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Book
Reviews![[blue dragon]](bluelizard.gif)
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Book
Reviews
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Title: Skellig Author: David Almond Pages: 182 Rating:* * * Review: As someone once said to me, "This book is creepy. Not scary at all. But really creepy." It's about a boy called Michael whose family has just bought a new house. On the property is a falling-down garage. In the garage, he finds Skellig. When Michael makes a new friend, he sees things he has never seen before, and finds out why we have shoulder blades. It isn't quite as weird as it sounds, with the shoulder blades and all (but it's pretty odd). It's a book you should read, whether you like fantasy or mystery or anything else. It's a great book. |
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Title: The Lost Years of Merlin Author: T.A. Barron Pages: ??? Rating: * * * * * Review: This book is amazing. It is about a character many of us know well: Merlin, the wizard of the Round Table. This time, it is Merlin's childhood that you explore. Emrys Merlin starts out in his "mother's" hut in a village in Wales. He loses his eyes in an accident, then is given second sight by the gods in exchange for a promise never to use his newly discovered powers again. He leaves Wales to find out who he really is, inside. He finds a magical island, Fincayra, in the mist, and discovers his soul. Read this book. It is worth it. There are three more Merlin books, and that is definitely a bonus. |
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Title: The Seven Songs of Merlin Author: T.A. Barron Pages: ??? Rating: * * * Review: This is a pretty cool book in the Merlin series. I don't really like the way the characters act, even if it is more realistic. I also don't like the first 30 or so pages very much because of how Merlin is behaving towards Rhia. After that, it improves rapidly. Merlin brings his true mother to the island, and promptly dumps both of them into trouble. He tries to do the impossible, and bring his mother back out of danger. He faces many new things and people, and he discovers something about his family that he will never forget. Read this book, it's well worth it. |
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Title: The Hermit Thrush Sings Author: Susan Butler Pages: 282 Rating: * * * Review: This is a pretty darn cool book about a time in the future when Maine is no longer part of the United States, but is the Republic of Maynor. Many fundamental rights are gone, and deformed people are sent to "The Institute." This is wonderful story about a girl named Leora who goes on a quest to free her society from the iron grip put on it by the "Leaders." Some of the twists and turns are slightly too obvious, but this is a wonderful idea and storyline. I hope you read this book, though you'll probably have to buy it from www.amazon.com in order to get it-- it's by a small publisher. Nice book. |
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Title: Dragon's Milk Author: Susan Fletcher Pages: 242 Rating: * * Review: This is a book about dragons, the first in the series. This particular series has three books, all with a different heroine, but all interconnected. This one is about Kaeldra, a girl who had green eyes, which was a sure sign of a dragon-sayer (someone who can communicate with dragons) at the time this book takes place. She also looked different from everyone around her. She cures her sister who isn't her sister of vermillion fever by giving her dragon's milk, which makes the sister into a dragon-sayer. Then it is rumored that there are dragons around. Men on horseback come to seek this power of talking with dragons-- so they can kill them once Kaeldra has called them to her. This book holds within it's covers more than I expected to find. |
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Title: Flight of the Dragon Kyn Author: Susan Fletcher Pages: 213 Rating: * * * Review: The second book in the above series, it travels back to the time where Kaeldra's green dragon-sayer's eyes come from. They come from a girl named Kara, who had the vermillion fever when she was four and was left as dead in a cave. There it was said she was nursed by a dragon, and became green-eyed when her eyes were once blue, and- you guessed it- became a dragon-sayer. She called dragons for the king, so he could revenge his soon-to-be-wife's brother and father who had been killed by dragons. She hated doing this, because a dragon had nursed her when she would have died, and now she aided in killing it. Finally, she ran away and planned the flight of the dragon kyn. |
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Title: The Phantom Tollbooth Author: Norton Juster Pages: 256 Rating: * * * * Review: Terrific book! Full of puns, plays on words, and strange people. What's it actually about you say? It's about a boy named Milo who has lots of time on his hands and nothing to do with it. Then he gets a magical tollbooth, and sets out through the gate into The Lands Beyond. He meets King Azaz, the Mathemagician, the Spelling Bee, and Tock, the dog who ticks. A really intriguing story full of laughs. Some people say I laugh easily. . . |
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Title: A Wrinkle in Time Author: Madeline L’engle Pages: 211 Rating: * * * * Review: This book is awesome! It is only the first in the series, fortunately. The other three are A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, and Many Waters. It’s about a girl named Meg who gets a strange visitor in the middle of the night. She learns what it means to travel through space and time, and learns that there is more than one world in the universe. To learn this, she goes to a world without feeling and a world without sight. READ THIS BOOK IF YOU HAVE ANY SENSE!! PLEASE! |
