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    Emily the Strange: The Lost Days
    Emily the Strange: The Lost Days
    Emily the Strange: The Lost Days
    Audiobook5 hours

    Emily the Strange: The Lost Days

    Written by Rob Reger

    Narrated by Angela Goethals

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    13 Elements you will find in the first Emily the Strange novel:

    1. Mystery

    2. A beautiful golem

    3. Souped-up slingshots

    4. Four black cats

    5. Amnesia

    6. Calamity Poker

    7. Angry ponies

    8. A shady truant officer

    9. Top-13 lists

    10. A sandstorm generator

    11. Doppelgängers

    12. A secret mission

    13. Earwigs

    Emily the Strange: 13 years old. Able to leap tall buildings, probably, if she felt like it. More likely to be napping with her four black cats; or cobbling together a particle accelerator out of lint, lentils, and safety pins; or rocking out on drums/ guitar/saxophone/zither; or painting a swirling feral sewer mural; or forcing someone to say ""swirling feral sewer mural"" 13 times fast . . . and pointing and laughing.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateJun 16, 2009
    ISBN9780061824654
    Author

    Rob Reger

    Rob Reger has grown Emily the Strange from an image on a few skateboards and T-shirts to an international fashion brand and publishing phenomenon. He lives in the Bay Area.

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    Reviews for Emily the Strange

    4/5

    144 ratings22 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Emily wakes up with “a wicked case of amnesia.” She does not know her name, where she is, and why she is there. Through diary entries she follows the clues to her identity and her secret mission.The Lost Days is quite imaginative, filled with daring feats and odd characters. The story is a spy adventure with elements of fantasy. Emily is self-confident in her own identity, even when she does not know who she is. She uses math, science, and deductive reasoning to solve her mystery and succeed at her mission. Written in short chapters (diary entries) with black-and-red artwork, this book can be enjoyed by even the most reluctant reader.
    • 5/5
      Read it again and again. It is my favorite book. Helps to ease my anxieties about people and everyday life, and reminds me that I don't have to conform to other people's standards to be happy. Very pleased.
    • 5/5
      What I know about Emily the Strange I've learned over the past few years from t-shirts, postcards and stickers from her merch line at Hot Topic. While Emily has had books devoted to her before, they've been art books with very little text. "The Lost Days" is Emily's first adventure in the narrative. I admit that I'm a biased Emily fan, but this novel impressed me for being so true to what I'd already gleaned about her character. Not an easy task, since the story opens when Emily awakens on a bench in a bizarre little town - armed only with an empty journal and none of her memories. Her amnesia is never frustrating though, surprisingly, and instead adds to the charm of the book as she works to figure out what's going on. The pages are peppered with hand-written notes, lists (13 items long, of course), and adorable doodles of cats and skulls. The mystery is engaging, the characters are unforgettably unique, and the book never feels like it's a sell-out. Not bad for a character that started out as a t-shirt design.
    • 3/5
      The artwork is beautiful and the narrative is intriguing but the characters are really flat so I didn't actually care what happened.
    • 5/5
      Emily has lost her memory and she doesn't know anything about herself but she is still totally fabulous. Trademark Emily the Strange black and red drawings, her kittie's and a fun, crazy plot make this a great book.
    • 4/5
      I remember seeing Emily merchandise at markets in Christchurch years ago. I didn't realize they were books.

      the Lost Days are definitely for the younger teens. Amnesia sucks & makes for a strange story.
    • 4/5
      Emily's cult following began many years ago. She's been in the periphery of my awareness where strange things tend to accumulate. I'm glad I looked more closely.

      "OK.
      I think I better take some notes, cuz something super strange is happening to me, and I don't know
      1. my name
      2. anyone else's name
      3. where I am
      4. how I got here
      5. where I live
      6. how old I am (am I a kid or just short?)
      7. anything I've done since I was born
      8. whether I'm a cat person or a dog person
      9. whether I actually believe people are either cat people or dog people
      10. what might have been written on the eleven pages that were torn out of this notebook
      11. why this happened to me
      12. how long it's going to last, or
      13. what I should do next."

