Historia Interminable, La

La Historia Interminable - Spanish advanced reader by Michael Ende. Well-known in English as 'The Never-Ending Story' - but the movie is only the first 1/4 of the book! A classic book about the importance of imagination. The story begins with Bastian Balthazar Bux, a 10-year old boy who is bullied at school for being somewhat overweight, and for his vivid imagination. One day, he stumbles into Mr. Coreander's Book Store, where he finds the book 'The NeverEnding Story.' Bastian takes the book without Coreander seeing him, and runs with it to his school's attic, where he proceeds to read it. In the pages of the book, he learns that Fantastica's ruler, The Childlike Empress, has fallen ill. Even moreso, the land is being swallowed up by a blackness that can only be described as 'Nothing.' The Empress sends a messenger to find Atreyu, a young warrior who she deems worthy to help her. Given the Auryn (the symbol of a servant for the Empress), Atreyu begins his quest that takes him to the Southern Oracle, to the clutches of the hideous Ygremal, and more. Pretty soon, Bastian finds that the story is so engrossing, that at certain points, he seems to be becoming intertwined into it! Paperback, 420 pages.