The publishing industry has limits on how many books it can produce each year, which has always made published authors part of an exclusive club. B...
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First published in 1872, The Princess and the Goblin is still a wonderful children’s story. I read an unabridged version that was a little wordier—more old-fashioned—than the abridged version I read in college, but I was amazed at all the layers of m...more
First published in 1872, The Princess and the Goblin is still a wonderful children’s story. I read an unabridged version that was a little wordier—more old-fashioned—than the abridged version I read in college, but I was amazed at all the layers of meaning I picked up on this time around that I missed back then. I can’t say if this was due to the abridgment, or if I’ve simply become a more astute reader.
In the story, Princess Irene and a young miner named Curdie are thrown into an adventure together despite their difference in station. In fact, they find they’re easy friends. Together, they stand against the race of goblins that lives under the mountain and seeks to destroy the human kingdom. They are both very good children—nearly perfect—and learn lessons of truthfulness, humbleness, friendship, faith and honor. It is a fairy tale and contains some moralistic tones that were common in the era during which it was written. This gives the book a quaint feeling, but the story is very engaging. I remember how surprised I was in college by how much I liked it despite its being assigned reading.
George MacDonald was a contemporary of Lewis Carroll (The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland), and he was an author both JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis cited as having a strong influence on their work. He was also a Scottish minister, and veiled elements of faith are threaded throughout the story much as Lewis’ does in his Chronicles of Narnia.
Princess Irene has a great-great grandmother that only she can see. She reminds me of a fairy godmother except she’s even greater, more God-like. She gives Irene a thread to follow when she is in trouble that will guide her to safety. There is much commentary about faith and trust and belief in what cannot be seen. I liked Irene’s comment to Curdie, who doubts she has a grandmother at all, “If you don’t know what I mean, what right have you to call it nonsense?”
These elements are a little harder to pick out than those in Narnia. I missed them completely in college. (I can’t believe how much I missed!) It was the story that I enjoyed: the underground caverns, the danger, the odd world of the goblins, the fairy tale life of the princess, the likeableness of Curdie, the way he warded off evil with rhyme. I have a deeper appreciation for the whole of the work now, but I think kids will primarily be drawn into the adventure, as I was. There are several abridged versions available in paperback and digital versions, but the unabridged version is free for Kindle (Awesome!), and it’s very readable. I’d recommended it for kids 6+, with an independent reading level of perhaps fourth or fifth grade. The vocabulary isn’t difficult, but sentence structures are a bit more complex than today’s style. There is a sequel entitled The Princess and Curdie, which I also plan to read.(less)
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I happened onto this book during a free promo and approached it very cautiously. You see, about five percent of the books I find for free do I actually finish—or even get beyond page fifteen. This one looked cute, however, and I was impressed with th...more
I happened onto this book during a free promo and approached it very cautiously. You see, about five percent of the books I find for free do I actually finish—or even get beyond page fifteen. This one looked cute, however, and I was impressed with the sample text, so I settled in for a longer read. It ended up being a wonderful surprise!
Within, Greg Hart is about to start seventh grade, and he’s not really looking forward to it. True, he is the fastest kid in his class, but that’s mainly because he’s had so much practice fleeing dangers like Manny Malice. And he’s got a great imagination. His journal is filled with the feats of daring he’s accomplished in his own mind. That’s why he thinks he’s dreaming again when he’s sucked into the land of Myrth.
In Myrth, the people live by prophecy. Seriously, it’s almost law that prophecies MUST BE FULFILLED, and the people do everything in their power to see it done. So when Greg Hart finds out he’s the fabled Greghart of prophecy, the Greghart destined to slay the dragon Ruuan and rescue the princess, he’s notably alarmed. But he’s forced into action, accompanied by a young man by the name of Lucky. (“Oh, and I’m Lucky,” the boy in orange added quickly. Greg stared at him dumbly. “Good for you.” “No, I mean my name is Lucky. Short for Luke.” “Actually, it’s longer,” Greg said.)
