This is a very nice young readers book about a young man who is given a book with a secret map inside by a bookseller who then myteriously disappears. The young man, Carlo Chuchio, heads off to find the treasure marked on the map, picking up along the way the world's worst camel-puller who finds an excuse whenever work comes around to get out of, an ex-scholar who is learning in the "classroom of the world" and who finds everything fascinating, and a young woman Carlo, of course, falls in love w...

I can't help but compare this book to Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist, since the plot involves a boy following his dream and looking for hidden treasure in the desert, falling in love along the way. The covers of certain editions even look similar to me. The tone, however, is quite different: while Coelho's book constantly waxes philosophical, Alexander's is more lighthearted and geared toward children. Like many an Alexander novel, there is a cast of quirky characters, including the indecisive her...

If you were to ask Evariste what he thought of his nephew, Carlo Chuchio, he would say that the lad was nothing more than a thankless, dimwitted daydreamer. A “chooch”. And perhaps he was right. Having an uncle who was an importer, Carlo spent his days loitering at the docks and imagining places waiting to be visited and explored—places far beyond his home in Magenta. Adventure, as fate would have it, was a lot closer than Carlo had imagined for when he happened upon a bookseller in the market,

I know this is sacrilege for a librarian, but I find Lloyd Alexander dead boring, and this book was no exception. I'd love to hear from kids who think differently, especially about this particular book. boring boring boring

A nice adventure story with a sweet ending.

Cover Blurb: Yes or No? I love the color scheme for this book, and the Arabian Nights style. It promises adventure and treasure!Characters: Poor Carlo has a heart of gold and craves adventure, but he isn't the most aware or brilliant person. He's easily fooled and you can't help but love him, even if you face-palm sometimes. Baksheesh was awesome. Definitely the comic relief, his tricky ways and exaggerations were hilarious and wonderful and he was so, so awesome! Shira, the woman of the group,

The Golden Dream of Carlo Chuchio is an adventure and coming-of-age quest where the journey, the lessons learned, and the people encountered, are more important than the original reason for the quest. Along the way, Carlo meets Baksheesh, a camel-puller who spends more time complaining and riding the camel than pulling; Shira, a girl who is determined to make it home again and find out what happened to her family; and Salamon, a wise scholar who is good with animals and enjoys the journey no mat...

3.5 stars Admittedly I was a bit scared to read The Golden Dream of Carlo Chuchio. After all, it was Lloyd Alexander's very last book and I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with one of his other later works, The Rope Trick. On the one hand, The Rope Trick is very well-written and takes a lot of risks for a childrens' book. On the other hand, it also made me stumble around in a fog of existential melancholy for a few days. I was a bit worried that Carlo Chuchio would be the same. And to som...

This is the last novel of Lloyd Alexander, author of The Chronicles of Prydain. I was both excited and worried about reading this book. I loved the Chronicles of Prydain as a kid, but was afraid this book would be awful in comparison. Thankfully, this was not the case. This story is about a young man named Carlo Chuchio, a character who is not as appealing as that lovable assistant pig-keeper Taran, but still interesting nonetheless. Carlo "the chooch" sets off on an adventure seeking great trea...

As a huge fan of Lloyd Alexander, I must admit my feelings toward this book are incredibly sentimentally tied with the knowledge that it was his last. To the point that I honestly wept when I was finished.That said, it still is a genuinely good read. It is a bit more violent and graphic than his previous stories, so I would place this one more in the "young adult" to "upper middle grade" category. There is veiled allusions to rape mentioned, violent actions and some graphic imagery. Not too inte...

I got into Lloyd Alexander when I was in 5th grade and my Mother began reading me the Prydain series. (It is still one of my favorites and I enjoy it much more than Narnia) This is quick read and quite enjoyable, but not as great as Prydain.

I found this book at a garage sale and bought it for only 25 cents in the States. For some reason this book reminded me of Marco Coelo's Alchemist.

Is it ironic that an adventure inspired by the tales of the 1,001 Arabian Nights begins with its main character setting off on an adventure inspired by the tales of the 1,001 Arabian Nights? Irony is certainly well-represented in this book's rich variety of textures and hues, along with romance, comedy, magic, sickening violence, and suspense.Carlo Chuchio, the orphaned nephew of a fat merchant on an island somewhat like pre-19th century Sicily, is widely considered a fool by those who know him....

Book Review-Inez St. JohnMy book is called The Golden Dream of Carlo Chuchio by Lloyd Alexander, the lexile is 650. The book is about how Carlo finds a map and goes to find the gold on the map he goes through various terrains, and attempts on finding it. The setting shapes the plot by creating new challenges by changing the setting, to going from sea to a busy city. If Carlo is on on a boat in the middle of the sea he has seasickness but when he is on land he has to climb mountains to get to the...

