Darius Bell and the Glitter Pool

Darius Bell #1

by Odo Hirsch

What Darius sees if enough to dazzle anyone. But it is really what is appears to be? Is it enough to save his family?

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Childrens, Realistic Fiction, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Family

214 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Odo Hirsch was born and grew up in Melbourne, where he trained to be a doctor. He now lives in London and writes excellent books that are published not only in Australia but also in the US, UK, Netherlands, Korea, Germany, and Italy.

For more information, please see http://www.answers.com/topic/odo-hirsch

Reviews

[Thomas · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was brutally forced to read this book (rather just a couple of hundred pages with words) by whoever was in charge of the Year 7 reading list. I hated it. It made me want to kill myself. It was worthy 5 pages of reading, and the rest was just about strawberries and Margaret and romance and Hector Bell having a mental breakdown and five year old humor. Great book, would burn again.

[Tonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this children's book and I'm looking forward to covering it at school. It's a great story with lots of red herrings and plot twists. It has a nice mix of comedy and thought provoking ideas, and a few whimsical characters who give the book a bit of a Chris Riddell vibe. Each new character is introduced with a short description that will provide some great models for the students' writing. The language is also great. Two things I noticed are firstly, the kindle edition has page 158 in the wrong place (it's between page 163 and 164), and secondly the book seems to be set in the UK (the British names for vegetables are used) and yet there's a reference to the rustle of possums. I'm not sure what that's about!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this because it's shortlisted for the Australian CBCA Book of the Year 2010 - and it's terrific!
It takes a little while to get going, and the setting on a British estate seems a bit remote from Australian kids' lives, but it follows the classic adventure format in a most interesting way. Darius is a beaut kid with some dorky friends and an annoying older brother; his father is a daydreamer and his mother is a lovable optimist and neither of them have any idea how to solve a very pressing problem...
By law and by tradition, the family has to donate an impressive gift, the Bell Gift, to the town every 25 years. Previous gifts have been bits of civic sculpture and some stained glass windows, but now the family doesn't have any money. Mr Podcock the Mayor can't wait till the Bells default on the gift and have to relinquish the estate forever.
To tell more would be to spoil the story - let's just say that there are some nicely plotted cliff-hangers and disappointments, and that it all ends up happily ever after but not as the reader expects.
I bet some film-maker has optioned this story; it would make a lovely film.

[I Just]

This was literally the worst book I have ever read. If anyone ever recommends this book to you, run. I had to read this book for a project but let me tell you I would not have go to the end of it otherwise. Not sure who is in charge of the Australian Kiddies Booklist Awards or whatever they are called but I think they need serious psychiatric help. This book is currently sitting in my rubbish bin. It really says something about the quality of this book that I made this account just to warn you against subjecting yourself to the horror that is Darius Bell and the Glitter Pool. The story-line is an embarrassing mockery of an adventure. The characters are dull, basic, annoying, and completely lacking of any development or intricate character writing. Basically half the book is Darius making a sorry attempt at flirting with some girl who is just so incredibly boring that I cannot remember a single detail about her. There is an entire chapter about eating strawberries which really did not add anything to the story and was frankly boring and stupid.

[Cam_is_awesome]

Alright book

[Gracie]

:)

[Janos · Rating 2 out of 5]

Adolescent sexuality is the dominant theme of this coming-of-age story, particularly through the use of yonic symbols, which appear everywhere in the book. To portray the teenage boy's obsession with vaginas is understandable, but Hirsch's sustained focus on the eating of strawberries probably says more about the author's oral fixation than the experience of the average teenage boy. The image of Cyrus alone, pleasuring himself secretly in his "jungle house", isn't especially insightful. And as for the "glitter pool" itself, the watery, subterranean cave into which Darius descends so that the young female character can give him her "gift", this is a bit of an antiquated attitude, especially Darius' disappointment when he learns the rubies turn out to be relatively worthless vanadinite, the blood he believed to be from her torn hymen turned out merely to be the catamenia of her menstruation: not the most positive portrayal of female sexuality. Overall, the way the novel obscures its message with nonliteral use of language only reinforces shame and embarrassment about the body, which is already too common in youth.

