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Hello? Is Anybody There? Paperback – Import, January 1, 1998

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 41 ratings

"Eight-year-old Joe is waiting alone at home for the birth of his sibling when he sees something fall from the sky. It's Mika, from the planet Eljo, hanging by the seat of his pants in Joe's apple tree. During the first meeting, the two explore the thought-provoking concept of when down becomes up and vice versa...The importance of questioning everything, from what's a pancake to religious beliefs, makes this gentle story fun to read as well as eye-opening."-School Library Journal
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A boy has a dreamlike encounter with a wise child who has fallen to earth from a spaceship in Gaarder's (Sophie's World) limp imitation of Saint-Exupery's The Little Prince. The page layout directly recalls that classic, and the illustrations even feature the same small planet and very similar-looking characters. The setup promisingly suggests the book is about a child who must reimagine his position in the world because of the arrival of a new sibling. As Joe waits alone at home for his parents to return from the hospital with a baby, he meets Mika, a boylike alien who teaches Joe that there are worldviews other than his own. Their conversations, however, are unfocused and somehow never urgent, only occasionally touching on issues related to Joe's becoming a big brother. They discuss the process of evolution, whether animals can think, how babies are born, the five senses, the existence of God, the structure of time, and the concept of meeting together on a mountaintop when each one lives in a metaphorical valley. Repeatedly, Gaarder reminds readers that certain ideas are important: "What Mika had said seemed to give a whole new meaning to everything we'd been talking about." Overall, a tepid exercise. Ages 7-12.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-4-Eight-year-old Joe is waiting alone at home for the birth of his sibling when he sees something fall from the sky. It's Mika, from the planet Eljo, hanging by the seat of his pants in Joe's apple tree. During the first meeting, the two explore the thought-provoking concept of when down becomes up and vice versa. This conversation begins a fast friendship for these two creatures from different worlds who discover they have much in common, and Joe teaches Mika all about planet Earth. The importance of questioning everything, from what's a pancake to religious beliefs, makes this gentle story fun to read as well as eye-opening. Gaarder shows how explaining what we take for granted to someone who's never experienced it can be exhilarating and fulfilling. The fact that Mika disappears when Joe's brother is born may be predictable to older readers, but doesn't diminish the magic of the book, nor does the obvious fact that Mika is in truth an alien version of the long-awaited baby brother. The story is written in the form of a letter to a child from her uncle, who was the same age as Camilla when his brother was born. Simple line drawings help keep the tone light and accessible in spite of the often deep discussions. Slow readers may find the philosophizing cumbersome and confusing, but the main themes of friendship, sibling love, and the ability to question and think on one's own are so clear and easy to understand that many children will enjoy this story.
Linda Bindner, formerly at Athens Clarke County Library, GA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Orion Books; New Ed edition (January 1, 1998)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 144 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1858816238
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1858816234
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 0.16 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.04 x 0.47 x 7.76 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 41 ratings

About the author

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Jostein Gaarder
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Jostein Gaarder is the author of SOPHIE'S WORLD, a huge bestseller in over 40 countries. He was born in Oslo in 1952 and lives there now with his wife and two sons.

Photo by GAD (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
41 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2001
When I first picked up this book I was expecting a short and yet very philosophical book on the views that we have on the world in a general sense. Seeing as this book is by Jostein Gaarder I was very surprised when I opened up the book and found that the letters were at least a cm long! But the text doesn't prove the books reading level does it? So I carried on reading in hope of finding something interesting. But the book started in a way that I thought was familiar-the book started in a way any elementary book would start. The cover is covered with bright colors and illustrations and the inside of the book is decorated now and again with pretty line drawings of animals and various characters in the book.
The story is told in an interesting way so if you read the book directly whilst ignoring the blurb on the book then you'll be confused whilst reading the very first page. "Dear Camilla," it starts. From this you can tell it's in the format of a letter. The story itself which is explained in the letter is about eight year old Joe who is about to become a big brother. The letter is written when Joe is now an 'uncle' and he writes to his niece, Camilla (his baby brother's daughter) about his experience the day his little brother (Camilla's father) was born. Whilst Joe parents are at the hospital waiting for the new baby to arrive and Joe has to stay home alone until his aunt comes. When looking outside the window Joe spots a tiny little boy hanging upside down in an apply tree in the garden. This little boy does not have any features that can be called human but both he and Joe are very alike. Mika has accidently fallen out of his spaceship and needs to go back home but he has so much he wants to know about planet earth. Joe explains everything to him about how dinosaurs roamed the earth and what a telephone is aswell as teaching Mika how to fish too. And the Mika tells Joe about his home. Mika is from Eljo, where babies hatch out of eggs and how the water in Eljo got so polluted that there is no longer any water or mammals. They talk about a lot of things and learn a great deal from each other. About how questions are more precious than answers and why gravity doesn't exist on every planet.
"Hello? Is Anybody There?" is the perfect book to read to your children etc and a wonderful book to give as a presant to anyone. Anyone over the age of 7 should find this book interesting to read. It's in the style of "The Little Prince" and has conversations that remind you of "Alice in Wonderland". I certainly enjoyed it by the end of the book-do give it a go.

::::EXTRACT::::
The next moment, here was a small boy hanging in the apple tree. "Who are you?" he asked.
"My name's Joe," I said.
"And I'm Mika. Why are you standing upside down?" I couldn't help laughing. He suddenly stuck a thumb into his mouth and began to suck it like a baby. Maybe he was embarrassed.

"You're the one who's upside down," I said. Mika pulled the thumb out of his mouth, and all his fingers began to wave. "When two people meet," he said, "and one is upside down, it isn't always easy to tell which of them is the right way up."
5 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2012
This beautiful story was just a joy to read with my daughter and to chat about. There are endless topics for extension activities. As well as being well written and illustrated, it is light, joyful, funny, insightful and uplifting. We still refer to the characters and concepts from the book, months after reading it, in conversations on all sorts of topics.
One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2010
Have always enjoy reading Jostein Gaarder's book. For Jostein's book are always meaningful, has substance
and always a pleasure reading it.

As for the quality of the book is in good conditions and satisfactory and shipment is on time as
stated and well handled.

Thank you.
Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2017
Enjoyed this book. You lose the lines between reality and fantasy.
Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2000
I love Jostein Gaarder's works. But this one is really special. Because it helps me a lot to explain about the universe, the world, to my little daughter, in a very fascinating way. And yet so easy to understand. Mostly for children under 9 years old. I bought an extra copy from Amazon just to give it to my best friend, so she can enjoy the same experience like me and my daughter. Thank you Jostein!
4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Jiao Jiao Wang
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent philosophical book for children and adults to explore together!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 14, 2018
I read this when I was quite young, and this time I bought it for a little girl who is learning English. It's a good book for adults and children alike, and explores various ideas including the universe, planets, animals, human life in a philosophical way that is thought provoking and informative for all. The level of English is great for those with an intermediate level of English, providing some good questions to explore. This is much easier to understand than Sophie's World, and I prefer it. A great book to read to children and explore the themes together. I personally am interested in philosophy and children are often the best teachers as they are creative, imaginative and fearless - they say what's on their mind and sometimes very wise things. I recommend this book strongly to all who are wondering how to explore some life's questions as a starting point or simply as a fun book to read.
One person found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Good condition for a second hand book!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 1, 2021
Good condition for a second hand book!
Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 30, 2017
Karmen
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book good condition and arrived promptly
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 16, 2019
Love this book. Was one of the favourite book to read for my 3 children when they were young and was glad to find it for my friend’s daughter
jax
5.0 out of 5 stars A life-changing read, IF you let it!!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 20, 2014
This can be a 'life changing' read; IF you let it... Challenges so many of the things we consider ordinary... Have read it aloud many time to children Y4/Y5 and always found it thought-provoking!!! Discover something new every time I re read it. Relax and enjoy. Consider the real message behind it. Think well outside the box...
One person found this helpful
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