Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Reviews of Tuck Everlasting

Tuck Everlasting
Tuck Everlasting
Author: Natalie Babbitt
Audio Books swap for two (2) credits.
The Market's bargain prices are even better for Paperbackswap club members!
Retail Price: $14.99
Buy New (Audio CD): $12.29 (save 18%) or
Become a PBS member and pay $8.39+1 PBS book credit Help icon(save 44%)
ISBN-13: 9781400099108
ISBN-10: 1400099102
Publication Date: 4/12/2005
Edition: Unabridged
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Rating:
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 3

3.7 stars, based on 3 ratings
Publisher: Listening Library (Audio)
Book Type: Audio CD
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

63 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 6 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 7
Excellent book for around 5-6th grade, deep symbolism and also good for teaching figurative language
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 30 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 7
Wonderful book! I read this in school with my sixth grade teacher and it has stuck in my head all these years! such a very beautiful story. and not too long, so definitely a good one to give to the child who is reluctant to read!
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 8 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 6
This is an example of pure children classics, it is a medium read( 9-12 year old). It may be boring at first but you must keep reading to reach the heart and soul of the story.
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 19 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 6
This is a very unusual book about a family who drinks from a magic spring that causes them to never die. It makes you realize many problems that would arise from this. I would give it 4 out of 5 stars. It's well-written and thought-provoking.
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 24 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
I read this when I was young and have kept a copy of it ever since. I loved reading it then and still do!
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 96 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
Book, better than the movie! The thought I loved from the Book is if you are not a part of dying, you are not a part of living.
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 8 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
Once a classic, always a classic.
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 113 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
Overview: Doomed to - or blessed with - eternal life after drinking from a magic spring, the Tuck family wanders about trying to live as inconspicuously and comfortably as they can. When ten-year-old Winnie Foster stumbles on their secret, the Tucks take her home and explain why living forever at one age is less a blessing than it might seem. Complications arise when Winnie is followed by a stranger who wants to market the spring water for a fortune.

Review: This book is a classic and a must-read for every youth and adult.
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 23 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
Great children's story!
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 168 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
This is an incredible story that sticks with you. It is one to ponder.
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 6 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
Great book for adolescent girls.
bankie79 avatar reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 40 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
This was an EXCELLENT book. I actually read it for the first time as an adult and was drawn to it right away. The concept of immortality is alluring to people of all ages, not just young adults. The story struck me as a poignant metaphor for our own reactions to aging, but it did more than that. Babitt juxtaposes the idea of immortality with toxic relationships~ those that will only lead to eternal sadness in the end. It was really interesting to read a book that hasn't any mention of vampires, and yet to see the same themes: immortality, death, eternal sadness, star-crossed relationships...

It is an excellent read at any age because the themes and meanings of the story will evolve with age. I highly recommend this book.
hoopridge avatar reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 252 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
What if you were granted everlasting life? Would you take that gift, even if it meant you could never stay with the love of your life?

This book examines that subject, with bittersweet results. While extremely well-written, it may be too nebulous and sad for younger readers. We are never quite sure what happens to the Tuck family, which may confuse non-symbolists, but it is a springboard for great discussions post-reading.
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 31 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Very cute and interesting book about a family who cannot age, and the young girl who discovers their secret.
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 7 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
this is one of the best ooks i have ever read. i read it for the first time when i was 7 and a 1/2 and now by age 10 1/2 have read it at least 10 times. it is a great book for many ages.
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on
Helpful Score: 1
A bit like a fairytale in some respects, though there are no fairies in it. The beginning reminded me just a bit of the start of To Kill a Mockingbird. Beautiful writing and a story that leaves you feeling good, though I wish it had been longer. It is not, as I had for some reason assumed when I ordered it, about a dog!
From the cover: "A kidnapping, a murder, a jailbreak. If this were Winnie Foster's story only, it would be like any other great adventure: you would come to the end, with all resolved, and that would be that. But this is also the story of the Tuck family and therefore, thought it has a beginning and a middle, it can never end. The two stories cross each other near the village of Treegap during a handful of hot days in the 1880's...and when those days are over, young Winnie is left to make a fundamental choice. What she chooses at last is not what she might have chosen at first."
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 16 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Wonderful children's book. Highly recommend for middle schoolers
j0j0ruca avatar reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 18 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
This is truly one of my favorite books to read with my students.

After reading Twilight, I found that the two shared very similiar themes. A sampling of familiar themes I found between the two books were young love, the ability to live forever, and making difficult choice. Of course none of the characters in Tuck Everlasting are vampires - that we know of!

