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31st out of 52 books
—
91 voters
Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King (The Guardians #1)
Don't miss The Rise of the Guardians, soon to be a major motion picture in theaters November 2012.Before SANTA was SANTA, he was North, Nicholas St. North—a daredevil swordsman whose prowess with double scimitars was legendary. Like any swashbuckling young warrior, North seeks treasure and adventure, leading him to the fiercely guarded village of Santoff Claussen, said to...more
Hardcover, 228 pages
Published
October 4th 2011
by Atheneum Books for Young Readers
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This enchanting tale glitters with the magic of the far north. An ancient evil has been unleashed on the unsuspecting village of Santoff Claussen: the evil Nightmare King and his army of Fearlings have come to steal the dreams of innocent children and replace them with terrors of the night. It’s up to the learned wizard Ombric, his young protégé Katherine, and the swashbuckling theif-turned-hero Nicholas St. North (who will one day be known as Santa Claus) to save the day.
The story unfolds in a...more
The story unfolds in a...more
To be quite honest, I don't know what I thought of this book.
It's imaginative, and original in that aspect. It has a cast of easily likeable, though not (yet)very in-depth characters, and uses the kind of imagery I truly loved when I was the age the book is actually meant for.
It's also slightly too fast-paced, with a myriad of interesting characters who you are given very little chance to get to know properly.
At turns, the story might become slightly predictable and to me it felt a little rushed...more
It's imaginative, and original in that aspect. It has a cast of easily likeable, though not (yet)very in-depth characters, and uses the kind of imagery I truly loved when I was the age the book is actually meant for.
It's also slightly too fast-paced, with a myriad of interesting characters who you are given very little chance to get to know properly.
At turns, the story might become slightly predictable and to me it felt a little rushed...more
Just finished Nicholas St North and the Battle of the Nightmare King and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It has the magic storytelling feel of the very first Harry Potter volume. It is the first book in the Guardian series by William Joyce upon which the animated movie Rise of the Guardians was based.
In this volume we meet Nicholas St. North, king of the Russian Cossack bandits--or at least, that's who he believes he is. Through his interactions with the Wizard Ombric and Katherine, the foundling child...more
In this volume we meet Nicholas St. North, king of the Russian Cossack bandits--or at least, that's who he believes he is. Through his interactions with the Wizard Ombric and Katherine, the foundling child...more
This book was exactly the sort I love to find in the children's section: it had the wonder and imagination of childhood while still offering danger and adventure. It kept me turning pages and the illustrations were gorgeous.
There were so many things about this book that I loved. All the twists given to childhood characters was one of the best. The Man in the Moon, the Boogeyman and of course Santa Claus were all done in fresh ways. I even liked how djinns and Abdominable Snowmen were used in the...more
There were so many things about this book that I loved. All the twists given to childhood characters was one of the best. The Man in the Moon, the Boogeyman and of course Santa Claus were all done in fresh ways. I even liked how djinns and Abdominable Snowmen were used in the...more
Nov 30, 2012
Michael Jones
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone who loves childlike adventure stories
This chapter book is a wonderful followup to The Man in the Moon picture book; I recommend reading them both, because each fills in details of the story that the other left out. This one is an adventure story which has magicians, bandits, a giant bear, nightmares, sword fights, Himalayan monks, an invincible robot, children, talking owls, a walking tree, moonbeams, Abominable Snowmen, and of course, the Man in the Moon. How exciting is THAT? The pacing is quick and fun; I didn't want to put it d...more
I stumbled upon this book when searching for a new author to read who wrote genre suitable for young people. Ah me, I must confess that although I'm a grandmother, I still enjoy stories that young people will learn to treasure because of the adventures, the lessons, the journeys the fantastic imagination can take the reader on, and conclusions that will leave the reader satisfied without fear, trauma or disgust. I've found that usually those books include children or teenagers as characters, alt...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Another lovely book from William Joyce, this is the first book of his "Guardians" series. This installment is a magical, fairytale style story of St. Nicholas (here, Nicholas St. North). In Joyce's world, St. North is a master thief who is magically persuaded to travel to the village of Santoff Claussen by the wizard Ombric. Ombric believes St. North is the one person who can help him defeat the evil Pitch and his shadowy Nightmare Men and Fearlings.
I really enjoyed Joyce's creativity in this bo...more
I really enjoyed Joyce's creativity in this bo...more
Reason for Reading: Next in the series.
Not since "The Spiderwick Chronicles" have I read a children's fantasy aimed at the 7-11 crowd that is so engaging, quality literature with awesome illustrations to bring the story to life. This book is not genre specific as it mixes fantasy, science fiction, steampunk, and fairytale retelling all together until one can't really categorize it. It takes place on our Earth and yet includes creatures from Atlantis and the Moon. As I was reading I often had a f...more
Not since "The Spiderwick Chronicles" have I read a children's fantasy aimed at the 7-11 crowd that is so engaging, quality literature with awesome illustrations to bring the story to life. This book is not genre specific as it mixes fantasy, science fiction, steampunk, and fairytale retelling all together until one can't really categorize it. It takes place on our Earth and yet includes creatures from Atlantis and the Moon. As I was reading I often had a f...more
I liked this book much better than the picture book that accompanies it. The idea of reading about Santa Claus before he became Santa Claus is pretty appealing, and the authors don't disappoint in painting him as a renegade swordwman intent on getting his hands on treasure, the more treasure the better. But his encounter with some children in the village of Santoff Claussen and the wizard who protects them changes him forever. He allies himself with the wizard, Ombric, to do battle against the N...more
This short novel for young readers (really, in the 6-8 range, I think) is full of wonder. It's set in a magical Earth in which an evil nightmare lord Pitch, arch-nemesis of the benevolent Man in the Moon, escapes his ancient bonds and sets out to invade the dreams of all of Earth's children. In his way stand the old wizard Ombric Shalazar, his former-bandit-turned-apprentice Nicholas St. North, their mechanical djinni and the girl Katherine. Along the way we encounter a mysterious spectral boy,...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I saw the movie "Rise of the Guardians" and it blew me away. Then I found out that it was based on a series of books and my first thought was: AHHH! If the movie was that great, the books are probably even more incredible. Not so much.
It may be because these books are meant for ages 7-11 so I won't be too critical. The language is pretty simple and there is not a lot of depth to the story. I'm probably too used to YA stuff like Harry Potter to really appreciate this book but it just doesn't seem...more
It may be because these books are meant for ages 7-11 so I won't be too critical. The language is pretty simple and there is not a lot of depth to the story. I'm probably too used to YA stuff like Harry Potter to really appreciate this book but it just doesn't seem...more
I read this book because I found out the Rise of the Guardians movie is based off of this series. I had seen these books about, but hadn't payed them much attention, now I am sad I didn't.
This book reminds me of a cross between Narnia and, maybe Redwall. It is filled with everything adults forget when they grow up. Imagination, adventure, the very idea that maybe science is magic.
North is a greedy bandit who has never known friendship and cares only about himself, or so he likes to think. Ho...more
This book reminds me of a cross between Narnia and, maybe Redwall. It is filled with everything adults forget when they grow up. Imagination, adventure, the very idea that maybe science is magic.
North is a greedy bandit who has never known friendship and cares only about himself, or so he likes to think. Ho...more
Truly excellent! The amount of imagination in this story made me sail through the pages. Despite being based on childhood stories that everyone knows, the material feels original and fresh. The characters are quite amazing.
I did read the picture book Man in the Moon before I read this one, and because of that I felt I had a better handle on the side story that is mentioned in this larger one. I recommend other readers look into that.
As for librarians, I feel we can really work with this. I am t...more
I did read the picture book Man in the Moon before I read this one, and because of that I felt I had a better handle on the side story that is mentioned in this larger one. I recommend other readers look into that.
As for librarians, I feel we can really work with this. I am t...more
So my journey to this book involved several steps. I was at Half-Price wasting some time and literally perusing each shelf in the children's section until I stumbled upon an aesthetically pleasing book that seemed to tell the story of Santa Claus, before he become St. Nick. Apparently he was a daredevil swordsman, ruffian, and notorious outlaw. I filed away the book and meant to follow up once I got home. Fast forward and I as at Joseph Beth Booksellers to pick up a book that had come in for me...more
Read this and other reviews at my blog, Words and Tea Bottles.
What can I say about this book? Nothing negative that I can really think of. There’s a reason these books were popular enough to make a movie, after all. My sister has all three that are out so far, and so I’ll be borrowing the second and third as soon as possible.
Anyway, people reading this review may be familiar with the movie Rise of the Guardians, but Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King actually does not have a...more
What can I say about this book? Nothing negative that I can really think of. There’s a reason these books were popular enough to make a movie, after all. My sister has all three that are out so far, and so I’ll be borrowing the second and third as soon as possible.
Anyway, people reading this review may be familiar with the movie Rise of the Guardians, but Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King actually does not have a...more
This is the first book in The Guardian series and quite a good start. Nicholas St. North captured me and even after reading the last page I was still in its grasp. It is a well written, imaginative, adventure that is almost a prequel to Santa Claus. This is not a Christmas story and there is no mention of the jolly fellow. Instead it is a story of Omberic, the wizard who protects the town of Santa Claussen, and the man in the moon finding someone who can help them defeat Pitch, the nightmare kin...more
I picked this up after watching Rise of the Guardians, obviously (great movie, by the way). The story was so heartwarming and I fell in love with the characters, so when I heard mention of the novels, I had to check them out. I didn't plan to read them at first, but when I read the first chapter, I was hooked on the writing.
The novel is written in storybook style. Meaning, it's all tell and very little show. Dialogue is scarce. But this is a children's book, and there's nothing wrong with this...more
The novel is written in storybook style. Meaning, it's all tell and very little show. Dialogue is scarce. But this is a children's book, and there's nothing wrong with this...more
I saw the movie trailer and decided that maybe this book would be the one that grabbed my twelve year old sons attention to reading. You see, he has a reading disability and tries to shy away from reading at all cost. Yesterday, I started reading this book with him and tonight was the first time that he asked to try to continue reading without me. So, thank you William Joyce for this amazing book and introducing the fantastical and brilliant world of reading to my son.
Okay, first of all, I feel it necessary to establish that I think William Joyce is an American treasure. A top-tier illustrator of many, many children's books, overflowing with imagination. Check out Santa Calls, or Dinosaur Bob, or the Rolie Polie Olie books (and associated television show, which worked a sort of throwback to the early Disney stuff). Joyce is amazing, and his Moonbot Studios is responsible for this year's Academy Award Winning short film, The Fantastic Flying Books of Morris Le...more
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The illustrations are breath-taking, the basic characters are intriguing. I would have loved this when I was a kid. But I find there are some concepts, phrases, ideas and such that just come out of nowhere and are there solely to be "unique". There's even a paragraph at the end where Katherine "thinks" about them all: a recap of sorts. I felt like that reading the book -- few concepts were delved into with any depth and seemed to exist just to sound awesome.
Santoff Claussen is a painful name for...more
Santoff Claussen is a painful name for...more
This book was not at all what I expected but, I don't mean that to sound negative in the least. Let me start by saying that I bought 2 copies of it so I could read 1 & give the other to my nephew for Christmas. I'd seen the trailer for Rise of the Guardians & when I heard it was based on this book I had to read it.
It is written as a legend of how Santa Claus came to be well, Santa Claus! If you think though that you can read this novel & finish with an answer you are wrong. It is ju...more
It is written as a legend of how Santa Claus came to be well, Santa Claus! If you think though that you can read this novel & finish with an answer you are wrong. It is ju...more
In the remote, magical town of Santoff Claussen lives a great wizard Ombric. There he teaches the village children magic and all is well, until the day the Nightmare King's "fearlings" try to invade. Nicholas St. North, formerly a ruffian, joins forces with Ombric and the mysterious spectral boy to stop him.
The book is beautifully done with lovely illustrations and the writing was lovely and poetic, but I just never got attached to the characters and that's what really makes a book for me. I al...more
The book is beautifully done with lovely illustrations and the writing was lovely and poetic, but I just never got attached to the characters and that's what really makes a book for me. I al...more
What a cute middle grade book.
