Entries Categorized as 'Review'
Posted by Jordan
Categories: Adventure, All Ages, Fiction, Review
Tags:Book of Ember, Funny, Good Read Aloud, Jeanne DuPrau, light
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Ember stands as the only light in a literally dark world. The city is lighted by lamps, the sky is black, and nobody ever leaves. When Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow are assigned their jobs as citizens of Ember, they are excited at first, but soon become frightened as they discover that the city is running down, which is the worst possible thing that could ever happen. Then Lina’s granny remembers that something important was lost, which Lina finds, but not before her baby sister chews up the important piece of paper, leaving the writing on the paper in tatters. It’s labelled “Instructions for” something, so Lina and Doon try to figure out what it says before the city’s lights flicker out for the last time.
Here’s a delightful story that is both fun and deep at the same time. I’m still thinking about some of the implications of elements of the story, and still chuckling over others. The citizens of Ember have no concept of so many of the things that we take for granted, which is demonstrated time after time as they wonder about what words like “hogwash” and “treetop” mean. On the deep side of things, The City of Ember speaks profoundly about pride, greed, and the consequences of wrong choices. The only thing I really didn’t like was the slow beginning, but once that’s over, you have a book that deserves to be recognized as an excellent story for pretty much everybody. There’s a movie coming out on October 10th, which looks pretty good to me.
Posted by Ruth
Categories: Adventure, Fiction, Older Readers, Review
Tags:Award Winner, Lloyd Alexander, Westmark trilogy
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Being a printer’s apprentice could hardly be called dangerous work, but with the Chief Minister Cabbarus laying down laws left and right, Theo soon finds himself running for his life. For the sake of concealment, he falls in with the fraudulent Count Las Bombas, and through twists and turns, they are joined by Mickle, an orphan girl with a talented voice. Their journeys sweep them all over Westmark, involving a group of revolutionaries, a daring rescue mission, and an uncovered plot of the evil Cabbarus aspiring to take over the throne.
Overall, I don’t know that I can recommend this one as much as Lloyd Alexander’s Prydain Chronicles. This is supposed to be a book for children, but there were a couple of things that bothered me—moral issues of what is right and what is wrong often set Theo to wondering, but the other characters seem to shrug off his concerns. Also, there was a very small amount of swearing, which was completely unnecessary. Aside from these things, I was able to enjoy the story, and I may look into reading the second and third of the trilogy, but I can’t rank Westmark as one of Lloyd Alexander’s bests.
Posted by Jordan
Categories: Adventure, Fantasy, Fiction, Older Readers, Review
Tags:Animals, Dragons, Long Read, Scary, The Door Within, Unicorns, Wayne Thomas Batson
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The Realm is in grave danger as Paragor marches ever nearer with an immense army. Only the legendary three witnesses can save our friends from the previous books. Meanwhile, Aidan is still trying to get through to his friend Robby about the Realm and King Eliam. And Antoinette is still in the Realm, captured by Robby’s evil Glimpse. As Paragor’s army reaches Alleble, the three witnesses must be discovered, and everybody must choose whose side they are on.
This is an epic fantasy tale that moves quickly from page one all the way to the end. So quickly, in fact, that I almost feel like Wayne Thomas Batson could have split The Final Storm into two books and slowed down a little bit. However, that is my only major complaint with this one. The characters really come to life, there’s great humor, excitement, and a very satisfying ending.
Posted by Becca
Categories: Fiction, Review, Younger Readers
Tags:Animals, Clyde Robert Bulla, Easy Read, Good Read Aloud, Mules, Quick Read
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Coming home from a neighbor’s house, Don and his sister Jenny see a man beating a mule by the road. Don buys the mule out of pity for three dollars. At home, the mule causes problem after problem. Don’s father wants his son to get rid of the mule any way he can. But Don grows to love the mule and refuses to give him to just anybody.
Three-Dollar Mule is a great book for younger readers. It’s a nice story that is written in a simple manner. I may have enjoyed it more if I had read it when I was in the intended age group, but that’s not to say this story cannot stand the test of time. Three-Dollar Mule remains a good read, best-suited for the younger audience.
Posted by Ruth
Categories: Fantasy, Fiction, Older Readers, Review
Tags:Animals, Good Read Aloud, Hedgehogs, M. I. McAllister, Mistmantle Chronicles, Moles, Otters, Squirrels
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The animals on Mistmantle Island have always led peaceful lives, but things are thrown into chaos when the young Prince Tumble is found murdered right in a hallway of the royal Tower. As harsher laws are passed and events orchestrate themselves a little too well, it becomes evident that an evil intrigue has formed within the Circle—and will endanger the lives and welfare of many.
Urchin is only a new page and the squirrel who’s never quite fit in, but those few animals who know of his mysterious beginning are sure he’ll have a powerful impact on the destiny of the island.
This is certainly an enjoyable read. The populace of squirrels, hedgehogs, otters, and moles bears a similarity to the Redwall series, but I found the overall feel to be different enough that it doesn’t seem like a case of copycat. This was my second time through Urchin, and although I don’t consider it a must-read, it’s worthwhile if you enjoy this style of fantasy.
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