Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman [Review]

Author: Neil Gaiman
Illustrator: Skottie Young
Age Range: 8-12
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN:  978-0-06-222407-1
Released: September 13, 2013

About: 
"I bought the milk," said my father. "I walked out of the corner shop, and heard a noise like this: T h u m m t h u m m. I looked up and saw a huge silver disc hovering in the air above Marshall Road."

"Hullo," I said to myself. "That's not something you see every day. And then something odd happened." 

Find out just how odd things get in this hilarious story of time travel and breakfast cereal, expertly told by Newbery Medalist and bestselling author Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Skottie Young.

Review: 
 There is no secret that I love Neil Gaiman.   I also think he may possibly be an alien. No one should be able to write so wonderfully in so many different ways and still be allowed to be human. I have loved him while reading adult titles such as American Gods and Stardust (review here), I have loved him while reading Sandman, a graphic novel/comic series that will make your mind go crazy, and I have loved him with younger age titles such as Coraline and now FORTUNATELY, THE MILK.


Fortunately, the Milk is a tale that begins with a father's quest to find his children milk for their morning cereal. This story is literally filled with adventure, the cup is almost running over with it.

What starts off as a simple errand turns into a day filled with aliens and dinosaur professors flying hot air balloons or, "Professor Steg's Floaty-Ball-Person-Carrier" as it was  originally called, of course.

Many things delighted me about this book. I love time travel and this Doctor Who style time travel had me smiling from ear to ear. This is a book where things just happen, and they keep happening.

There are ponies, dinosaurs, aliens, pirates, volcanoes, wumpires (I feel a little Twilight mockery with this one) and many more things that work to fascinate any child reading this and the adults that might be reading it to them.

The story surrounding it is solid, and fascinating with a fast pace that never allows you to feel bored.  When you believe that crisis has been averted, the book pulls you back in for another round of events, and leaves you thinking, "Will he ever get that milk home?"

Fortunately, the Milk is a wonderful tale of adventure with illustrations that take you into the crazy world you too feel you have been transported to. If you have a child, this should be on their shelf. If you're a fan of Neil Gaiman, this title does nothing but showcase his talent as a master storyteller for all ages, and if you're not a fan of Neil Gaiman yet... this is a good place to start.

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