Entries Categorized as 'Adventure'
Posted by Rebekah
Categories: Adventure, Older Readers, Review, Science Fiction
Tags:Dogs, Jules Verne, Long Read
1 Comment »
Our rating: 
The adventures of five men who escape from Richmond in a balloon during the war of the Secession. Northern Captain Cyrus Harding, an engineer, Gideon Spilett, a reporter, Neb, the freed slave of Cyrus Harding, Pencroft, a sailor, and a young man named Herbert. After traveling through a hurricane, they are stranded on an island with only two watches and a notebook between them. No matter the difficulty, they find some way to succeed, even to the point of making nitro-glycerin and a telegraph system for the island! But a mystery seems to follow them, as strange and unexplained help comes to them when they’re in any dire need. Anything from attacks by pirates to an insane castaway, this book is worth reading.
This is a really neat book with a very dramatic ending. Well, almost ending. (They explain what happened afterward) I recommend reading 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea first, for several reasons, one of which being it helps warm you up for the long scientific processes that are explained. I have to admit, I did a lot of quick skimming through the scientific parts. It’s hard to enjoy it if you don’t understand it. A quick reminder: Several of the facts and ideas in Jules Verne’s book are slightly outdated and replaced, but this is a fun book. Please read it, even for the sake of impressing yourself, because it’s 768 pages of adventure, science and Jules Verne.
Posted by Ruth
Categories: Adventure, All Ages, Fantasy, Fiction, Review
Tags:Animals, Donkeys, Funny, Lloyd Alexander, Wolves
1 Comment »
Our rating: 
When the newly-elected King Bromios receives his prophecy from the oracle pythoness, Woman-Who-Talks-To-Snakes, he becomes very angry when all he hears is about ashes and rags, and he orders death to all who serve her. Meanwhile, Lucian, a young man working at the palace, accidentally uncovers a scheme that the King’s right-hand men are involved in, and has to run for his life. On the way, he meets Fronto, a former poet who has been turned into a donkey and he begs Lucian for assistance. The trio is completed when Joy-In-The-Dance, a girl of marvels and mysteries, rescues Lucian and Fronto from a tricky situation. Together, they set out on a journey to The-Lady-of-Wild-Things to find help for Fronto and advice for Lucian.
A well written book, with hilariously twisted Greek mythology throughout. Lloyd Alexander creates a magical and enchanted atmosphere in The Arkadians, while Lucian and Joy-In-The-Dance’s relationship is strikingly similar to that of Taran and Eilonwy, in the Prydain Chronicles.
Posted by Rebekah
Categories: Adventure, All Ages, Fantasy, Fiction, Review
Tags:Animals, Dragons, J. R. R. Tolkien
1 Comment »
Our rating:
When farmer Giles is fortunate enough to drive a large and somewhat deaf giant away from the village of Ham, he acquires quite a reputation, which he is forced to try to maintain when a large dragon, Chrysophylax the Rich, becomes a threat to the citizens of Ham.
This is a hilarious story with a wonderful way of putting things bluntly. (if you’ve ever read The Reluctant Dragon by Kenneth Grahame, the styles are similar) The farmer does use a bit of language (unfortunately) but the storyline is great. Crysophylax is such a funny dragon! (Although I’m sure he doesn’t think so.) A very enjoyable book. Farmer Giles of Ham is also included in A Tolkien Miscellany
Posted by Jordan
Categories: Adventure, All Ages, Fiction, Incredibook!, Review
Tags:Funny, Good Read Aloud, Howard Pyle, Long Read
3 Comments »
Our rating:
Robin Hood is an outlaw for shooting the king’s deer and killing one of the king’s men. This is the story of his life as an outlaw with his merry men. They all live in Sherwood Forest and try to correct the evils done by the Sheriff of Nottingham and the greedy clergy. There’s Little John, Will Scarlet, Will Stutley, Friar Tuck and Allan a Dale, stout yeomen all. An enjoyable story of daring deeds and true friendship.
I really enjoyed The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood. A clever story with wonderful humor and valorous characters (except the bad ones; they’re bad all through). The old English is hard to understand at first, but, as thou gettest deeper into the story, ye find thyself speaking it quite merrily. (See?) This book is a lot better if you hear it on audiobook, so I will include a link to it. Buy The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood, read by David Case from Amazon.
Posted by Ruth
Categories: Adventure, Fiction, Older Readers, Review, Science Fiction
Tags:Animals, Jules Verne, Long Read, Seafaring
3 Comments »
Our rating:
When Professor Aronnax is asked his opinion on a number of shipwrecks that have been caused by something a great deal larger than a whale, he comes to the conclusion that the mysterious creature must be a narwhale of gigantic proportions, due to the strangely shaped holes inflicted upon the wrecked vessels. Soon, he is invited aboard the Abraham Lincoln, a frigate preparing to track down and destroy the unknown creature. But, when the ship is struck itself, Professor Aronnax is thrown overboard only to discover a great secret that would change the scientific world forever.
I think I like this book best of all of Jules Verne’s that I have read. He captures the magic of the underwater world with great ease. The only warning I have is that, on occasion, the plot becomes a bit bogged down with a veritable encyclopedia of scientific names, which are usually unpronounceable and rather meaningless unless you have a great knowledge of marine classification. However, the rest of the book is very enjoyable and I recommend it highly.
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