The Anti-Book cover art

The Anti-Book

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The Anti-Book

By: Raphael Simon
Narrated by: Jorjeana Marie
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About this listen

From the New York Times best-selling author of The Name of This Book Is Secret comes a darkly funny story about a boy who wants the world to disappear. This fantastical quest for comfort and belonging was called “a surprisingly powerful, formula-breaking coming-of-age story” by the New York Times.

Mickey is angry all the time: at his divorced parents, at his sister, and at his two new stepmoms, both named Charlie. And so he can't resist the ad inside his pack of gum: "Do you ever wish everyone would go away? Buy The Anti-Book! Satisfaction guaranteed." He orders the book, but when it arrives, it's blank - except for one line of instruction: To erase it, write it. He fills the pages with all the things and people he dislikes....

Next thing he knows, he's wandering an anti-world, one in which everything and everyone familiar is gone. Or are they? His sister soon reappears - but she's only four inches tall. A tiny talking house with wings looks strangely familiar, as does the mysterious half-invisible boy who seems to think that he and Mickey are best buds. The boy persuades Mickey to go find the Bubble Gum King - the king, who resides at the top of a mountain, is the only one who might be able help Mickey fix the mess he's made.

From Raphael Simon (a.k.a. beloved author Pseudonymous Bosch!) comes this Phantom Tollbooth for today's generation - a fantastical quest for comfort and belonging that will resonate with many, many listeners.

©2021 Raphael Simon (P)2021 Listening Library
Fantasy Fiction Humourous Fiction Science Fiction & Fantasy King Royalty Funny

Critic Reviews

"Filled with clever wordplay and puns come-to-life. Its world crackles with imagination.... The Anti-Book is a surprisingly powerful, formula-breaking coming-of-age story." (The New York Times)

"Simon’s omniscient narrator speaks to readers with equal parts humor, sarcasm, and intrigue. Short, quick-moving chapters, filled with dialogue and action, will keep the interest of its target audience.... The strange, fantastical nature of this book is a fresh and welcome remix of the coming-of-age genre." (School Library Journal, starred review)

"Lively interstitial illustrations show the White tween in both realistic and fantastical settings.... Short sentences and a fast-moving plot will especially appeal to reluctant readers. A bubble-gum story disguising some real substance." (Kirkus)

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