    • 3/5
      It's seemed odd to me when a backstory is made up for a character who was essentially created as a design icon. Emily the Strange is the epitome of "cute goth" and most of what's been written around the character in the past hasn't been all that great (the comics are a bit disappointing). But this was fun. Partly, I think, because she has amnesia for most of the book and is exploring her own character, solving a mystery, discovering the world, and actually making friends (which the character just does not normally do). The book doesn't take itself seriously at all, the illustrations are fun, and while a few things are left unresolved it wrapped up pretty well.
    • 4/5
      I think, with just this book, I am now officially considering myself a fan of Emily the Strange and must now find more of these books to acquaint myself with her.

      Funny, quirky, and thoroughly enjoyable....I loved the premise of her having amnesia and not knowing where she is or how she got there, but for some reason, it never really bothers her all that much.

      Setting the book up as her diary, along with Polaroids she takes of her surroundings and drawings of the cats who live with her in her lean-to add to the quality and fun of the story. Like I wrote, I've never read any Emily the Strange books before this, but this has certainly piqued my interest in them. I guess this title comes out in June '09, so I'll have to wait awhile before I can buy it for a few friends of mine who, I think, will enjoy it also.
    • 2/5
      This is the story of a girl who wakes up in a strange town with amnesia knowing absolutely nothing about herself, her past, or the town she is in. She decides to call herself Earwig for the time being until she finds out who she really is. She discovers that her Great-Aunt Emma, owner of El Dungeon, the city’s only café, wants Emily (her real name) to prevent a very rich guy named Attikol from gaining ownership of the building and the whole town. With the help of Jakey, a boy who can read minds, a robot named Raven, the mayor, and a doppelganger named Molly, she takes on the mission to save the town and to find out who she is. Because this book was written to be the main character’s journal complete with illustrations, I would encourage students who were interested in this book to keep their own journal in which they could journal their personal lives including illustrations, or to pretend they have amnesia and create an alternate persona and take themselves on an adventure to discover their real identity. Emily keeps lists throughout the book to summarize important thoughts, feelings, and events and I would encourage students to create similar lists. This book was very quirky and written in an unconventional way and for that reason I would not choose this as a class read. However, because it is an illustrated novel, I think many students would enjoy the aspect of having something other than words to look at. This book has a main theme of staying true to your identity and discovering things about yourself every day. I believe that many middle school students could appreciate that. This book was not the kind of genre that I enjoy reading so I have to admit that I did not really enjoy this book and probably won’t look to reading books of that genre again. However, I can definitely see how an adolescent who gets bored with reading could enjoy maybe not this particular book, but an illustrated novel like this was. The main character, Emily, has amnesia throughout the book and I could never figure out why that was important to the story. It seemed very unnecessary. The characters were also somewhat strange and I could never figure them out. This book was kind of like experiencing a very strange dream so while although entertaining in a sense, not my cup of tea.
    • 3/5
      Emily the Strange is classified as a YA novel, a book for kids. But this little book is keeping me up late at night. It's a good low-stress read at day's end and even though my kid days are long gone, I still remember being a kid. And this is a cool book.It's kind of like a graphic novel, except it doesn't have as much graphix. The drawings are cool, kind of more like doodles than actual drawings. But they give the story color and flavor; if you removed the graphix, the book wouldn't be the same or have the same feel or meaning.I haven't gotten to the end yet but I'm intrigued to know who Emily is and where she came from and how/why she got to Blackrock. Believe me, after a spring of reading Russian classics, this book is a fun and welcome relief. I recommend it for all ages.
    • 4/5