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Title: Many Waters Author: Madeline L'engle Pages: 310 Rating: * * * * Review: Terrific book! A great ending to a great series. In this book, Sandy and Dennys (Meg's younger twin brothers) mess with their father's experiment, get blown into the desert thousands or millions of years ago, and meet miniature people. They meet the seraphim and nephilim, who are beautiful but of different opinions. The twins need to get back to their time, because they are changing the past, and therefore changing the future. But getting back is no easy task. This is the story of the past, and what happens if you venture into it uninvited. |
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Title: A Ring of Endless Light Author: Madeline L'engle Pages: 322 Rating: * * * * Review: This isn't exactly a fantasy book, but it isn't totally realistic either. Besides, L'engle has written a lot of fantasy, so this can go with her other books. Anyway, it's about a girl named Vicky who goes to the beautiful island where her dying grandfater lives . She gets noticed by three different boys (I'll quote the back of the book): "Leo is an old friend longing for romance; wild Zachary is sophisticated but troubled; and Adam, her older brother's friend, offers her a wonderful chance to assist in his experiment with dolphins but treats Vicky as a young girl just when she's ready to feel grown-up." She does assist in Adam's project, and finds in the dolphins fascinating beings, who live in different worlds, while living on Earth. A beautifully written book, a good read for anybody. |
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Title: Dragonflight Author: Anne McCaffrey Pages: 286 Rating: * * * * Review: This is a book that you might call sci-fi and you might call fantasy. I'll call it fantasy. A great book if you're in the mood. The first in a series of three, though McCaffrey has written many other books. Anyway, it's set in a planet called Pern, which is colonized by humans. There is no communication with Earth and everyone has forgotten the home planet. On this planet, there are dragons, which are Impressed at birth. Impressing is the joining of a person and a dragon. This particular story is about a woman named Lessa who is heir for a high position, but gives it up to become Weyrwoman (weyrs being the homes of dragons) of Benden Weyr. She Impresses a golden queen dragon and delves further and further into her past. |
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Title: The Forgotten Beasts of Eld Author: Patricia A. McKillip Pages: 343 Rating: * * * Review: This is an interesting book. It doesn't really have many funny parts, so if you're looking for a comedy, don't read this. But otherwise, it is great. It goes pretty deep and you can find hidden meaning in a lot of places if you look. It is about a young woman who has magic and calls many mythical creatures to her. Magic is different in this book from many others. It involves knowing something or someone's name, and you can call them with it. The animals Sybel (the young woman) calls are intelligent, and under her command. She is brought a baby at the age of sixteen, and is told to protect this baby from Drede, the ruler of a kingdom, who is the child's father. She raises this boy to adolescence, and then he sees his father and wants to go with him. Sybel struggles with herself and lets him go there. He indirectly causes a war that directly causes everything else. This is story with everything tied together, and has a beautiful ending. |
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Title: Nightpool Author: Shirley Rousseau Murphy Pages: 250 Rating: * * * * Remarks: This is a remarkable book in a few ways. It has everything I want in a book, but it has an element of sadness that is good and bad at the same time. It is about a prince called Tebriel whose father and mother are killed, and he and his sister imprisoned. He escapes and lives with a clan of otters where he finds his gift of song and memory. He discovers that he draws a dangerous sea hydrus, and leaves the otter clan. He fights the sea hydrus mentally and physically, and wins. Through this whole story is a singing dragon, an intelligent creature thought to be extinct. You’ll learn the singing dragon’s full part if you read this book. It has different elements than most fantasy and sci-fi and those elements are good. |
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Title: Wild Magic Author: Tamora Pierce Pages: 299 Rating: * * Remarks: The first in The Immortals series.This book is pretty good, and it is full of magic. In this world, magic is a common thing. Not everyone has it, but almost everyone knows about it. There is the easily regulated Gift, and wild magic, which is more limited in some ways, but more free in others. The heroine of this story, Veralidaine, has wild magic. Her home was burned and her family killed by bandits, so she leaves and finds work as an assistant along a trail with a train of horses. She makes the journey and meets female knights (which are amazing to her). When she gets to Tortall, her destination, she meets another bunch of odd people. This book is good “light reading” because it is pretty funny. I recommend. |