I have recommended this timeless classic to students who have read the Twilight series.
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 30 more book reviews
I love this book! Still remember reading it with my sixth grade teacher. I always reccomended it to customers when I worked in the book store. beautiful
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 10 more book reviews
doomed to-or blessed with-eternal life after drinking from a magic spring, the tuck family wanders about trying to life as inconspicuously and comfertly as they can.
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on
Wonderful book! Very inspiring. The whole family (ages 9-41) enjoyed it and found it life affirming.
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 6 more book reviews
this was a very good book. i liked it very much.
ratlover46 avatar reviewed Tuck Everlasting on
This is the best book I have ever read.
Dawnimite avatar reviewed Tuck Everlasting on
This book is a fantastic thought provoking little novel! I read it aloud to my kids. We all loved it!
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 6 more book reviews
Excellent Book! I read it as a child, and it was one of my favorites. It makes you think. The movie did not do the book justice in my opinion.
ajpc avatar reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 22 more book reviews
This is a preteen/teen romance. I remember reading it as a young girl and daydreaming that a crush of mine would wait for me to catch up to his age.
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 3 more book reviews
This book while being a quick read raised some interesting questions that I had never thought about before. Most everyone at some point thinks that living forever at a certain age would be really great....you could see amazing people, places, and things and you would never grow old. But this book raises the idea about what do you do when people realize that you dont age....do you keep moving around every 10 years or do you hide yourself away from the world? A great easy read, well worth it!
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 22 more book reviews
Great book about eternal life and the issues surrounding it. Better than the movie. A great read for 12 yrs to adult.
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 67 more book reviews
Imagine coming upon a fountain of youth in a forest. To live forever--isn't that everyone's ideal? For the Tuck family, eternal life is a reality, but their reaction to their fate is surprising. Award winner Natalie Babbitt (Knee-Knock Rise, The Search for Delicious) outdoes herself in this sensitive, moving adventure in which 10-year-old Winnie Foster is kidnapped, finds herself helping a murderer out of jail, and is eventually offered the ultimate gift--but doesn't know whether to accept it. Babbitt asks profound questions about the meaning of life and death, and leaves the reader with a greater appreciation for the perfect cycle of nature. Intense and powerful, exciting and poignant, Tuck Everlasting will last forever--in the reader's imagination
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 3 more book reviews
A sweet short story on what if you never aged.
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 17 more book reviews
Now a major motion picture from Walt Disney Pictures, Tuck Everlasting is one of the most romantic books written, not only for teens, but for adults like.
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 10 more book reviews
Doomed to---or blessed with---eternal life after drinking form a magic spring, the Tuck family wanders about trying to live as inconspicuoulsy and comfortably as they can. When ten-year-old Winnie Foster stumbles on their secret, the Tucks take her home and explain why living forever at one age is less a blessing than it might seem. Complications arise when Winnie is followed by a stranger who wants to market the spring water for a fortune.
Cheryl74 avatar reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 40 more book reviews
It was good, but very short and not as good as I thought it would be.
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 201 more book reviews
What an odd book to have in a children's library! Even though it is pretty short - I read the whole thing in less than an hour - a story about the pros and cons of earthly immortality, and what one would choose if one were able to make a choice. A rather uncomfortable book, in fact.

And also a question that seldom occurs to children anyway, although it might to someone my age...

However, it won an award as an American Library Association Notable Children's Book, so many people do not feel the way I do.
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 28 more book reviews
unabridged audio CASSETTE version (2 cassettes) by Listening Library
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 2 more book reviews
This is a wonderful book for children of all ages. It is a story of discovery, of the possibilities of living forever and the realities of being mortal. Most importantly is is a story of true friendship and sacrifice.
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 10 more book reviews
Imagine coming upon a fountain of youth in a forest. To live forever--isn't that everyone's ideal? For the Tuck family, eternal life is a reality, but their reaction to their fate is surprising. Award winner Natalie Babbitt outdoes herself in this sensitive, moving adventure in which 10-year-old Winnie Foster is kidnapped, finds herself helping a murderer out of jail, and is eventually offered the ultimate gift--but doesn't know whether to accept it. Babbitt asks profound questions about the meaning of life and death, and leaves the reader with a greater appreciation for the perfect cycle of nature.
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 240 more book reviews
This was my grandsons' book when in 5th grade. He loved it.
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 48 more book reviews
great story everyone will love
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 11 more book reviews
A kidnapping, a murder, a jailbreak. if this were Winnie Fosters story only, it would be like any other great adventure: you would come to the end with it all resolved, and that would be that. but this is also the story of the Tuck family and therefore, though it has a beginning and a middle, it can never end.
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 279 more book reviews
Great book
Chycole avatar reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 479 more book reviews
Doomed to--or blessed with-eternal life after drinking from a magic spring, the Tuck family wanders about trying to live as inconspicuously and comfortably as they can. When ten-year-old Winnie Foster stumbles upon their secret, the Tucks take her home and explain why living forever at one age is less a blessing than it might seem. Complications arise when Winnie is followed by a stranger who wants to market the spring water for a fortune.
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 4 more book reviews
a little wonder. while it's a rather short tale, the concept and story is well thought out.
eleven avatar reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 11 more book reviews
I read Tuck Everlasting in grade school, and I've never been able to forget it. It's one of the first books that really made me think, and I blame Natalie Babbitt for my subsequent love of sad stories. It's not very long, so it might be good for kids who easily get bored or who aren't really into reading yet, but don't assume it's a "kids' book." I would probably be rereading it right now if I hadn't lost my copy... :(
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 1568 more book reviews
TUCK EVERLASTING is an ALA Notable book, and deservedly so. It just sucks you right in. And . . . about the toad . . . No, I'd better not say . . .