[quandale dingle · Rating 1 out of 5]

ah where do i start. i was forced to read this ''book'' and my experience was so traumatic i still suffer from PTSD. darius bell is a toe-eyed-cabbage and i hope that VARIOUS LAYERS AND VARIETIES OF MOSS GROWS IN HIS LIVING ROOM. furthermore i have discovered that despite my best efforts, the book refuses to be damaged in any way shape or form. it is clearly possessed, as no other object in my household is capable of surviving stabs, fire, water damage, being dropped off a building, or being mauled by a pack of wolves. if you are sane i would strongly reccomend that you DO NOT read this book, as it is everything that's wrong with this world, and is truly horrible to read. anyway, i'm off to experiment with real-life fall damage.

[Ellen McMahon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun, quick YA read. Delightfully cute. I love Hirsch's way with words. The highlight for me was Darius' friend Paul Klasky, whose enthusiasm for (and blatant misuse of) cliched expressions was as hilarious as it was endearing.

[Elsa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Call it nostalgia, but I loved Odo Hirsch’s books when I was a 10 year old, and I love them now, 15 years on. This is the kind of book I would be very happy to read to my cousins as a bedtime story and one that I enjoyed revisiting during Melbourne’s 6th lockdown.

[Ruby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Odo Hirsch is a great author. He has clever characters and an intriguing plot. This is a good read, along with his other stories like this!

[Zoe MacGregor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Top book, Darius is instantly likeable

[Charlotte Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cute

[I hate Darius Bell · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book really fucking sucks

[Rosa Macdougall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this multiple times and it’s it’s so good

[Emy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book pretty good, but it was slightly weird the way it was written. I wasn't quite sure the way it was going to go in the end, but it was full of lots of lows. I would recommend it to boys and girls from the age of 8-12

[bella27 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dario’s Bell and the glitter pool

If you are a person who likes to read books about adventure Dario’s Bell and the glitter pool is the book for you.

This book sometime follows some of the 12 stages of the hero’s journey. From the start of the book “Darious” is living in the ordinary world with his Father Hector Bell and his brother Cyrus.

This book is about a brave young boy who is living in the ordinary world Darious lives with his father Hector Bell and his brother Cyrus on the Bell estate. Hector Bell gets a visit from the shadow figure “Mayor Padock”. Mayor Padock came to remind Hector Bell that the Bell gift is due. Every 25 years the Bell family give a gift to the town like a Statue or a Bell tower but all they can offer to the town is his some of the fruit and vegetables from his crops. Darious Bell doesn’t want to believe that his father can’t afford the bell gift So Darious goes and seeks for a Bell gift.
Darious Bell begins being a ordinary boy but then he became a hero.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Darius Bell is from an unusual family. One of his ancestors so distinguished himself that he was awarded a grant of land from the town, with only the stipulation that a gift be given to the town every 25 years. Previous gifts have included statues, fountains, a bell and stained glass windows. It's time for the gift, but the current Bell family has no money. What is to be done? Darius' father is hopelessly optimistic that Cousin Julius will come through for them, while his older brother Cyrus is a bit jaded and thinks it will be good for the family to admit their poverty. Unlike previous Bells, Cyrus wants to be an engineer, a person with a regular job. After a small earthquake shakes the area, Darius discovers the "glitter pool" in the woods near the jungle house where he and his friends play. Will it be a solution to their problems?

I especially appreciated the family relationships (with his father and his brother Cyrus) and friendships in this book. Darius is a resourceful, likeable, everyday type hero.

grades 3 and up

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been meaning to read this for a year or so. I always really enjoy Odo Hirsch. For some reason I took a little while to engage with this.. (perhaps because the situation involving financial pressure and a family not dealing with it was a little too close to home at tax time!) but once into it, it did not disappoint me and it carried me happily along in an almost un-put-downable way to the end. Amelia Dee and Theodore Gutzman remain my favourites of Hirsch's works. But this was very good. I wonder if Hirsch lives in a quirky, mad, large, old building, shared with lots of diverse people, or whether it is just a theme he enjoys. In varying ways it appears in Amelia Dee, Theodore Gutzman and Hazel Green (of the books I've read so far).

