before he even had the lamp. Furthermore, Aladdin never made wishes he made commands and the commands were not limited.
January 5, 2018
Being Pantomime season, I thought it was the ideal time to check out this audiobook. It was really short, so it didn't take long to listen to it. Of course, the basic story was familiar. I can't honestly say that Pullman's re-telling added anything terribly original. Also, it felt strange that this version was set in China, yet Aladdin's father was called Mustapha. Not a very Chinese name, in my limited experience.
Read
March 26, 2020It was fine. It was truer to Arabian Nights than Disney and on audiobook to listen to with a young kid. Some cultural things to explain to the kid as we listened but still mostly what I was hoping for. I got tired of all of Disney's interpretations.
Also a good way to explain to a young person how a story can be told many different ways.
Also a good way to explain to a young person how a story can be told many different ways.
July 1, 2024
Gracias a Disney por hacer uso de mucha creatividad, tomando un cuento tan sencillo para hacer semejante maravilla cinematográfica.
El cuento es agradable, simpático. Aladdin en si es un personaje plano, el típico chico que no quiere trabajar/estudiar/ser útil y tiene que aprender una moraleja, muy lejos de ser el chico pobre que roba comida para darle a niños o enfrenta peligros con una sonrisa. Jasmine virtualmente no existe, ni ningún otro personaje de la película, para ser sinceros.
Los personajes son mas un medio para movilizar la historia hacia la supuesta moraleja que no termino de cerrarme, pero es entretenido y la lectura es agradable.
Pero si, la adaptación de Disney hizo oro con esto.
El cuento es agradable, simpático. Aladdin en si es un personaje plano, el típico chico que no quiere trabajar/estudiar/ser útil y tiene que aprender una moraleja, muy lejos de ser el chico pobre que roba comida para darle a niños o enfrenta peligros con una sonrisa. Jasmine virtualmente no existe, ni ningún otro personaje de la película, para ser sinceros.
Los personajes son mas un medio para movilizar la historia hacia la supuesta moraleja que no termino de cerrarme, pero es entretenido y la lectura es agradable.
Pero si, la adaptación de Disney hizo oro con esto.
March 29, 2020
Translation ruined it for me
I was really interested in reading the original story of Aladdin, but this was not a good translation for me. It kept the story in biblical type wording and had pages on pages of footnotes (literally at least every other line had a footnote included which became extremely distracting. The antisemitism, though understood and not unexpected added to less excitement in general. Not sure of the purpose of the preceding story-if this was a compilation and not just supposed to be Aladdin and the enchanted lamp, it would make more sense.
I was really interested in reading the original story of Aladdin, but this was not a good translation for me. It kept the story in biblical type wording and had pages on pages of footnotes (literally at least every other line had a footnote included which became extremely distracting. The antisemitism, though understood and not unexpected added to less excitement in general. Not sure of the purpose of the preceding story-if this was a compilation and not just supposed to be Aladdin and the enchanted lamp, it would make more sense.
October 8, 2024
This folk lit piece is an example of a fairy tale. It is pretty different from the Disney movie, which is the only version I have seen. This one takes place in China and has a few differences about the back story of Aladdin and his upbringing, but other than that I thought it was okay. I wouldn’t mind having this in my classroom. It is too long to do as a read aloud but it would be great to have in the library. I think a lot of students who have seen the movie would reach for it and I could prompt them to maybe write about the differences between this book and the Disney movie.
December 21, 2022
Чудесный пересказ знаменитой истории от маэстро. Обычно такие истории шлифует время, и они теряют свою выпуклую достоверность. Но тут роль гранильщика взял на себя Пулман, и история сохраняет достаточно деталей для того, чтобы читатель мог в нее погрузиться, и одновременно становиться легкой и гладкой, как положено быть сказке, пролежавшей в пещере тысячи лет.
Наверное, лучший вариант для знакомство с миром Тысячи и одной ночи для детей
Наверное, лучший вариант для знакомство с миром Тысячи и одной ночи для детей
November 11, 2023
Interesting version of the age old tale. Two jinnees (genie's), it's based in China and has some interesting twists. Much prefer the original version; hard to not think of the Disney and Robin Williams version, think that's much better but my 8 year old son loved us reading it together. On to James and the Giant Peach next.
October 28, 2024
Having borrowed the book and audio CD from the library, I can happily say that even on the tenth or so re-listen in the car, this version of the Aladdin story does not grow old. Regardless of his philosophical shortcomings, Philip Pullman is a gifted storyteller, and I appreciated how close he stuck to the canonical tale. The narration was also excellent, which adds to the enjoyment.
February 28, 2021
It's ok
The stories were fine but a lot of the book was more for scholars and language masters than for me. The introduction and footnotes took up a major portion. Thus the tepid rating.
The stories were fine but a lot of the book was more for scholars and language masters than for me. The introduction and footnotes took up a major portion. Thus the tepid rating.
May 22, 2021
A magical book with gorgeous illustrations. This book is great for a relaxing read. The simple yet descriptive language and illustrations bring you to Aladdin's world. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is into traditional fairytales.
September 4, 2021
The story starts out "Once upon a time in China..." I had to go back and make sure I heard it right. CHINA!?!?!?!?!?!???! CHINA?!?!?!?!???!?!?!? Are you freaking kidding me???? CHINA?!??!?!?! Aladdin, son of Mustafa, the most famous story from the Tales of the ARABIAN Nights, set in CHINA?
March 2, 2025
I actually read a Turkish-English abridged version of this. The storyline was very good even though the original story was surprisingly different than the Disney Aladdin. I shouldn’t be surprised but I was.
January 6, 2021
God, sjov og spændende skrevet og fortalt udgave af Aladdin eventyret. Denne udgave føles både frisk og samtidig loyal overfor den oprindelige historie.
January 31, 2021
I love Philip Pullman’s alternative fairy tales.
December 29, 2021
The ancient stories of Aladdin, his ordinary life then magical reprieve, come effortlessly to life in Philip Pullman‘s retelling.
August 22, 2023
4.1/5 classic for a reason.
August 24, 2023
This story is a good adaptation of the classic Aladdin story. The illustrations are just beautiful.
February 20, 2024
Read 2024: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
December 24, 2024
Excellent re-telling and great art. My kids wanted me to read another chapter and then another!
December 17, 2025
Lovely little read with old and new and surprising elements, very enjoyable!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews