Customer Reviews
'The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm' 
2008-08-13
I thought that this book by Nancy Farmer was very well-written, yet hard to follow at some points, and vague in others. This book had many hidden meanings, which I am still trying to decipher. This book is a challenging read for people my age. Before I bought this product, I would have liked a more detailed overview on the back of the book. I found that the back flap only covered the first few pages. In this case, the author, Nancy Farmer, might have been trying to save parts of the book as a surprise, but some parts like the Masks and spirit presences might have been good information.
Good Read! 
2008-08-13
This is a book you'll never regret reading. Although The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm first appeared to me as a book that would drag throughout the entire story, I couldn't have been more wrong. If it wasn't the best sounding of books on a required reading list for a Jr. High class I took, I may have never picked it up, but I don't want you to make the same mistake.
The book is set in Zimbabwe in the year 2194. The cars fly, the pantries are automated, and even some of the families have household robots to take care of all the pesky everyday tasks. This is the world that Tendai, Kuda, and Rita live in. As children of the very powerful and wealthy general Matsika, they have everything a kid could ask for. Pets, a great lawn to play on, a care-free Mellower to sweep all their worries aside and let them do as they please while Mother and Father are away. Yes, they have everything a kid could ask for, except freedom. They are bound to stay locked up inside of their home, not allowed to go through their own garden gate. With a gang like the Masks lurking around in the outside world, though, a gang that General Matsika has been fighting all of his life, is it such a bad thing the General wants to keep such a close look on his children? Although the strict father doesn't believe so, his children do, and on a day that the Mellower is left in charge of the children, he also takes the side of Tendai, Kuda, and Rita, letting them go for what he thought would only be a day's adventure in the outside world. Little did he know all the trouble they'd be getting themselves into, starting with a blue monkey, and ending with people like the She-Elephant and the bitter Mrs. Horsepool-Worthingham, not to mention the most evil underground gang, the Masks.
For all of you out there who have already read a book called Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, this book is similar in many ways. It gives a great insight to two different religions unlike most that you'll find in places that most of you are bound to visit. Although I myself did enjoy Achebe's great work, I found that most of the characters seemed very two dimensional throughout the story. In The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm, on the other hand, all the characters are put into very great depth, and you actually feel for each one of them. If you ever plan on reading just one of these two books, I would strongly recommend that you choose Nancy Farmer's story or Achebe's, but that's not to say that if you have the time you shouldn't read Things Fall Apart, either. Farmer's book is much more enjoyable for younger readers, and Achebe's book may be easy to loose interest in and put down for the less determined reader.
The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm is a great book for all ages. It's very well written and easy to read, it's a very good story in itself, and it even has some good morals if you look close enough. It actually makes me want to make my range of books to read a little broader. I highly suggest reading it.
Not what expected 2007-07-20
I began my reading of this novel with great expectations ... the premise sounded intriguing. Alas, I was disappointed. Two separate stories were being told (one about the ear, the eye, and the arm ... the other about three kidnapped children), each interesting in their own right, but awkwardly pieced together... fragmented. To be honest, the majority of the story is about the children - I wished it had focused more on the three detectives. The novel, after all, is named after them ... their story would've been more relevant to learn.
The 3 Stooges Meet The Witch Doctor 
2007-03-25
The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm is one of my all-time favorite books. And I don't mean just one of my all-time favorite KID books. It is rich and complex and imaginative enough for any adult reader to savor.
This story manages to blend and blur comedy with creepy, supernatural and surrealistic horror, cultural legend with a private detective story, far future with distant past, and science fiction with social insight. This is done with a cast of characters that are all splendidly drawn and recognizable, KNOWABLE human beings. From the 3 children at the heart of the adventure, to the mutated, talented, and absolutely luckless 3 private eyes charged with saving them, the characters are all clear, laughable, flawed, and loveable.
Tendai is smart and imaginative, but doubts his own personal courage. Rita, his chubby little sister, is spoiled and self-centered, but strong-minded. Kuda, their little brother, is tough and curious, but has no ability to measure consequences before acting. Escaping from the ultra-safety of their wealthy parents' beautiful but claustrophobic estate, they have mere moments of freedom before they fall into the hands of organized criminals.
They end up finding help from unlikely sources - the Trashman, a homeless tramp that cannot talk, the She-Elephant, the criminal queen of the tunnels of the radioactive dumpheap - but of course, most of all from their own unsuspected resourcefulness and determination, and at last from the 3 private detectives for whom the book is titled, who get everywhere, of course, always a bit too late...
