The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pene du Bois

I read this as an escape during a challenging summer. I wanted a "get away from it all" book and hoped this was a good one. It was a sweet story with engaging black and white illustrations, but not a particularly memorable story.  I think it would light a child's imagination with the cool way of life the Krakatoa people live and all of the inventions. I might have to give this one a second read to see if with my improved mood, if my appreciation will grow. But I believe a great book would have been able to crack through anything! We'll see... du Bois' writing style is charming, however, and his author's note about the similarities between his story and one by F. Scott Fitzgerald is intriguing indeed!