Looking for Atlantis

By Colin Thompson

When his grandfather comes home from sea for the last time, his 10-year-old grandson (the narrator of this story, who remains unnamed throughout the book) embarks on an adventure of his own.  Before he dies, the grandfather tells his grandson, "Atlantis is right here, all around you.  You have to learn how to look for it." 

The rest of the book tells of the boy's search for Atlantis, and the feelings he has about losing someone he had loved.  The words are sparse but get the story across.  The boy is constantly searching, but everything feels muddled and distant.  Until one day, he finally realizes: "My grandfather had been right.  At last I had learned how to look.  I had learned that hope and dreams are not just inside your head, and that I could keep Atlantis and Grandfather in my heart forever."

There were a couple of things I really liked about this book.  The reason I picked it out was because of its illustrations.  They are so intricate and detailed that you could spend hours looking at each one.  While the words are sparse throughout the book, the illustrations definitely portray everything that is going on within the boy's head.  While he is searching for Atlantis, it really does seem as if it's all around him.  For example, on one page he is sitting in his room in the attic, slouched over a desk.  All around him are his belongings, and underneath his desk is the chest that his grandfather gave him, with a tiny door which supposedly leads to the real Atlantis.  Among his toys, there is a stuffed rabbit wearing a pirate's eye patch.  On his bookshelves, hidden among everything else, are books titled A Year in Atlantis, Five Go to Atlantis, Atlantean Family Robinson, etc.  Beneath the floorboards are tiny people, a crown from a pirate's treasure, and a miniature ship.  And there is much more to look at.

Another thing I really liked about this book was that it dealt with the death of a loved one.  While not exactly a common experience for children to have, it is something that many children have to deal with.  There are not many books that relate to children in this situation.  The feelings that the boy has (feeling like "everything was muddled up like a dream") are realistic and offer a lot for children to relate to.  Death is not an easy topic to deal with, especially for small children, and throughout his search for Atlantis, it seems that what the boy is truly searching for is his grandfather.  But in the end he finally reaches peace, and realizes that he can keep his grandfather in his heart forever.