His Dark Materials

So I wrote quite a long time ago about “The Golden Compass” which being a fantasy girl I really enjoyed. At the beginning of the summer I read the rest of the trilogy “The Subtle Knife” and “The Amber Spyglass”. So there is a pretty huge problem in talking about the other books in the trilogy in that I do not want to give away the end of the first book. Let’s just say that I liked them both. I have heard some negative things about the second book but I really liked it. I know that often the second book in a trilogy can drag because it is really setting up the last one but I really liked Will and found it moved along pretty well. This series is great especially for kids who are questioning the powers that be both political and religious. I’m sure that is why it is also so popular for adults who also want an atheist manifesto.

Now we can just sit back and wait until the Golden Compass film comes out at the end of the year. The preview looks awesome but I hope that it doesn’t lose too much in the adaptation. I love the look of Oxford and Iorek. Could the casting have been any better? I don’t think so. I wonder if they will make the other films and how the US market will deal with the overall message of knowledge is better than God (or if they will just skip that).

Trilogy rating – must have for the bookshelf, great re-reading potential.
Popularity -  It’s pretty hot already but expect it to go through the rook by Xmas…

The Blue Roan Child

Syeira is a stable orphan in the kingdom of Haysele. Her mother died when she was young and she never knew her father. She is uncertain of her age she works in the King’s stables and seems to enjoy her life, especially working with the horses. Syeira is particularly fond of an Arva mare and her two colts. Arva is known for its wild horses and these were only captured because some of the King’s men managed to capture the colts. These horse were found to be too wild to be handled and are kept to themselves.

One day Ran of Stormsythe, a cruel lord, arrives to take more horses for his stable, the price of peace. When Ran leaves Syeira discovers that Ran has taken the two Arva colts. Syeira decides to free the mare and joins with her on a quest to rescue the colts. They begin their voyage hoping to intercept the ship on which the horses are being carried but that soon becomes impossible. Syeira is helped by a hackler, a roaming master horseman, who gives her balms to sooth the mare and directions of how to get to Thruckport, the capital of Stormsythe. He also helps her select a name for the mare, Arwin, after the mother of all horses.

Syeira then voyages north. She first meets Zephyra an old gypsy who knew Arwin when she was young. Next, when traveling through the great wood Syeira meets an old botanist who lives almost entirely in the past. Syeira almost falls prey to the lure of living in the past, when her mother still lived. She continues her journey to Thruckport. The city is highly defended and Syeira must leave Arwin in order to swim into the city. Syeira finds her way to the military stables but cannot find the colts.

Syeira must learn to trust the peope she meets in the cruel city in order to find a rescue the colts.

I enjoyed reading this book, even though I am not a great lover of horses. I think that if someone were really horse-mad they would love this book. I have included this book as a fantasy mainly because of how the horses communicate with Syeira using sent-images. Also the inclusion of flying horses, which are just a legend till the end of the story, plays on the fantasy elements. Overall this world is fairly recognizable for readers as a non-descripted undeveloped world. This book can be seen as choppy as some of the adventures do not play into the overarching storyline of Syeira’s quest. I, however, enjoyed the way in which the book was written. The voyage that Syeira takes did not seem overly long and plodding.

Age Range: 12 plus

Ranking: Quality – 3/5 Popularity – 3/5

The Golden Compass

So I have to summarize the plot of The Golden Compass in a paragraph. There’s this girl who lives in a universe where your soul exists in two parts. One inside and one outside your body, and the one outside your body takes the shape of an animal. This animal can change shape when you are young and it becomes fixed during puberty. But already I’m going into too much detail.

Lyra the heroine of the story is a free spirited orphan, daughter of nobility, who has been left by her adventuring Uncle to be raised by the scholars of Jordan University. During this time the “Gobblers” appear, stealing the children of the poor and Gyptians. When she is old enough to need a “womanly” influence she is taken away by Mrs. Coulter, a rich and glamarous scholar to be groomed. But her best friend disappears that day and the Gobblers are never far from her mind. The Master of Jordan doesn’t want Lyra to go with Mrs. Clouter but can’t stop it. He instead charges Lyra with the alethiometer, a compass like object which can answer any question if the person knows how to use it.

Lyra finds out some of the secrets behind the Gobblers and runs away. She is rescued by a band of Gyptians and joins them on their quest to rescue the children in the far North. Lyra and her alethiometer become indispensible to the mission. Along the way she rescues an armoured bear, Iorek, who also joins their quest. As I am over length already I will simply say that Lyra has many adventures leading which lead to a gripping climax.

This book is the kind of story that I loved when I was a teen. I am partial to the fantasy genre and I love a good trilogy. Mr. Pullman was able to mix a complex story with a great heroine and a compelling plot. This book is an example of a great book that could be considered both for young adults and adult collections. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the trilogy.

Age range: 12 plus

Ranking: Quality – 5/5 Popularity – 5/5

Tuck Everlasting

Winnie Foster is a young girl who lives a very sheltered life in a little village. When she decides to venture into the forest her family owns one night she has a great adventure. In the forest she meets the Tuck family. The Tuck family had drunk from a spring in the forest and somehow become immortal. The Tuck family brings Winnie back to their home where she learns to love this strange family. A strange man, searching for the Tucks, overhears them explain their situation to Winnie and follows them. He then ransoms Winnie for the forest with the magical spring. When the police arrive at the Tucks home Winnie has to decide where her allegiances lie. She also has to decide how she will use what she knows. Does she want to join the Tucks in their immortal life.

This was a very sweet book with the message that often what you desire from life is not really what you want. The story was very simple and easy to read. The development of the plot may be a little too obvious for the older/more experienced reader. Winnie is a character that many young girls could probably empathize with, especially the overprotective family. The historical setting would also appeal to those who enjoy the “Little House on the Prairie” or L.M. Montgomery books. I would recommend this book also because of its status as a “classic”.

Age Range: 10-13

Ranking: Quality – 4/5 Popularity – 3/5

The Giver

Jonas lives in a word without choices. All decisions are made by the elders, for the good of the Community, from what you will do, who you will live with and when you will receive your children. On the day of their twelfth Ceremony all children receive their Assignments, the jobs that they will do for the rest of their lives. When we meet Jonas, he is approaching this momentous day. Jonas, however, does not receive a standard assignment, he is chosen as the Community’s Receiver of Memory. He is to become the vessel of all memories for the Community. This is a job of great honour, responsibility and pain. Jonas receives the memories from an old man he knows only as “The Giver”. As he learns the memories of the world and what things were like before the “Sameness”. Jonas begins to question the Community and the way it works. When Jonas learns the truth about the functioning of the Community, he and the Giver decide that things must change. A final betrayal forces Jonas to flee the Community and run for his life.

I very much enjoyed this book and was pleased to learn that it is part of a trilogy, as the ending left me hanging. It is well written and captivating, drawing you into the story and their world. I was quite sure that the “Releasing” of people was not a good thing, but this may just be because of the number of similar fantasy stories that I have read. This book is a great introduction to the many books that deal with freedom and choice, as well as a discussion starter around these subjects as well. I would consider this book for younger children before introducing them to classics like 1984, A Brave New World and others. I liked the way that Ms Lowry began with only a surface view of the Community and then as you read you learn more and more about what level of control was exerted. I would definitely recommend this book.

Age range: 10 plus
Ranking: Quality – 4/5 Popularity – 4/5