      Emily the Strange: the Lost Days by Jessica Gruner is about a teenage girl who finds herself in a town called Blackrock with absolutely no memory of her name much less how she got there and why she was there. She finds that if she writes down everything that happens and starts to follow the cats she found around the town to look for clues and to help her memory return. Through her journey of self-discovery, she finds out things about the town and its founder that should be left either unknown or protected at all costs from an unknown enemy. I would use this in a classroom setting as a great way to get students that are more interested in science to also be interested in reading. This book has many inventions that are completely out of my depth of understanding but are extremely interesting to read about. Another way to use this book could be in a science class where students find out about pushing past the realm of feasibility and into inventing their own out-of-this-world devices. We could also discuss patens and how the process works.I think that I would have enjoyed this book much more several years ago. I liked the plot and the ending, and I am somewhat interested in what happens in the third book in the series but I am not so sure that I would want to actually take the time to read the other books to find out. I thought that Molly and her looking so much alike was funny and the fact that the only way her parents could tell that she was not Molly was because of the way Emily dressed was hilarious! I think that the book was targeted toward teenagers but it was a good book to read anyway!
    • 5/5
      Emily, or Earwig, is a kid who can't remember anything ever since she woke up on the park bench in a town that almost seems deserted. She makes friends with four cats and Raven, the barista at the El Dungeon. Through a series of clues and a friend that could easily be mistaken for herself, Emily discovers who she is and why she had amnesia. The only connection that I thought could be used for this book would be to teach amnesia and if you really could give it to yourself. It honestly reminded me Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The characters are great studies, but I don't know of how much use they would be in an academic setting.I loved this book! I thought it was great and would recommend it to anyone in 6th or 7th grade. Emily is incredibly smart and seeing someone their age with that much knowledge could be a good influence. I only wish that the book had more academic substance.
    • 3/5
      I think there is only one word that could sum up this book: Strange. The first time that I heard of Emily The Strange was during my sophomore year of High School. I noticed a couple of people at my school with stickers of Emily on their notebooks and binders. I thought she was a cool character. I then learned she was the logo of a clothing brand of the same name. Last year I found out that there were books about Emily! Of course I added them to my to-read list, hoping to stumble upon them some time in the near future.So imagine how surprised I got when I saw two Emily The Strange books at the library! I was happy and excited to get a chance to read about the mysterious Emily! After reading this book, I must admit that it wasn't what I expected it to be. It wasn't a bad book but I thought it could have been a bit different. First off, I wasn't expecting the diary format! Reading about Emily via first person was in fact a trip! My goodness, if there ever was a strange and interesting character, Emily is definitely one of them! In The Lost Days, the story begins with Emily trying to stay calm. She has just found herself sitting on a bench, with a few personal possessions next to her. To make things interesting, she can't remember a single thing. Nothing! The only clues that she has to her identity is a journal that has a few pages ripped out. And so begins a weird and bizarre tale told by a 13 year old goth. The town where Emily stays as she tries to remember who she is was such a crazy place. The illustrations really brought the town and the various citizens of the place come to life. The black ink and blood red tone in the drawings against the glossy white pages were definitely eye popping. I would definitely recommend this book, if you're in the mood for taking a bizarre getaway, Emily would definitely make the ultimate tour guide!
    • 4/5
      This is a book about a girl who wake up with amnesia and struggles to figure out who she is and why she has amnesia. She wanders around a strange town looking for clues about why she ended up there. There is a little bit of mystery as Emily starts to slowly piece things together. But, a setback! She gets amnesia again and set on her journey to discovery again.Some teaching points for this book might be to have students discuss identity. As adolescents, they can relate to her struggle to remember who she is. Another teaching point might be look at how Emily's amnesia affects the plot structure and maybe do a tension chart or chart the progress of Emily's journey as she discovers information about herself.I really enjoyed the book and loved Emily's sense of humor. Especially calling herself Earwig. I also enjoy a book that has a little bit of a dark side to it, like The Hunger Games which is actually more than a little dark. I found it a pretty interesting read with a good plot and interesting characters.
