Journey from the Centre of the Earth

by Isobelle Carmody, Marc McBride

In the form of a conversation, two boys tell a story about the fate of the mountain guide's duck from Jules Verne's Journey to the Centre of the Earth. They imagine that the duck, left behind by the adventurers, becomes lonely and makes his way to the surface meeting monsters and mushroom creatures along the way. A sophisticated picture book. Suggested level: primary.

Genres: Picture Books

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Isobelle Carmody began the first novel of her highly acclaimed Obernewtyn Chronicles while she was still in high school. The series has established her at the forefront of fantasy writing in Australia.

In addition to her young-adult novels, such as the Obernewtyn Chronicles and Alyzon Whitestarr, Isobelle's published works include several middle-grade fantasies. Her still-unfinished Gateway Trilogy has been favorably compared to The Wizard of Oz and the Chronicles of Narnia. The Little Fur quartet is an eco-fantasy starring a half-elf, half-troll heroine and is fully illustrated by the author herself.

Isobelle's most recent picture book, Magic Night, is a collaboration with illustrator Declan Lee. Originally published in Australia as The Wrong Thing, the book features an ordinary housecat who stumbles upon something otherworldly. Across all her writing, Isobelle shows a talent for balancing the mundane and the fantastic.

Isobelle was the guest of honor at the 2007 Australian National Science Fiction Convention. She has received numerous honors for her writing, including multiple Aurealis Awards and Children's Book Council of Australia Awards.

She currently divides her time between her home on the Great Ocean Road in Australia and her travels abroad with her partner and daughter.

Librarian's note: Penguin Australia is publishing the Obernewtyn Chronicles in six books, and The Stone Key is book five. In the United States and Canada this series is published by Random House in eight books; this Penguin Australia book is split into two parts and published as Wavesong (Book Five) and The Stone Key (Book Six).

Reviews

[Frogmouth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book!! In my opinion it's a little gem that outshines even Obernewtyn! This book is not what you expect. It whimsically asks the question of what happened to the duck that they left behind under the earth in the Jules Verne novel. We are then treated to the wonderful story of how the duck found his way back home to the surface, the amazing places under the earth, and the friend he made on his journey.

The duck does find his way out, but the ending is touchingly bittersweet, and will touch your heart.

[Adele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple to read but it is an exciting book from the interesting illustrations. It incorporates speech which you could read and get children to create a conversation they would have from the experience.

[bin · Rating 4 out of 5]

had a really sweet ending.