Before Santa Claus was Santa Claus, he was Nicholas St. North; a thief, a bandit, and a skilled swordsman. The children of Earth are in danger as Pitch Black awakens again from an induced sleep prison and seeks revenge in the suffering and fear of children. The Man in the Moon chooses North and decides to test him to see if he would make a powerful guardian of the children.
The movie, Rise of the Guardians, is based off this series. This is apparently 200 years befo...more
Before Santa Claus was Santa Claus, he was Nicholas St. North; a thief, a bandit, and a skilled swordsman. The children of Earth are in danger as Pitch Black awakens again from an induced sleep prison and seeks revenge in the suffering and fear of children. The Man in the Moon chooses North and decides to test him to see if he would make a powerful guardian of the children.
The movie, Rise of the Guardians, is based off this series. This is apparently 200 years befo...more
Kids have been checking this series out like crazy, so I thought I'd try one out in order to alleviate some GRE-induced brain rot.
The story and characters are shallow, but the cozy world that Joyce creates was fun to inhabit for a while. It goes off the rails around the midpoint, when the story accelerates and begins making flying leaps from plot point to plot point. By the last quarter or so, I was skimming because the end was so clearly sketched out beforehand.
I was impressed by the eloquent...more
The story and characters are shallow, but the cozy world that Joyce creates was fun to inhabit for a while. It goes off the rails around the midpoint, when the story accelerates and begins making flying leaps from plot point to plot point. By the last quarter or so, I was skimming because the end was so clearly sketched out beforehand.
I was impressed by the eloquent...more
Nov 28, 2012
Leonardo
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Children of all ages
Los cuentos de hadas parecen ser los nuevos vampiros de la cultura pop y la saga del "Origen de los guardianes" forma parte de la oleada de nuevas versiones de los cuentos de hadas que caracterizan el inicio de la segunda mitad del siglo XXI. Herederos de J. K. Rowling y de Gregory Maguire, William Joyce y Laura Geringer comparten las virtudes y defectos de ambos autores. La premisa es ambiciosa y emocionante. ¿Quién no quisiera ir más allá de la imagen plana y trivializada de Santa Clos o el Co...more
This is how I think of William Joyce, the author of the Guardians of Childhood series. It's like Philip Reeve (of the children/YA series "Larklight") and Tony DiTerlizzi were part of a big writing family, and William Joyce is their cooler older brother. I'm saying this because he has elements of Reeve's writing style with the cool illustration abilities of DiTerlizzi. Plus there's also a dash of L. Frank Baum in there too, another author that I love.
Anyways, I really enjoyed the first book in t...more
Anyways, I really enjoyed the first book in t...more
I received the box set of the first three books in the series from a friend; I was absolutely enchanted by Rise of the Guardians, and I wanted to know more about this world, these wonderful interpretations of characters that we so often take for granted when we're children. Given how much I enjoyed the film, and the good reviews from my friend, I was expecting a lot from this, and I was not disappointed in the slightest. Joyce's prose is absolutely enthralling, the world he creates as tangible a...more
Hmm...this is a tough one to review. I was intrigued by this book because a movie is being made of it in the fall of 2012. I thought it might be a great candidate for a beginning of the school year read-a-loud. I read it through the lens of an average fourth grader and I think a lot of fourth graders would be confused in reading this book. Despite the confusion, it was interesting, extremely clever, and full of action. The concept of how Santa became Santa is a good one for elementary readers, b...more
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| Goodreads Librari...: ISBN 9781442430488 - 228 pages not 288. | 2 | 26 | Dec 20, 2011 07:06pm |
Award-winning author and filmmaker William Joyce is working on a new series of picture books and chapter books. In "The Guardians of Childhood," readers learn the "formative stories of childhood legends," Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing announced Monday.
The first two books come out in the fall.
Joyce has created characters for "Toy Story" and other films and also is known for such books...more
More about William Joyce...
The first two books come out in the fall.
Joyce has created characters for "Toy Story" and other films and also is known for such books...more
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