On their journey, they meet a variety of quirky characters: Melvin, spiteful little brother to the legendary dragon-slayer, Marvin; feisty Princess Pricilla, who insists on being called Sasha and sets out to slay the dragon herself; and Bart the Bard, who has an annoying habit of singing ballads of death and destruction just before Greg heads into danger. Together they’re attacked by a bollywomp, chased by falchions, and march to battle against a valley full of “razor teeth” —with Greg protesting all the way. Oddly enough, things do work out, just not at all in the way you’d expect it to.
My reaction? Sweet! (As in, I totally loved it!) This book has great characters and great action and adventure. I wasn’t quite as impressed with the settings. (I felt a little bit like I was walking around on a map.) But this is truly one of the funniest books I’ve ever read. Not just turn-up-the-corner-of-your-smile funny, but big-toothy-grin funny, and sometimes even crack-up-out-loud funny. It’s not the type of book you’d want to break open, say, in a crowd of strangers, or during a funeral, or when your teacher’s lecturing. But it’s great for most other times.
Here are a few more of my favorite quotes:
His name was Manny Malistino, only everyone called him Manny Malice, or better yet, Sir, if they thought he might be listening.
Better a live coward than a dead hero, he’d (Greg) always believed.
“Get some sleep.” Yes, of course. Wouldn’t want to be tired when I’m killed by the witch.
“Now, would you prefer to be roasted, mauled, or eaten?” If ever there was a question that deserved to be rhetorical… “Are there any other choices?”
The action, humor and word plays will appeal to the middle school crowd, though there’s absolutely nothing to prevent younger ones from reading. Language and content are perfectly clean. I’d highly recommend it for ages 10+.(less)
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" That's funny that 12 said 10 is too young! :) But I think I'd agree with her. I thought long and hard about my 12-year-old joining "everybody" and dec...more
That's funny that 12 said 10 is too young! :) But I think I'd agree with her. I thought long and hard about my 12-year-old joining "everybody" and decided against until she's 14. I don't think she could handle it yet. Third grade is ridiculous.(less)
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"Lol. I just read the first four with my boys this spring. They LOVED them.
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At 870 pages, this is a very long book. It takes a dedicated child reader to finish, but Rowling seems to draw those in abundance. Needless to say, the book covers a lot of ground. Within, the home of Sirius Black has become headquarters for those wh...more
At 870 pages, this is a very long book. It takes a dedicated child reader to finish, but Rowling seems to draw those in abundance. Needless to say, the book covers a lot of ground. Within, the home of Sirius Black has become headquarters for those who believe Voldemort is back and are working to oppose him. These dedicated folks call themselves the Order of the Phoenix.
The Ministry of Magic, however, at the control of Cornelius Fudge, has taken a firm public stance against Dumbledore’s warning about the Dark Lord’s return. Fudge plants Dolores Umbridge (I really hate her!) at the school and gives her more and more authority. Under her headship, Hogwarts resembles a communist regime. Harry gets banned from Quidditch for life, and physical punishments get rather harsh. Students are even forbidden to practice defensive spells, as Fudge holds the irrational fear that Dumbledore is training an army to overthrow him. Harry, Ron and Hermione, however, take matters into their own hands.
Meanwhile, the connection between Harry and Voldemort via Harry’s scar has become more pronounced. Harry dreams he is Voldemort, and when he wakes, the dreams have become reality. But the Dark Lord, too, has become aware of the connection and uses it to manipulate Harry into a trap. Deep within the bowels of the Ministry of Magic, a dozen or so Death Eaters and Harry and his five friends face off in the fight of their lives. In the end, we find out why Voldemort chose to target Harry in the first place, why they continue to cross wands, and what final desperate conclusion they are destined to reach.
This time around, I have to comment on the realistic feeling of institution in these books. In this, Harry’s fifth year, he and his classmates must take their OWL (ordinary wizarding level) exams. To continue to NEWT (Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests – seventh year) level studies, the OWL score in a particular subject must be at least an E (exceeds expectations) or an O (outstanding). After their OWLS, students discuss their career options and course choices with their House advisors. This hierarchy of magical difficulty gives Hogwarts academics and the whole wizard economy a feeling of authenticity.