As a kid, I could not get enough of Lloyd Alexander's stand-alone books like this one. They are stories that feel like our own folklore but set in places not quite like our own world (but enough like that we might secretly hope to visit one day and can still learn from the wisdom of the characters). This was probably my favorite, because I never felt there was enough fantasy out there inspired by a more Middle Eastern setting.As an adult, I don't feel the plot pacing is ideal, and there are plen...

Very familiar ingredients if you know Lloyd Alexander's books: a young guy who definitely needs to grow up a bit, a older rogue sidekick and a strong headed love interest. I loved Alexanders books as a kid, so it was great to find a book of his I didn't read yet. His books are a big part of my current love for adventure filled fantasy.For me it was a bit too similar to his earlier book, The First Two Lives of Lukas-Kasha, which IMO is the better version of this story. Both books take place in an...

While I felt like the overall plot was formulaic, there was a good amount of creativity in the details and twists of the story, with a good dose of stand-out characters. I'm not sure how so many people instantly latched on to an untried, untested young man who didn't exhibit any particularly redeeming character traits, but Rabbit and Baksheesh jumped on the train with Carlo and started a chain reaction. The author's creative jumbling of Middle Eastern names and traits were interesting as well. F...

This was a delightful book, with many of the endearing qualities characteristic of the Chronicles of Prydain. Though I've been a Lloyd Alexander fan for many, many years, I had not previously been aware of this work, but I'm very pleased to have discovered it now. Reminiscent of the Iron Ring and the Marvelous Misadventures of Sebastian, as well. It felt a bit slow at first, though that might have had more to do with an interrupted reading routine to begin with. But it was increasingly exciting,...

Listened with my kids while driving. I loved it--mostly because how Baksheesh talks reminded me of my dad when he was hyper or bored writing us notes in church--he always told us to go to school and make lots of money to fatten HIS silken purse and care for him when his bones were brittle with age, etc. etc. I love Arabian Night/Silk Road type settings so that was another appeal. I felt you could see authentic growth in Carlo too, without making a huge deal of it, which was well done by the auth...

Carlo Chuchio is a dreamer whose adventure starts, mostly, because he makes one mistake too many and his uncle fires him & kicks him out of his home, at precisely the same time Carlo has found what he is sure is a treasure map. This book is full of quirky, mostly ragtag characters who all seem to gather toward Carlo, adding flavor to the adventure. This book has layers. It can be read purely for enjoyment, or one can wax philosophical & learn lessons through the characters & events of the tale.

I like Lloyd Alexander books, but this one wasn't one of the good ones for me. I found the main character boring and irritating that he just lets things happen to him. I thought the story was cliche and meandered too much in the side plots. I liked the symbolism of it, but it took too long to get to the point of the whole tale.

Carlo is a young man who acquires a map that leads to a treasure. His journey and the characters he meets along the way are entertaining. This story feels like an Arabian Nights tale. It is a wonderful adventure story for a young reader.

Carlo is a young man who acquires a map that leads to a treasure. His journey and the characters he meets along the way are entertaining. This story feels like an Arabian Nights tale. It is a wonderful adventure story for a young reader.

Imaginative, entertaining coming of age tale, filled with metaphor and prescient constructions

I feel like I read this a long time ago. Regardless, it was a fun, easy read. Very much written for 10-12 year olds looking for adventure books.

I do suspect that Lloyd Alexander may be responsible for my affection for beautiful women who are also bloodthirsty and carry very sharp knives.

Love this book. Alexander is a fine author particularly for youth fiction. This work sets you oon a great adventure with expected and unexpected turnings.

The book relies on tropes/stereotypes, but has Alexander’s gifts as a writer and is enjoyable to read. A good adventure story if not as substantial as the Prydain books.

I give this five stars under its influence. Only time will tell if it lives up to them, by growing in my mind or drawing me back to re-read.I have always loved Lloyd Alexander's writing, and this, his last book, seems to stand among his greater works. Golden Dream has the inimitable style, the ragtag companions and the innocent romance that characterize Lloyd Alexander in general, but it also has a thread of deeper meaning and seeking that is characteristic of my favorite Alexander works, the Ch...

I recently read The Golden Dream of Carlo Chuchio (2007), Lloyd Alexander's last book, assuming no further posthumous publications are on the way. The Golden Dream was not on my ever-growing list of books to read, but the gold and blue spine--think Morocco--shouts for attention on a library shelf. The cover artist and designer deserve some serious praise. I'm glad I read it and recommend it to anyone looking for a good story.Like many of Alexander's stories, The Golden Dream records a road trip....