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Ryan and Essie
The story of how Ryan and Essie went into a great new world--and what they did there . . .
All his life, 11-year-old Ryan has dreamed of becoming an astronomer--but not, it turns out, of actually going into space. When a public event brings a complete stranger named Essie to the observatory his father directs, she bounces into Ryan's alcove.
Ryan's life will never be the same again. And neither will the lives of a whole lot of other people.
All his life, 11-year-old Ryan has dreamed of becoming an astronomer--but not, it turns out, of actually going into space. When a public event brings a complete stranger named Essie to the observatory his father directs, she bounces into Ryan's alcove.
Ryan's life will never be the same again. And neither will the lives of a whole lot of other people.
172 pages, Paperback
First published October 6, 2015
1 person is currently reading
6 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Scheele
20 books59 followersSarah Scheele began writing before she could hold a pen and was telling stories before she could talk. An avid reader, she's always enjoyed classics as well as fantasy and movies. She lives surrounded by cultivated fields that rapidly give way to wild flowers, wild plants, and wild life and can always be found scribbling away at a new project. Or exercising her beloved, blind Pomeranian, although Pom prefers to vegetate indoors.
Check out her books in paperback and ebook on Amazon. Reviews always welcome. https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003E4YMKS
Check out her books in paperback and ebook on Amazon. Reviews always welcome. https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003E4YMKS
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 24, 2015
When you think " recently written fantasy" you think something like Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Divergent, not to mention all the gallons of wannabe LOTR stuff out there.
This book is not like them.
Its more like the original fantasy writers of the past, the great guys who started the whole "nerdiness is cool" fantasy craze of the 20th century--like C.S. Lewis, and Lloyd Alexander, and yes, even like Tolkien. :P Its not escapism for nerds, its not churned out entertainment for a market who will read anything that reminds them of Viggo Mortensen and Elijah Wood..
Its a story to read for its own sake.
Ryan and Essie are absolute opposites. He's a boy, she's a girl. He's a nerd and brilliant at school, she's impulsive and thoughtless and runs around everywhere like a puppy. They drive each other nuts. The fight gets ugly. And when a space rocket accidentally hurls them into an outer space civilization filled with lies, mysteries, and magic...well, everything explodes.
The end will make you cry. Especially ( spoilers here) the characters of Ryan's dead sister and Essie's dead brother--alive and well in this other planet--are a beautiful handling of a sensitive theme. The soul of the person you lost is somewhere out there watching you, and you will just have to look up at the stars to know it...
A very funny book, with snarky dialogue good enough to be on TV, and emotionally deep allegories that will teach readers old and young.
May you learn from this book, and have a blast at the same time, just like Ryan and Essie did.
And may you learn, as they did, to love someone who is nothing like you. :)
This book is not like them.
Its more like the original fantasy writers of the past, the great guys who started the whole "nerdiness is cool" fantasy craze of the 20th century--like C.S. Lewis, and Lloyd Alexander, and yes, even like Tolkien. :P Its not escapism for nerds, its not churned out entertainment for a market who will read anything that reminds them of Viggo Mortensen and Elijah Wood..
Its a story to read for its own sake.
Ryan and Essie are absolute opposites. He's a boy, she's a girl. He's a nerd and brilliant at school, she's impulsive and thoughtless and runs around everywhere like a puppy. They drive each other nuts. The fight gets ugly. And when a space rocket accidentally hurls them into an outer space civilization filled with lies, mysteries, and magic...well, everything explodes.
The end will make you cry. Especially ( spoilers here) the characters of Ryan's dead sister and Essie's dead brother--alive and well in this other planet--are a beautiful handling of a sensitive theme. The soul of the person you lost is somewhere out there watching you, and you will just have to look up at the stars to know it...
A very funny book, with snarky dialogue good enough to be on TV, and emotionally deep allegories that will teach readers old and young.
May you learn from this book, and have a blast at the same time, just like Ryan and Essie did.