I also have to mention broomsticks. Quidditch is to the wizard world what soccer is to the UK. Everyone has posters of their favorite teams, and everyone plays pick-up games in their backyard (provided they’re safely away from Muggle eyes). And everyone owns a broom. There’s the Cleansweep series, the old Comets, the Shooting Star, the safe and reliable Bluebottle designed for family use, and the Silver Arrow. Harry owned a top-of-the-line Nimbus 2000 until it was pulverized by the Whomping Willow. He then received a world-class Firebolt (which, incidentally, was used by both the Bulgarian and Irish teams in the 1994 Quidditch World Cup match). If you look on the web, you’ll find pages and pages about the history and manufacturers of brooms throughout the wizarding ages. What a hoot! And what I wouldn’t give to kick off and take a spin around a Quidditch pitch.
There are a few negative elements that warrant attention. As is common in the series, The Order of the Phoenix contains a few minor profanities. Also, at one point Voldemort attempts to possess Harry, but he’s repulsed by Harry’s goodness. Prophecies delivered by seers in a trans-like state are spoken in deep, harsh voices. There’s a lot of rule-breaking going on, and Harry, after suffering a tragic loss, goes off the deep end and lambasts Professor Dumbledore with insupportable disrespect.
Despite all this, I still think all twelve-year-olds should have the opportunity to visit Hogwarts. It’s a journey into imagination and fun unlike any they’ve ever taken.(less)
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Engaging, suspenseful, and squeaky – Ms. Haddix has done it again in her third installment of her Missing series. In this one, Jonah and Kathryn are sent back to the lost colony of Roanoke with, you guessed it, Virginia Dare. Only this time things do...more
Engaging, suspenseful, and squeaky – Ms. Haddix has done it again in her third installment of her Missing series. In this one, Jonah and Kathryn are sent back to the lost colony of Roanoke with, you guessed it, Virginia Dare. Only this time things don’t go according to JB’s plans.
The veteran time traveler sends them off as usual, but someone named Second interferes, breaking a lot of time rules in the process. The elucidator promptly disappears, and the kids are thrown off track. They have no idea what year they’ve landed in. And tracers here seem damaged somehow. They certainly don’t behave as tracers usually do. Where are they? WHEN are they? Who’s Second? And what are they supposed to do now?
Sabotaged moves a little more slowly than the other two books did. Questions linger a long time and information is slow in coming. I felt like I was jogging in place through the middle, as the kids don’t really do much for several chapters except ask questions and try to find a familiar tracer. And the historical character of John White had so much potential, but all he does is sleep. He’s a disappointing non-character. Also in this edition, suddenly everything has a tracer – plants, birds, bugs, houses. I thought this element of suspense felt a little contrived.
However, the book also has some wonderful elements. The problems that can arise with time travel are diverse and complex. The possibilities kept me entertained and seriously stretched my imagination. And Ms. Haddix finishes off with an exciting conclusion that contains a completely satisfying explanation and a lot of “ah-ha” moments. And, as in the other books, this one is speckled with moments of depth and wisdom. For example, JB comforts the kids with a pretty wise life philosophy, “…I’ve seen so many ways that wrong things can turn out to be right after all, that bad can lead to good, that no one can get the good without the bad coming first…”
The book also includes some real thought provokers. The kids find themselves in a situation in which they must choose to save a man’s life or follow their training and let time take its natural course. Changing history could create a dangerous paradox, for example, accidentally making it so their parents were never born. “Or you might make other things change – so that, I don’t know… Hitler wins World War II,” Jonah warns. But Second justify his own time-tampering by asking, “What if we make it so that Hitler never starts World War II?”
In the end, Second manages to create the first ever Time Shift which results in the release of a time ripple. The kids get sent whirling off to another year where they must attempt to mend time while JB gets stuck living through the year 1600. His ability to leave hinges on Jonah and Kathryn’s success in the future, as time is all connected. This uncharted territory will be the basis for book four, Torn, which I’m promptly off to locate…(less)
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