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has been on my son's bookshelf for quite some time and one of those "recommended" books I just hadn't got around to reading. I read this only knowing that it was a recommended "Australian" children's book, but it feels much more English than Australian.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It is an engaging and entertaining fantasy story, but set in a relatively realistic world. You cannot help but admire the bravery and kind-heartedness of Darius and his life is romantacised and attractive for the reader. It also wasn't quite as predictable as I thought it would be part way through :).
A good, quick, feel-good read for primary-aged kids.

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book from an Usborne Books and More party I had, and I read it aloud to our 12-year-old and 10-year-old. They want to share it with their teachers, so we'll take it to school and see if their teachers would like to read it next. We liked the long sentences, with lots of commas, and three words when one would've worked just as well. We liked the characters in this book, including the annoying friend! And the message was a nice little message to remember and rediscover throughout the book. We had never read anything by this author and didn't know anything about the book at all but we all agreed, four out of five stars. Fun!

[ISS Singapore]

The Bell family's ancestors were showered with honours, gifts and grants of land. In exchange, they have bestowed a Gift, once every 25 years, on the town. The Gifts have ranged from a statue to a bell tower with stained-glass windows, but now it's Darius's father's turn - and there is no money for an impressive gift. It looks as though a wheelbarrow full of vegetables is the best they can do. Darius is determined to maintain family honour, and when an earthquake reveals a glorious cave, with the most beautiful minerals lining the walls, he thinks he's found the answer...

[Bridget · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the plot predictableand overly simple, but goodness were the themes of this lovely! the book is all about the value of what society thinks is importantly opposed to what it's truly important, like family names versus family relationships, money versus value, and whether beautiful things are made better by sharing for the sake of sharing. The characters demonstrate Hirsch's trademark kindness and eccentricity. It's not fantastical, just sweet and I'm really looking forward to the next one

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this to be a really 'nothing' book and was pleased that it was a quick read. Darius' father would have to be one of the most frustrating and stupid characters I have met in a while and I felt extremely sorry for his poor wife. With only one more book to read, I must say I have been very disappointed with the selection books that have been short-listed for the Children's Book Council of Australia's book of the year.

[The Bookshop Umina]

Odo Hirsch writes wonderful quirky stories for intelligent readers between 8 and 14.



THis story follows Darius as he learns more about his family history, and their current poverty. An intelligetn likeable narrator who is making sense of his world. A really lovely book filled with wonder and sensitivity.

[Andrew]

This book is almost as good as Amelia Dee. I love Odo Hirsch's characters, and the plots are so quirky while at the same time maintaining a real believability. I find it so amazing the way he can write novels that have such a living sense of setting, and yet keep the actual location completely generic. This book could be set anywhere. A fantastic read.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good fun read with a flaky father who struggles to get a handle on what a lack of bees means. Probably like many everyday people he doesn't see a connection between pollination, gardening, bees and starvation. Good goodies, bad baddies and a group of children who, with a bit of help from mum get their comeuppance.

[tilka · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was sooo amazing!!! I have no idea where on earth odo Hirsch gets his ideas from, but they are exceptional!!! I love his quirky writing and all of his books that I've read have been WONDERFUL!!! I am definitely looking forward to reading more of his work!!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!!!!!!!

[LauraW · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book, but I got quite impatient with the long, drawn-out reiterations of the importance of the gift and the Bell family. I suppose, in a way, it was all necessary to highlight the ending. I wish I weren't so impatient.

[Miffy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet, funny, and really well-written. Darius Bell and the Glitter Pool has won the CBCA Book of the Year: Younger Readers, and you can see why. I read this in about two hours - it's not a hard read, but the message is deep, the characters flawed and endearing.