The Wild Things (Vintage)
Maurice Sendak's spare picture book has captured the hearts of readers for more than four decades. Critics were split, however, on whether Eggers's novel will enjoy the same long-lasting popularity. Its greatest appeal may stem from Eggers's ability to convey both the sense of wonder and the dark uncertainty that make up a typical childhood, though a few reviewers disagreed. TheTimes, for example, called Max's outbursts an appalling symbol of "contemporary brattish America." TheWashington Postsimply wished that authors would develop their own material (critics mentionedPride and Prejudice and Zombiesas a horrific literary crime, not for the first time). Overall, younger readers may find much to enjoy here, but children and adults alike should start with the original.--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.