    • 5/5
      Emily the Strange, The Lost Days is about a young girl who wakes up in a town, but at first does not remember how she got to the town. Through her journey of trying to figure out who she is, she encounters a girl named Raven who is actually a robot she created, two men who are trying to take town her town, and a few people who are actually trying to help her figure out her identity. She ends up finding out she is the grand daughter of the founder of El Dungeon and she has to figure out a way to stop the 2 men from tearing up all the buildings in the city.I am truly sure how I feel about using this book in a classroom. I think it is a good book. I think if I did I would teach the kids about showing their true personalities just like Emily did when she thought that she might be Molly. Emily knew that she would never act the way Molly acted. Also I would teach about the illustrations in this book. I would tell how important the illustrations were to this book.I enjoyed reading Emily the Strange, The Lost Days. I thought it was absolutely hilarious. I mean the part where she saying, a baby cat, a pickle? the author did a great job on this book!! It was a very easy read and very funny!!!!
    • 4/5
      This book centers around a young thirteen year old named Emily who forgets everything. She does not even remember her own name, let alone her pet cats or where she is from for that matter. The novel is her quest to find her parents and identity, all while stranded in the mysterious town of Blackrock.I think that this book is an excellent book to teach adolescents how to explore their own unique personalities. When Emily tries to be Molly, her individuality comes through, showing that she cannot try to fit into anyone's mold but her own. I also think it would appeal to kids because of the mixed media art used throughout the novel. Emily truly does bring you into her world, and it makes the novel easy to read as well as a page turner. I absolutely enjoyed this novel. Emily's dry wit about riding the horses and trying to be Molly made me laugh out loud at some points in the novel. The map of Blackrock and the pictures of all of the characters (especially Molly) really drew me into the novel, as I could know exactly what she had in mind for the characters. I think that Emily finally finding out about herself indicates that she whom she was supposed to be the entire time:the black-wearing, cat-loving girl who gave herself amnesia. I would definitely recommend this book not only to adolescents, but even college students looking for something different and interesting to read.
    • 4/5
      Emily the Strange: The Lost Days is a story about girl who is suffering from amnesia. She is in a strange town with very strange people. She is struggling to find out who she is and how she ended up in this weird town. The story tells of her adventures to try to find her identity. I think this story is a very good story to use in the classroom. A teacher could use several different projects to do while reading this book. The students could pretend they had amnesia and try to imagine what adventures they would go on. The students could make a book like Emily; writing their adventures and then drawing pictures like the book does. At the end of writing the book, they could share their stories with other students. The students could also act out the story of Emily in front of the class so it can make the story come alive.I really enjoyed reading Emily the Strange: The Lost Days. It was a very funny and quirky story. I loved how the story had pictures. It allowed me to see the world through Emily’s eyes. I would have never pictured the people or the town the correct way. It really made the story come to life and it helps you understand the craziness of the town. I really don’t know for sure if I would use this book in the future classroom. I don’t think that boys would like to read this story. But if I had a class of just girls, I would definitely use this book in my classroom.
    • 5/5
      Emily the Strange is the first installment of a set of illustrated novels by Rob Reger and Jessica Gruner. The book is told from the perspective of an adolescent girl dressed in all black with no recollection of who she is. She wakes up on a park bench in a town called Blackrock and begins looking for clues as to who she is. She tells people her name is Earwig. Along the way, Earwig enlists a few friends, mostly cats. While in Blackrock, Earwig encounters many strange people and uncovers more and more strange information about Blackrock that she hopes will help her in the search for her identity. I think that this book is great for young readers. Because the book is written as a diary/journal, a teacher could use this book to inspire her students to keep their own journals. Another idea would be to have a "scavenger hunt/identity recovery" within the classroom. Each student would be assigned an identity from the book (that only the teacher would know) and then be given clues from the teacher to find out who they are. I think the students would have a lot of fun with something like that.I loved this book. I laughed out loud countless times. "Earwig" is hilarious and the pictures really help to show the reader what her world is really like. I like the diary format of the book and "Earwig's" lists. At one point in the book, she is trying to remember the word for a baby cat; I thought this was hilarious because she can remember how to calculate terminal velocity but can't remember the word "kitten."