From back cover: Doomed to---or blessed with---eternal life after drinking from a magic spring, the Tuck family wanders about trying to live as inconspicuously and comfortably as they can. When ten-year-old Winnie Foster stumbles on their secret, the Tucks take her home and explain why living forever at one age is less a blessing than it might seem. Complications arise when Winnie is followed by a stranger who wants to market the spring water for a fortune.
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 286 more book reviews
Doomed to--or blessed with--eternal life after drinking from a magic spring, the Tuck family wanders about trying to live as inconspicuously and comfortably as they can. When ten-year-old Winnie Foster stumbles on their secret, the Tucks take her home and explain why living forever at one age is less a blessing than it might seem. Complications arise when Winnie is followed by a stranger who wants to market the spring water for a fortune.
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 2 more book reviews
It was a very good story, much better than the movie.
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 57 more book reviews
Family with eternal life.
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 4 more book reviews
I read it for school! And it is really dramatic! I loved it ! I would say... people who loves romantic stories! Take it!
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 58 more book reviews
I read this in junior high and fell in love with the story, if you liked the movie, you'll love the book!
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on
Cute, easy to read, nice message.
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 11 more book reviews
I like this book.
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 8 more book reviews
Doomed to -- or blessed with -- eternal life after drinking from a magic spring, the Tuck family wanders about trying to live as inconspicuously and comfortably as they can. Then 10 yr old Winnie stumbles on their secret, the Tucks take her home and explain why living forever at one age is less a blessing than it might seem. Complications arise when Winnie is followed by a stranger who wants to market the spring water for a fortune.

The authors language is elaborate, detailed prose which got to be a bit much as I read it to my younger children, but the older set might enjoy the details and nuances.
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 27 more book reviews
Great book and great story
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 287 more book reviews
It's been a while since I read this book but I remember really loving it.
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 93 more book reviews
An ALA notable children's book. Very good book.
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 9 more book reviews
I hadn't realized it from seeing the movie, but this is a sweet children's tale. Still enjoyable as an adult, but lacks some of the more mature elements (pondering life, the cost of love) of the film.
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 87 more book reviews
Good book. Thought provoking.
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 350 more book reviews
I was supposed to read this book in middle school, but didn't at all. I wasn't very into books then. When a friend of mine let me borrow this book, I was able to read it in two hours. It was cute. A young girl who feels imprisoned in her own home starts to explore outside of her boundaries and finds an interesting young man. Because of a certain situation, she ends up going with him and his family to learn a secret kept for 84 years.

Although it was sweet, too many times it seemed a bit too sad and other times it was really happy. It was a unique story and I am glad I finally read it for real.
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 51 more book reviews
Good book, good story, adventurous, wish there was a sequel to explain what happened later.....
hopelessangel avatar reviewed Tuck Everlasting on
This book was wonderful! So creative, everyone should read this book :)
darkcoffeeclouds avatar reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 114 more book reviews
I love this story. It really gives you something to think about. On one hand, it is saying, life is precious, don't be too hasty to take it. On the other hand, living on forever without change isn't great either so some death is necessary. Growing old and dying isn't the worst thing that can happen. Dying before having the chance to live is a lot worse and living an empty life is unforgivable.
reviewed Tuck Everlasting on + 12 more book reviews
Eternal life -- to stay at the same age forever, is it a blessing or a curse? Ah, to avoid the wrinkles and pains of old age and dying...and yet... what would it be like to live forever at the same age?

Here's an amazing, enlightening book that will not be forgotten. A ten-year-old name Winnie finds out about an amazing secret from a boy named Tuck, and then is followed by a stranger who has his eyes on finding out the secret from the magic spring... Thought-provoking and well told, serious but with light humor, don't miss out on this one!

An ALA notable book.