The Fires Beneath the Sea

The Dissenters #1

by Lydia Millet

Millet, Lydia

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Ebooks, Mystery, Middle Grade, Novels

256 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2011

About the author

Lydia Millet has written twelve works of fiction. She has won awards from PEN Center USA and the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and her books have been longlisted for the National Book Award, shortlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Award and Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and named as New York Times Notable Books. Her story collection Love in Infant Monkeys was a Pulitzer Prize finalist. She lives outside Tucson, Arizona.

Reviews

[Ranting Dragon · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://www.rantingdragon.com/the-fire...

Rating: 3,5 stars


Lydia Millet is an award-winning writer best known for her works for adults; her most recent accomplishment, a collection of short stories called Love in Infant Monkeys, was one of three finalists for the 2010 Pulitzer Prize. And so her newest novel, a middle-grade fantasy called The Fires Beneath the Sea, seems like a big departure for her. In Fires, Cara and her brothers are trying to cope with the sudden disappearance of their mother, only to realize that their mother’s been drawn into something far more serious than family problems – and now they’re sunk in it, too.

Expertly researched and timely
Kirkus Reviews calls the novel an “eco-fantasy,” and I can’t think of a better word than that to describe it. Although the mystery only just begins to unfold in this first book of the series, it’s still clear from the start that Cara’s mother is deeply connected to the ocean and that something serious and dreadful is going on beneath the waters. Every clue leading Cara and her brothers Max and Jackson onwards is somehow tied to the ocean’s creatures and ecology, and lovable, genius Jackson – Jax, for short – manages to insert some humor and information with his nearly robotic recitation of scientific research on the environment. Millet graduated with a Master’s in Environmental Policy, and it shows in the best way.

The novel’s setting, Cape Cod, is also fantastically realized. After finishing the book, I felt like I lived there my whole life. Biking, swimming and boating – Cara’s family is believably outdoorsy and yet also totally modern, too.

Also really creepy
By far, the best part of The Fires Beneath the Sea is the Pouring Man. He could turn into a classic villain of children’s literature. I don’t want to spoil too much, but let me just say that he is one of the creepiest, scariest characters I’ve encountered in middle-grade fantasy. He really gets you looking over your shoulder for the next few days after finishing the book. I found the siblings’ final conflict with the Pouring Man to be somewhat anticlimactic and even cliché, but this being a middle-grade fantasy for readers still new to the genre, I expect the intended audience won’t feel the same way as me.

But something’s missing
Some young adult and middle-grade books extend far past their audience and become adult favorites, too. Unfortunately, I didn’t find that to be the case with The Fires Beneath the Sea. It’s certainly a good book, but it lacks the humor, sparkle and depth of characterization that make the truly great young adult fantasies capture the imagination of everyone, despite their age. The characters’ depth, of course, will likely increase as the series continues, but the humor and spark may never show up. This was a surprise to me, actually, because I adored the dark humor in Millet’s adult books.

Why should you read this book?
If you are a fan of middle-grade fantasies, or if you know a middle-grader looking for a new series, then give this book a try. For it’s intended middle-grade audience, Fires is a solid environmentalist fantasy. If, however, you’re looking for another Diana Wynne Jones, J. K. Rowling, Garth Nix, Suzanne Collins, or any other author whose books snap up grown-up readers as much as young readers, then The Fires Beneath the Sea likely isn’t for you. It’s a solid middle-grade fantasy, yes, but there’s not too much here that will surprise people very familiar with the fantasy genre.

If you’re instead looking for a good read for grown-ups, I’ll go ahead and suggest Lydia Millet’s Oh Pure and Radiant Heart. Only marginally fantasy, sure, but it’s still fantastic.

[The Library Lady · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of adult writers are writing kid novels. Most of them are hack writers and their fiction is hack fiction, coasting on the fact that their names sell books.

Yet,the simple fact is that even a very good, award winning writer can write less than wonderful books for kids, and this one is proof of that. Not everyone has the ear to hear how kids really sound, to give the details they care about and the ones that they don't.

It just so happens that the part of Cape Cod where this book is set is a beloved place of mine, and Millet knows all the details about the beaches, the drive-inn movie, even the supermarket. But none of it is needed to evoke Cape Cod and kids don't care about the minute details.

Then the characters. Most kids/tweens don't know who the heck James Franco is (lucky them) and won't care if Max look like him--why throw that in? Better to give him some personality beyond his IPod. Jax is just a Charles Wallace (Wrinkle In Time wanna be and far less believable. And Cara, the narrator is no Meg Murray--IF Millet was thinking about that when she wrote this. Meg is prickly and endearing from the get go. Cara is BORING.

And the plot. This is just a book one and you are supposed to be breathlessly awaiting book 2 and I suppose book 3. But this could have been cut way down and my guess is that what plot books 2 and 3 have could have been added to this and one book would have sufficed.

Doesn't anyone write single, stand alone books any more?

[Library Lady 📚 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure how to feel about this book because TBH I have no idea what I just read.

There's a family who lost the mom to...we're not sure what, it never tells exactly. The story is told from the daughter's point of view. Her older brother seemed pretty typical, while her younger brother has some kind of telepathy that's never really explained. The dad is conveniently scatterbrained and absent most of the story. Then there's a friend who really serves no purpose and I'm not sure why she's there. Plot-wise, there's no reason for her. She just steps in for the brother at one point. Not really sure why.

There's a bad guy called Pouring Man, who drops weird egg sacks on the roof which seemed kinda random. He's in some kind of dead army, which is never explained or seen. And oh, yeah, he's just working for the Cold One. Wha? Who's that? Edward Cullen? Lol.

They go on a scavenger hunt type thing, following clues around Cape Cod. Now here is where I LOVED the book. The details are fantastic, and I could imagine being in the Cape as I read. From the monkey-hair seaweed, the sandy paths, sand dunes, the smell of salt... It was so well done.

Unfortunately, that didn't make up for the scattered plot that was so hard to follow that I'm still not sure where their mom is, what happened to her, why the bad guys want her, who the bad guys are, or how the MC got rid of them (by believing really hard?). I won't be finishing this series, but I did get finish book 1, so it wasn't like it was bad or anything. Just not clear.

[Sandra Stiles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read several reviews that alluded to this being similar to A Wrinkle in Time. I could see some similarities but not that many. This was a wonderful story of three children on a quest to help their mother. They are given bits and pieces of the puzzle as needed. I found myself not wanting to put the book down. I found after reading about the “Pouring Man” that I had trouble going to sleep. It might have something to do with the fact it was raining outside and it was nighttime. That parallel was enough to scare anyone. I had a little difficulty getting into the book at first. When I hit the place about 25 pages in where we first meet the “Pouring Man” I knew I was hooked. I had to find out who he was and what he wanted. I had a student who had started this book at the end of school and was upset because I wouldn’t let him read it over the summer. Now I know why. I will definitely let him read it when school starts. This is definitely a book for anyone who likes fantasy that has that spooky element that makes you feel creeped out.

[Belinda Lewis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meant for kids in a way that doesn't allow adults to enjoy it too (at least I'm assuming that's what happened).

[Jacob Beaver]

The first chapter of the book is very well written. It goes into depth about the characters very well it. It also goes into the characters' histories very well. The author, Lydia Millet shows a very good sence of imagery and uses allegory and irony very well in the first two chapters.

Main character analysis

Cara is a girl drawn to mysterious things, for example when she is at the beach with her best friend Halley, an animal talks to her and instead of being afraid she is drawn to the animal. Cara is also a girl up for any kind of adventure, especially hoping one day she might find her mom again. Her mom has gone missing. Cara also is a very protective person, especially to her family and a very loyal daughter and friend to her dad and Halley. Cara is the ideal main character to any young adult mystery and adventure novel.

[Annie Yotova · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Cara's mother disappeared at the beginning of summer, everyone just assumed that she left her husband and children and will show up somewhere. Everyone except the family that is - the 13-years old Cara and her brothers - 10 years old Jax and 16 years old Max and their father. Living in Cape Cod means that the siblings are used to being near the water a lot and when we meet them, the tourist season is winding down and they are preparing for the school year. Their Mom had not been heard of.

And then Cara starts seeing and hearing things - messages on pieces of drifting wood, voices from places where there should be no voices. They seem to hint at her being needed to help her own mother so she and her brothers decide to follow the instructions and end up having an adventure taking them all the way to the bottom of the ocean.

It is clear from early on that the mother and the younger brother are not exactly human - it takes awhile for the book to hint at it strongly enough to get a reader to acknowledge it but the hints are there from early on. But beneath the quest and the fantasy story, there is a more serious story about climate change and the pollution of the oceans and about what matters in life. Add the scenery of Cape Cod and the novel works in ways one would not expect. Plus there is a creepy monster of course - connected to the water and just creepy enough to make him memorable.

It is a first novel in a trilogy so the action itself feels unfinished. We never get the complete story about the mother or why she disappeared. We get some of it but at the end, the novel is almost where it started - except that we have a confirmation that the mother is alive and we got to read about an adventure. The novel just does not stand on its own - it needs the rest of the series to feel complete.

I did not expect much depth from the characters or too much development (being a middle grade novel and a first in a trilogy) but even with the low expectations, it almost felt like it was too thin. Part of it is probably because we get the story from Cara - she can be unreliable narrator and occasionally things would make sense if you remember that we are listening to the story told by a 13 years old girl. But even with that, outside of the Pouring Man (or creepy guy), everyone feels almost 2-dimensional - even the brothers despite the plethora of details.

I am not sure that I cared enough at the end to continue with the series - as much as the book kept my interest, the ending can remain open for me and I won't wonder what really happened.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

I found this book when I was working at my local library and doing the discards since they were weeding the collection of things that people weren’t checking out to make more room. I thought that the synopsis was interesting and that I might find a hidden gem here but that wasn’t the case. Nothing is explained at all. The characters are in the dark, but so are the readers. There’s a lot of extraordinary stuff going on in the book but there’s no reasons given for it to exist or even what’s really happening.

The story follows 13 year old Cara and her family, invluding her older brother Max and her 10 year old brother Jax after the mysterious disappearance of their mother. After I finished reading, I realized that as far as I can remember, the circumstances around her disappearance are never revealed. It just days that she disappeared on June 20th, but not what actually happened, other than the fact that she left a cryptic note behind.

Jax, Cara’s younger brother, is a sort of genius with strange abilities, somewhat like Charles Wallace from A Wrinkle in Time. He was an intereating character, given this, and he doesn’t act like your normal 10 year old boy.


Spoilers!!!



One thing I found interesting was that Jax is adopted, although it was only mentioned once at the beginning of the book. I’m assuming that this has some connection to the fact that he has the ability to “ping” or read other people’s minds. It also probably has somethig to do with their mom and whatever is actually going on, but unfortunately nothing was revealed in this book as to what that actually was, other than some kind of war between good and evil.

[Leanne Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three siblings Jax, Clara and Max set off to investigate the unexplained disappearance of their mother, an oceanographic scientist researching the effects of the melting polar ice caps. When visiting her now abandoned office at the research lab, Jax and Clara overhear that her research has been stolen, they now know what they had always suspected... their mother's disappearance is far from random. This realization opens up a mystery for the the trio of siblings far beyond what they, or anyone else in this world, would have imagined.

This book is not my typical read but was a recommendation from my nephew. I absolutely loved the vivid descriptions of the coast, which took me straight to my own Northen California coast memories (although the book is set in New England). There are a lot of loose ends and confusing plot lines that are still to be cleared up, that being said it is book 1 of a trilogy, so this book may just be setting the stage. I felt like we just got to the meat of the story and then it was done. If you want a book that leaves you guessing and is like none that you have read before... this is it.

[Cindy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love free books when they're good reads. This one....fell far short of being a good read. I've never read this author before, but I certainly hope her other books are far better than this. I probably won't be picking one up though. This one was too big a disappointment.

[Candace · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a bit of science fiction combined with New England scenery. It took me a while to get through the whole book but I enjoyed the fantasy the author was writing. The mix of science and New England scenery was quite enjoyable as well.

[Claire :) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The concept intrigued me, the execution failed me. The idea for this book was brilliant, and the imagery was beautiful, but everything else was just okay. I could tell that it was written for a younger audience, but I still enjoyed it as a surface-level entertaining book

[Helga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Up there with A Swiftly Tilting Planet

I enjoyed this book and the world Lydia Millet has built. It reminded me of A Swiftly Tilting Planet in its own way. I'm looking forward to reading the other books in this series and I plan on encouraging others to read it, too.

[Lydia Kass · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cara, Jax, Max and Cara's friend Hayley, must figure out where their mom went and why. This is a veiled trilogy (or maybe quartet) about global warming and pollution. This novel's element is water.

[C. Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly engrossing & eerie enough to keep me up (camping alone and it was windy). I liked the kids, everyone could have been fleshed out a bit more but a good creepy mystery for kids.

[Audrina Schiller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked how this book kept you on your toes you were contently trying to figure out the things happening and concerting all the pieces with his mom and with all of the animals i would recommend this book i think its very interesting.

[Michelle Isenhoff · Rating 2 out of 5]

The jury’s still out on how much I liked this one. It has some beautiful moments. It also has some awkward moments. The story is entertaining, but I’m really not compelled to find out when the next book of the series comes out. The characters are all likeable, but I didn’t fall in love with any of them. I found the title on a list of noteworthy books of 2011, but I’m not sure I’d laud it among the best. I guess I’d have to say it’s a middle of the road middle grade read.

Here’s what happens: Cara Sykes lives on Cape Cod with her father, two brothers and an aging Labrador. Her mother, however, disappeared just prior to the tourist season, leaving a note that warned them all of danger. Then a series of events, including the delivery of a message by a Pacific coast sea otter, a vision, and instructions in a poem convince Cara and her brothers that their mother needs their help. Their adventure leads them beneath the sea during a red tide where they encounter the ghost crew of a pirate ship and a soldier of “the Cold One.”

I’m still confused at the end of the book. I have absolutely no idea what’s going on in this “worldwide conflict” that Cara’s mother is a part of. Indeed, I’ve hardly seen evidence of it. Who, exactly, is the Cold One? The book feels more like a scavenger hunt than a rescue mission, and at the end the kids have accomplished virtually nothing. I know there are more books coming in the series that will further the adventure, but right now I’m so in the dark that I don’t much care if I press on. A little more information, a little peek at what’s really going on globally, a little hint into the evil opposition would have been much more intriguing.

This book contains a LOT of global warming, the polar bears are dying, save the world science that I get so tired of. And it pretty much bashes all us idiots who don’t agree. There’s also a fair splashing of mild profanities.

On a positive note, I really enjoyed the beauty of the scenery: the sand cliffs at the edge of the ocean, the smell of salt, the seafood restaurants, the crowded tourist towns just beginning to slow for fall, the new chill in the air. It’s appealing. I also loved the scene that takes place beneath the sea at two in the morning during the phosphorescent glow of a red tide. Very cool and original!

Sweet adventure rating – The adventure could have been a bit meatier, though I suspect it will pick up in later books. It has to. The sweetness lies in the setting and within Cara’s strong, stick-together family. I haven’t any sweet treat recommendations for you; however, if you like seafood as much as I do, you’ll probably have to take a trip to Red Lobster after reading this one.

[Alan · Rating 1 out of 5]

ATOS Book Level: 5.1
Interest Level: Middle Grades (MG 4-8)
AR Points: 9.0
Word Count: 57572

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
ok maybe it' not that bad....but it's close.
I don't know if the story's going to be too complex and more info will be coming in the next book, or if I just didn't buy into the story line, or how everything fit together in this one. Mom's gone, we don't know exactly why or where in the beggining, and frankly I'm not really sure I understand it all after reading the whole thing either. She's involved in some kind of battle with, well we're not really sure yet, they're not alive and they are kind of cool as bad guy's go. The dad of the family is left out of the struggle (mentally not able to handle it? or not able to handle the existence of such beings?) There are three children in the family Max at 16 the eldest and the one who understands or is the slowest to accept all that's going on. Cara's the next oldest and the main protagonist in this story. Jax is 10, he was adopted when he was two, and he's got this incredible brain, not only holding information, but he can actually read you mind.
Again there are some cool things in this story The Pouring Man for one, the ghosts of the Pirates trapped and connected to the Pouring Man somehow, but they were freed somehow by Jax and Cara but how they were freed is still something I don't really understand.
I think it over reaches some on the fantasy. It's an urban fantasy, meaning it takes place in the here and now. If it took place in a fantasy world I'd more readily accept strange creatures or abilities or powers. But to set it in Cape Cod it limits what I will automatically accept with out reason or explanation. Ghost's off Pirates of the coast, sure, ghosts and pirates are well established literary devises. Is mom a selkie of sorts? who can shed her skin and walk as a woman and marry and have kids? except of course she's a river otter, in the ocean? And what's the battle about and who are we fighting, well it's big and yeah we'll have to wait I guess for the next book to find out? Is it going to be another trilogy?, so I should just relax and wait for the story to continue? or was this supposed to be a stand alone story....with more stories being built upon the groundwork laid here?
Anyway's.....don't read it.

[Kathy Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an entertaining and mildly scary middle grade fantasy. Cara and her brothers Max and Jax are all missing their mother, a scientist, who has gone away. No seems to know, or at least no one is telling them, where she has gone. They are all dealing with her absence in their own ways. Max is hanging out with friends and burying himself in his music. Jax is attending science camp. Cara is spending time with her friend Hayley and wondering what happened to her mom. Their dad has also withdrawn but does sometimes try for some of their normal family activities like movie nights.

But soon things start getting spooky. Cara and Jax see a creepy man who looks like he has water running off him. They call him the Pouring Man. He brings a sense of menace whenever he appears. Jax is very bright and also telepathic. When Cara finds a clue that says to talk to the leatherback, Jax communicates with this old rescued sea turtle. The kids have to face a number of danger on their quest to find out what happened to their mother.

The character set reminds me of A Wrinkle in Time with Cara as the main character, a normal older brother, and a special younger brother. That was also a quest to find a missing parent. This one is the beginning of a series, though, and doesn't have as a clear a resolution. At the conclusion of this one, the battle that their mother has gone away to fight still rages and the children have all been enlisted to help with the fight.

This was a good story for middle graders. I think they would like the characters and the adventures in the story.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were several things I liked about this book. First, there is a cool villain--the pouring man who is always dripping and attacks through any kind of water. Second, the author's detail about the setting (Cape Cod) created a great picture in my mind, which is useful for someone who has never been there. Third, the use of animals in a location they aren't normally found in, this helps create tension.

Character-wise, I liked the characters okay but I didn't love them by any means. I prefer books with characters I can really care about. The father is the character I found most sympathetic, trying hard to carry on as if things are normal, while missing his wife desperately. I didn't find Cara, Jax, and Max particularly compelling, interesting, but not compelling.

As far as the plot goes, the first half of the book is rather slow, after that it picks up. Once the kids know what they are supposed to do the story moves along a nice clip, much more compelling. The author does a good job of setting the scene, but she takes too long doing it. The most compelling scenes are the ones with the pouring man.

Overall, I liked the book well enough to read the upcoming sequels, but it's not one I'm likely to reread. The book would make a good read for students who like lots of background and scene-setting detail.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hadn't heard a thing about this one until it made it onto Kirkus Reviews' Best of 2011 list. I don't always agree with Kirkus' love/lack of love for specific books, but decided to give it a shot. And I was actually pleasantly surprised. I don't really know why it made it onto the Best list, but it was not a waste of time at all. (At least for me). Because of the blending of environmental issues and magic, I can picture fans of Julia Golding's Companions Quartet being fans. It also, for whatever reason, reminded me a bit of Robin Jarvis' The Whitby Witches. (The first book, not the 2nd and 3rd with the creepy bits involving Nelda and Esau - ewww.) Maybe it was because of the otherworldly and the fact that much of the action is undertaken by a young brother and sister pair? I don't know exactly, it just seemed similar. Here's to hoping that this series ends up much better than the Whitby books, though! While I think this one might have been better as a stand-alone with a bit more solid ending, I am planning to read the sequels.

[Clea Danaan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Fires Beneath the Sea reminds me of A Wrinkle in Time series and Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising Sequence, in that we have a siblings working together to save their family and eventually a great battle between the Light and the Darkness (the Cold). With a modern twist, however, Millet's new series addresses the deeper issues of climate change.

The writing sometimes included slightly odd "teen" speaking (using "like" and "perv") which felt a little forced, and there were a few moments I felt I missed something (the web cam that was supposedly turned around but that little bit never actually happened). Overall, though, I enjoyed the writing and couldn't put it down. I would say it would be best for a slightly older audience even though it is in the middle grade section, partly because of the issues it deals with, and partly because of the higher level vocabulary (it would be a fabulous book for building vocabulary). But any reader who cares about the earth and enjoys fiction where realism and magic blend will love this book. I'm excited to read the next in the series!

[Mike McAdam · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I got this free from a goodreads giveaway*

I enjoyed it. I think the target audience (which I assume is tweens and early teens) will enjoy it even more. The story is fun and moves along at a nice pace. Whenever a book has supernatural elements as this one does, I always ask myself "If this were to actually happen, could it happen like this?" This book passes that test. I opted to give this book 4 stars instead of 5 because, even though it passed by supernatural test, there were a few non-supernatural things that failed. No spoilers but I will give one example that doesn't give anything away. 2 13-year-old girls and a 10-year-old boy are able to transport 3 sets of scuba gear and a kayak on bikes and then on foot a little (or a lot) too easily. That rang false with me. I don't think the target audience would give that a second thought but it bugged me a little. Overall, I really enjoyed the book though.

[Phoebe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cara's family is still suffering from the sudden disappearance of their mother, a marine scientist. Research she was working on has been stolen, and Cara and her brothers and father are bewildered by the turn of events. It doesn't seem like the work of normal thieves or kidnappers, especially when frightening and fantastical things begin to occur, like the sea otter that "talks" to Cara, and the terrifying creature that comes out of the rain one night, whom they call the Pouring Man. What is the connection to Cara's mother, and can the three kids figure out the role they have to play in bringing her back? There are some seriously scary moments in this novel, a tribute to the author's writing ability. An intriguing and exciting story for young teens.

[CC Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Fires Beneath the Sea is about Cara and her two brothers, Max and Jax (short for Jackson). Their mom, an accomplished marine biologist, went missing over the summer under some murky circumstances. Now Cara is seeing sea animals in parts of the ocean where they shouldn't be. A mysterious man who pours water from his face won't leave the kids alone. Things are getting weird for Cara and her brothers, and whatever is happening is only getting started.

I quite enjoyed The Fires Beneath the Sea. At just under 300 pages it's a quick read. The Fires Beneath the Sea is appropriate for younger middle age readers but intelligent enough to interest older audiences as well. The story is fast paced without getting ahead of itself. Millet has a good flow to her prose.

[Luci · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I first picked it up I was kind of turned off by the main character being pretty young (13?) and I thought I was going to have to slug through annoying tween drama and whining, but Millet creates a tolerable and semi-mature teenager. I'm not sure if this is poor writing, as is a bit of a Mary Sue, or if she is intentionally making her a little bland. Either way, I enjoyed the book at lot, especially going in with such low expectations. I do wish the plot was fleshed out a bit more. that a few details were added here and there, but all in all a good book.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book in a First Reads giveaway...

I found this novel to be a suspenseful, fun read for a YA audience. I enjoyed the environmental twists, and although it took a bit of imagination to believe in some of the characters, that's why it's fiction! I enjoyed Cara's little brother's abilities just like I enjoyed the Scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz. Neither is realistically possible, but that's the point. It's a story. I will be looking forward to picking up the next one!

[Nick Fagerlund · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was some perfectly good middle-grade modern fantasy family adventure, sharing quite a few genes with A Wrinkle in Time. The prose and dialogue were clunky, but not bad enough to make me stop reading, and the setup, setting, and characters were quite good.

But I just was not really in the mood for a middle-grade Wrinkle-ish thing, so I bailed out. No harm, no foul, would totally recommend this if you ARE in the mood for that. Sounds like book 3 of 3 comes out in January or something?

[Trevor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was harmless and it was nice to see a children's book imitating A Wrinkle in Time and The Dark Is Rising instead of Harry Potter or Narnia, but there was nothing special here.

[Catharine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cara, Max, and Jackson miss their mother, who left them and their father with no hint of where's she's gone. When strange things begin happening to Cara, she and her brothers are suddenly on a quest to help her mother and explore a fantastical new world. I enjoyed Cara and her brothers, their relationships, and the magic that begins to fill their lives.