    • 3/5
      My first foray into Emily Strange happened when I saw a drawing of her on the computer once. So, I got the inspiration to write a short story based on this character (based solely on her looks and name, didn't know any of her history) for an English assignment. It all worked out, got an A+ on the assignment and have been an Emily Strange fan ever since. Even owning an Emily Strange graphic tee and wallet. That's why I wanted to like this book so much. I took the book out of the library instead of buying it because I wasn't so sure how the whole story would work out. While I liked the premise of the book, a lot of tended to be repetitive. Emily gets amnesia, writes notes in her notebook trying to figure out the whole sordid detail, rinse, wash, and repeat. Still, I started enjoying it more towards the middle. Emily is a very likeable heroine. Really witty and sarcastic, something that I love. I still think I would've liked this book more had I been a bit younger. So, anyway, I give this book three stars. It was cute and had an intriguing mystery (plus intriguing heroine and intriguing supporting characters), but it wasn't too deep. Besides that, I'm actually looking forward to the second installment in the Emily Strange series, although, they will be library reads as I have no desire to own them (although I would love to own some of the artwork since it's pretty kick-ass).
    • 5/5
      I bought this book last year for my nine year old – it’s written for young adults, but we fell in love with the cats. After a quick flick through, there was no subject matter to worry about, just some long words and a large quirk quotient. She loved it and has been pestering me to read it too ever since – so I did, and it utterly charmed me too with its madcap ways…Emily the Strange started out as a design on T-shirts back in the early 1990s, and went from there to some art books, comics and finally an illustrated novel, (No 2 is imminent). But who is Emily? - here’s the blurb …"13 years old. Able to leap tall buildings, probably, if she felt like it. More likely to be napping with her four black cats; or cobbling together a particle accelerator out of lint, lentils, and safety pins; or rocking out on drums/guitar/saxophone/zither; or painting a swirling feral sewer mural; or forcing someone to say “swirling feral sewer mural” 13 times fast … and pointing and laughing."She’s certainly one of a kind – and no stranger to doing things for herself! The start of the novel, which is told in diary form, sees her waking up on a park bench in a strange town called Blackrock all on her own and she doesn’t remember a thing. But this amnesia doesn’t faze her at all, she sets out to find out who she is and what’s happening in the strange town. She adopts the coffee bar ‘El Dungeon’ as a home from home and sleeps in a box in the alley behind. Raven behind the counter looks after her and soon she adopts four lovely cats – or rather they adopt her…There’s a definite dystopian/gothic/fantasy/steampunky/geeky feel to the book which I loved. Emily is one smart cookie; she’s a girl after my own heart being a list-maker, scientist and cat-lover. This is one black (with red highlights) covered book that bucks the trend – wonderful illustrations, a hip West-coast sensibility and vocabulary, high quirk quotient – and no vampires! Highly recommended. (9/10, I borrowed this book back from my daughter!).
    • 5/5
      What I know about Emily the Strange I've learned over the past few years from t-shirts, postcards and stickers from her merch line at Hot Topic. While Emily has had books devoted to her before, they've been art books with very little text. "The Lost Days" is Emily's first adventure in the narrative. I admit that I'm a biased Emily fan, but this novel impressed me for being so true to what I'd already gleaned about her character. Not an easy task, since the story opens when Emily awakens on a bench in a bizarre little town - armed only with an empty journal and none of her memories. Her amnesia is never frustrating though, surprisingly, and instead adds to the charm of the book as she works to figure out what's going on. The pages are peppered with hand-written notes, lists (13 items long, of course), and adorable doodles of cats and skulls. The mystery is engaging, the characters are unforgettably unique, and the book never feels like it's a sell-out. Not bad for a character that started out as a t-shirt design.