And may you learn, as they did, to love someone who is nothing like you. :)
April 16, 2016
Sarah Scheele's tale starts out in a normal enough world: Ryan and Essie meet at an observatory in Texas, where Ryan spends a lot of time because his dad is an astronomer and which Essie, who is home schooled, visits on a field trip with her parents. The two kids are complete opposites and really start off on the wrong foot. Studious, arrogant Ryan and overly outgoing Essie are probably the most realistic average modern-day middle-schoolers I’ve ever read. They certainly have their faults and are sometimes downright nasty to each other, but the way they interact and argue is rather entertaining. I cared about them and wanted to see them friends…if left unchecked, kids that age get so wrapped up in themselves they don’t realize the need to understand other people. And that’s what the relationship part of the story is largely about—kids learning how to respect each other. And the way Ryan and Essie learn is a way no child reading this will soon forget.
Ending up on a space shuttle through Essie’s thoughtlessness, and getting sucked into a wormhole, also via Essie’s thoughtlessness, the kids end up at a planet called Caricanus. There they are plunged into an adventure involving alien royalty, magical pillars, the fates of planets, and astonishing discoveries about themselves. I’m somewhat of a dunce when it comes to the names of places and “people” groups in science fiction, so I was a bit lost when there were so many to remember, but I doubt scifi lovers will have a problem with that.
The suspense kept me turning pages, the characters were funny and had snappy dialogue, the foreign galaxy was fun to imagine, and the ending made me tear up. The book includes biblical allusions and a strong lesson that kids won’t even know they’re learning until wham! And then they’ll care so much about the story and be so happy at the conclusion that they’ll care about the message.
I agree with another reviewer: Ms. Scheele’s narrative style in this book reminds me of C. S. Lewis’s (and other classic author’s) children’s books. Think of characters like Edmund and Eustace. Readers can stand back and recognize (even be entertained by) the foibles of the characters, but still follow along and care about what happens. It’s a good style for children, I think, because the kids aren’t encouraged to have the same wrong feelings as the protagonists. At the same time, however, there isn’t enough distance to make readers feel like they’re reading from leagues above these characters, either.
Sorry…there I go philosophizing about writing styles. But anyway, I recommend this fun book for kids who like science fiction or fantasy, say from age eight to fourteen or so, or really, for any age—it’s one that adults and young adults like me can enjoy!
I was provided a free copy of this book for my unbiased review.
Ending up on a space shuttle through Essie’s thoughtlessness, and getting sucked into a wormhole, also via Essie’s thoughtlessness, the kids end up at a planet called Caricanus. There they are plunged into an adventure involving alien royalty, magical pillars, the fates of planets, and astonishing discoveries about themselves. I’m somewhat of a dunce when it comes to the names of places and “people” groups in science fiction, so I was a bit lost when there were so many to remember, but I doubt scifi lovers will have a problem with that.
The suspense kept me turning pages, the characters were funny and had snappy dialogue, the foreign galaxy was fun to imagine, and the ending made me tear up. The book includes biblical allusions and a strong lesson that kids won’t even know they’re learning until wham! And then they’ll care so much about the story and be so happy at the conclusion that they’ll care about the message.
I agree with another reviewer: Ms. Scheele’s narrative style in this book reminds me of C. S. Lewis’s (and other classic author’s) children’s books. Think of characters like Edmund and Eustace. Readers can stand back and recognize (even be entertained by) the foibles of the characters, but still follow along and care about what happens. It’s a good style for children, I think, because the kids aren’t encouraged to have the same wrong feelings as the protagonists. At the same time, however, there isn’t enough distance to make readers feel like they’re reading from leagues above these characters, either.
Sorry…there I go philosophizing about writing styles. But anyway, I recommend this fun book for kids who like science fiction or fantasy, say from age eight to fourteen or so, or really, for any age—it’s one that adults and young adults like me can enjoy!
I was provided a free copy of this book for my unbiased review.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews