Mark Goldshtein
asked:
Is this book hard? I am thinking of picking this for my Grade 9 book club. I had a bad experience with Steven Erikson's Malazan Empire books, so is this book hard to understand/read?
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Joseph
The Malazan books are some of the most absurdly complex fantasy novels ever written. This is a kid's book next to them. Grade 9 seems like an adequate reading level.
Konain
God! You picked the Malazan empire for grade 9!
Sébastien Bélanger
I stopped reading the first Malazan Book after 200 pages when I realized I had no idea if there was a main character. Hated the book. The Name of the wind is very good but it's long. I recommend most of Brandon Sanderson's books (for fantasy books) to grade 9 students ( and anyone!), starting with "SteelHeart" ,"Elantris" or "Warbreaker".
Savedbygrace
At the average age of 14, any 9th grader would appreciate the subject matter that Pat puts his protagonist through. Loneliness, bullying, loss and intense love crushes that most readers can relate well too. Many high school grade kids deal with these issues often and this book could help open discussions up in a book club and allow members to share and bond easily. Of course, the presence of magic in a limited form can help spur imagination and inspire.
As Jennifer stated, the second book takes a dip into the adult world of love making or lust sating. It was not as raunchy as some and high school kids deal with hormones and fantasies on a daily basis and I wager that they hear far worse, unfortunately, just being around other teens.
As Jennifer stated, the second book takes a dip into the adult world of love making or lust sating. It was not as raunchy as some and high school kids deal with hormones and fantasies on a daily basis and I wager that they hear far worse, unfortunately, just being around other teens.
Jennifer
Not a particularly hard read, it is huge and will take some time for kids to get through. Some gorgeous imagery you can discuss. Really good "epic hero" story elements that you could pull in as well.
One of those books that begs to be re-read to see how everything is pulling together that was merely foreshadowed the first time around.
(Be aware that book #2 has an epic multi-chapter sex scene. Up til that point it was pretty tame...did mention prostitutes, but wasn't any more out there than Finnikin of the Rock and other YA choices).
One of those books that begs to be re-read to see how everything is pulling together that was merely foreshadowed the first time around.
(Be aware that book #2 has an epic multi-chapter sex scene. Up til that point it was pretty tame...did mention prostitutes, but wasn't any more out there than Finnikin of the Rock and other YA choices).
Alessan
My dog read it so you should be okay.
Oh, if you are wondering... She hated it.
Oh, if you are wondering... She hated it.
bree
I read this book when I was in 9th grade and I completely understood it! I knew everything that was going on and the plot made sense. There is also a lot of room for discussion when reading this book! I recommend it to the book club!
Michael Xz
I can tell that Malazan is 20 times harder than this just from trying to get your head around the first couple of names you encounter ) This book is like TV, no thinking required.. just sit back and enjoy.
Nathan Hunt
I loved this series and I am now reading Malazan, but I think this would be a great book for that age group. I'm in 12th grade (in the U.S.), and it's one of my favorites. If you're exceptionally dim, you may have trouble with it, but barring that, it is a good read and is not hard. I've never involved myself in the book club scene as I like to read fantasy by the series load and like to choose what I read, partially because I only read one book for pleasure at a time. Also, for the average 9th grader who likes to read, rather than one who doesn't read much, would be completely fine with this. Even if you don't read much, I think you will be just fine, especially if you discuss it with a book club periodically.
I will say, after reading some of the other answers, that, yes, it is kind of long, but I think the subject matter is good if your book club likes fantasy. I think the people that say it's not the right subject matter don't know the age group well. If people are offended by some of the content, well, I dunno.... It may not be appropriate for school, but I honestly don't think it's that bad until you get to the sexy scenes in the second installment.
I will say, after reading some of the other answers, that, yes, it is kind of long, but I think the subject matter is good if your book club likes fantasy. I think the people that say it's not the right subject matter don't know the age group well. If people are offended by some of the content, well, I dunno.... It may not be appropriate for school, but I honestly don't think it's that bad until you get to the sexy scenes in the second installment.
Noel
Dude, Steven Erikson would be hard for a 50-year-old to understand. Sorry Steve - just remember: you're a published author and I'm not.
Anyway, Name of the Wind rules. 9th grade - no problem.
Anyway, Name of the Wind rules. 9th grade - no problem.
Luís Silva Nunes
This book is not hard to read compared to other fantasy novels; I believe this is appropriate for grade nine as I know many people at that age gap that have already completed it. However, I found the beginning a bit hard to understand and one could argue that it contains some violence and references to ideas such as prostitution.
Diego Rabinovich
Although any preteen could understand the main drama and some of the many storylines, a good level of thought and seriousness is required to fully understand the story. Although it is not necessary to reflect to know who falls in love with whom and understand the relationships between characters, it is necessary to understand many of the attitudes that develop during the book. I suppose that the ideal would be for someone 18 years of age and older to read it. and it has a level 3 difficulty of 10 and a depth of level 9 of 10
sorry for my english, I'm from Argentina
sorry for my english, I'm from Argentina
David Merrill
The Name of The wind a pretty easy read. I found it pretty boring, though. I only made it through half of it before getting bored and putting it down to read something more interesting.
Brendan Quinn
This book is not hard at all, i found it to be a very easy and engaging read.
Barbara Douglas
I would not say hard, but complex and intricate. My fourteen year old son may well enjoy it, but he enjoyed Les Miserables when he was 12, so he may not be the best guide. Also the story will take three volumes to complete and book three isn't out yet ...
Eric
I don't think the average 9th grader would be at all interested in this series of books.
Julie Craig-muller
There's (not graphic) sex in the sequel book, so just be aware of that.
Jody
I would say that this might be a bit long for most 9th graders. The subject matter is not bad, but the size of the book might be a bit daunting. I would pick something more in the vein of Tolkien, Bradbury (The illustrated man, Martian Cronicles, Something Wicked This Way Comes) or maybe even Lisa Magnum (The Hourglass Door) or Diana Wynne Jones (The Chronicles of Chrestomanci or Howl's moving Castle) or even Orson Scott Card.
Connor Mcintosh
I'm curious to see where you landed on this Mark. My answer would be largely in line with the others above; that the Malazan novels are fairly complex and that the Kingkiller Chronicle books would be far easier going on almost every level.
Robert N
I don't know what age group fall into 9th grade as these systems differ greatly per country.
The Malazan Book of the Falen series is pretty far fetched.
It has one of the most complex worlds and just a crazy amount of characters. The first book alone throws over 100 characters at you and the series consists of 10 books and at least 10 more novels and novellas.
Not to mention the books and the stories within are not linear making the in my opinion an advanced read for anyone.
It also doesn't really follow conventional storytelling since a lot of it is based on a Dungeon's & Dragon's campaign.
I would definitely recommend the books by Pat as they are as simple as they need to be, but not simpler. It is obvious that Pat has put of thought in translating the story to paper. You'll know what I mean once you read it.
On another note try playing Dungeons & Dragons with them. Reading is important (and fun!) but nothing sparks the imagination as collective storytelling, which is what D&D basically is.
If you decide to pick up a version of D&D get the latest 5th edition it focuses more on the roleplay aspects than the previous versions that have more in depth mechanics and options but also many more rules.
The Malazan Book of the Falen series is pretty far fetched.
It has one of the most complex worlds and just a crazy amount of characters. The first book alone throws over 100 characters at you and the series consists of 10 books and at least 10 more novels and novellas.
Not to mention the books and the stories within are not linear making the in my opinion an advanced read for anyone.
It also doesn't really follow conventional storytelling since a lot of it is based on a Dungeon's & Dragon's campaign.
I would definitely recommend the books by Pat as they are as simple as they need to be, but not simpler. It is obvious that Pat has put of thought in translating the story to paper. You'll know what I mean once you read it.
On another note try playing Dungeons & Dragons with them. Reading is important (and fun!) but nothing sparks the imagination as collective storytelling, which is what D&D basically is.
If you decide to pick up a version of D&D get the latest 5th edition it focuses more on the roleplay aspects than the previous versions that have more in depth mechanics and options but also many more rules.
Kevin Anderson
I think this book would be good for 9th grade. Since it's so long you may be better served reading a couple books, like A wizard of Earthsea and Fahrenheit 451 in the same time it would take to read this one.
Héctor
It's an easy read. Very good descriptions, but there are some old words in there.
Katie
I don't think it's too hard for a group of clever 9th graders, but it's definitely quite long for a book club choice. Unless your book club is made up of rather quick readers who aren't doing a lot of other reading for school, I would maybe consider something a little shorter.
However, for the AVERAGE 9th grader, I would definitely say too hard and way too long. If this is for 9th graders, they would need to be at a higher reading level than average and be dedicated to reading.
However, for the AVERAGE 9th grader, I would definitely say too hard and way too long. If this is for 9th graders, they would need to be at a higher reading level than average and be dedicated to reading.
Avaminn F'nett
It's not that hard, and is much easier than the Malazan books. (I read this in 9th grade. If you've read a lot, this should be no problem for you)
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