The story line is anything but simple. The children escape from one danger only to fall prey to another, but danger comes not only from expected directions. Repeatedly they seem to have fought free, only to find that they are in a new kind of trap. Farmer effortlessly draws new environments and social structures in each segment of the adventure - all convincing and rich and real.
In Farmer's so-believable post-apocalyptic Zimbabwe, there are many of the same cultural influences of modern time - the Matsikas are immersed in the history of their land, the "Mellower" and his family are utterly British, and the cities and the slums are what they have always been, with the addition of the delicate changes of futuristic radiation-based diseases and mutations. The jewel-like world of Resthaven, hidden and walled away in the middle of the city, makes a poignant argument for the simpler ways of the past - and for the very real improvements which only the painful changes of the modern world have enabled.
This book can be "just fun" for any kid to read. But it is chock full of so much more for the perception of readers at all levels. The names and the language of each character are filled with cross-cultural humor, and background details invite flights of imagination. It is a hugely satisfying book to read, and to re-read. I recommend it for anyone. And everybody.
Cliche Characters 2007-02-22
It is the year 2194 and three siblings, aged 13, 11, and 4, living in Zimbabwe are bored. Their father is a general who is very important in the government, but he has lots of enemies. He is petrified that someone will kidnap his children, so he doesn't let them leave home by themselves. Their home is surrounded by high walls and has a gate at the front, and the kids have never even been around the corner on their own. Instructors are brought in and school is done through machines, so there has never been any reason for them to leave. They are bored, though, and want to earn some badges for Scouts, so they need an adventure.
One day while their parents are away for the day, the three kids sneak out of the gates and begin their adventure. It quickly takes a turn for the worse when they are drugged and kidnapped by a woman running a forced-labor camp in a dump that used to hold toxic waste. From there, the kids fall into one adventure after another, trying to get home to their parents.
Hot on their trail and always just a step behind them are three detectives whose mothers were exposed to toxins before they were born. As a result, the three detectives have mutations--one has supersensitive eyes, one has supersensitive ears, and the third has disproportionally long arms and legs and also has psychic powers. These detectives use their powers to hunt down the kids, and also get caught in their share of adventures along the way.
I liked some of the concepts in this book, like the isolated community of Resthaven, where the kids spend some time. I also liked the religious references. The characters, though, went through very cliche evolutions. You could see their character flaws right from the beginning and predict exactly how each character would grow.
Extraordinary! 2007-01-12
Tendai, his little sister and their younger brother escape from their splendid home to explore their dangerous city. Tendai is motivated by wanting to earn a scouting badge, and he desperately wants to prove himself, as their overprotective father has always placed tight restrictions on what the siblings can and can't do.
The Ear, The Eye, and The Arm 2006-12-10
This was one of the best books i have EVER read! and i love to read so, that's a huuuuge accomplishment! I love the futuristic ideas, it was just so cool! It was a fantastic sci-fi story with the perfect addition of the supernatural.
EL DIABLO RETURNS 2006-11-17
Like, the book I read was sweet. It was called The Ear, The Eye, and The Arm. It's like about these three kids. They get kidnapped! OMG! Their rich parents like hire these "Special Detectives" to get their kids back, OK? Each of the detectives has what I call "Super Powers". The Ear has like totally wicked hearing! The Eye has like HAWK EYES! Like my friend Stacy! She has like GREAT EYES! LIKE OMG! The Arm can like read people's minds! I wish I had this power! That would be SOOOOO COOL! You should read this book! It is one wacky adventure! IT CHANGED MY LIFE! Just like the time me and Stacy were at the mall and shoes were ON SALE!
Superb! 2006-10-21
This book is the most futuristic one I have ever read, so They talk about
everything from the Mile-high McIlwaine, which is a hotel that's over a mile
high (duh) to hover taxis and buses that fly around. It was interesting to
read this book, because it was, in my opinion, a very accurate portrayal of
what the future will actually be like: divided into the rich and poor
sections of a city. Well, the plot line is pretty simple. Three children,
the children of the rich and powerful General Matsika, want some more
adventure in their lives, so they venture out of their safeguarded home
into the big city, where they find the She-Elephant, a tyrant who wants to
sell them to a gang called the Masks. There is a lot more in this story
that I'm not going to talk about, because I don't want to ruin the book,
but there is one thing. Leave yourself plenty of time to read it,
because it's a time gobbler. Happy Reading!
It was alright 2006-10-17
I think that this book was okay, but it wasn't my favorite, although I like
the use of all of the technology. The story is about three kids who
journey into the underbelly of the Dead Man's Vlei, which is pretty much an
unsanitary dump. I'd recommend this book if you are interested in African
culture, but if you're not, please stay away from it!