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Title: The Golden Compass Author: Philip Pullman Pages: 399 Rating: * * * * * Remarks: This is absolutely positively the best book I have read so far! The heroine is a spunky girl named Lyra Belacqua living in a world almost like ours, but slightly different in some ways you’ll see if you read the book. She starts out in an ordinary college where she is one of the most mischievous kids there. She embarks on an adventure with her dæmon soul, Pantalmion. She finds her shrouded past, discovers how to read a “truth measurer”, and strides into alternate worlds. The only flaw is that there aren’t very many funny bits. But, sometimes you don’t need funny bits. I didn't even notice this flaw until I looked HARD for a problem with the book :-) This is a terrific book, READ IT! I was so sad when it ended because I wanted it to go on forever. Fortunately, there are two others, this is only book 1. |
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Title: The Subtle Knife Author: Philip Pullman Pages: ??? Rating: * * * * Remarks: The sequel to The Golden Compass, this book opens in our world, with a new character, a boy named Will. He then travels to a different world and meets Lyra, where they join forces in a common quest. He aquires a knife of tremendous powers, and uses it well. However, there are amazing forces for evil--and good--turned against the pair, and they are hard pressed to stay free of the grasp of Ms. Coulter, Lord Asriel, and even more cunning adults. This book doesn't get as high a score as The Golden Compass because the plot isn't as exciting, and my favorite character starts acting like an idiot. Oh well. Still one of the best reads of the year. |
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Title: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Author: J. K. Rowling Pages: 309 Rating: * * * * * Remarks: This book is AWESOME!! If you like fantasy, adventure, mystery, or even if you don’t like to read, this is the book for you! Many people have already read it, and if you haven’t, you should. This book is about a normal kid called Harry Potter who gets an invitation to a wizard school and has all sorts of wierd adventures. He makes lots of friends... and enemies. It’s kind of hard to tell any more without giving away the whole story, but as I said, this is a must read. |
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Title: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Author: J. K. Rowling Pages: 341 Rating: * * * * Remarks: Rowling has done it again! A sequel to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, this is another great book for all ages and types of readers. I don't think it is quite as good as the original because you already know the characters and there isn’t quite the same flair. In this book, Harry Potter comes back to the wizard school after summer vacation to face his old enemies. Coming back to school takes a while and brings in some new characters. At school, he has more adventures and troubles. These include a basilisk, a giant spider, and a weirdo teacher. A nice continuation of Harry Potter. |
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Title: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Author: J. K. Rowling Pages: 435 Rating: * * * * * Remarks: This brings back the magic of the first book a lot better than the second book did, at least for me. I hope the format changes a bit within the next four books, because this series has too much potential to be wasted. Harry comes back from vacation again and launches into a new school year. He encounters all his old buddies, plus a hippogriff, a strange new Dark Arts teacher, and Sirius Black, a criminal. Harry is called upon, as usual, to find how to solve a problem too old for his age. |
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Title: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Author: J.K. Rowling Pages: 734 Rating:* * * * * Remarks: This book is SO GOOD!! Some people who were discouraged by the second and third books (thats not many!) will cheer for this one! It doesn't become tedious because of the extra length. The change in format has come, as Harry becomes an adolescent. Quidditch loving people, there's some bad news. Harry doesn't play quidditch this year. You hardly realize it though, because something even more exciting takes its place temporarily. Harry is in for more adventures, and the characters and comaradie are the best that could be wished for! Harry goes back to Hogwarts to find that an amazing event is taking place- the Triwizard Tournament. He makes his way through this, while still meeting new people, doing new things, and meeting an old enemy. This book has a new twist on the Harry Potter theme that isn't too different from the original and adds to the excitement. |
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Title: The Hobbit Author: J. R. R. Tolkien Pages: 255 Rating: * * * * Remarks: A terrific book, this is sort of “old fashioned” fantasy. You can tell Tolkien is not of J. K. Rowling’s generation. Nevertheless, this is a great story about our world, except with some additional, un-noticed animals around, like the intelligent hobbits, who are sensible, stay-at-home type of folk. One particular hobbit goes on an adventure with some dwarves (a very un-hobbitlike thing to do) and returns with some magical possessions. The book is mostly about the afore-mentioned adventure. The adventure really is very interesting, with dragons and magicians. The only reason this isn’t my favorite book is the fact that it is a bit musty sounding. I hate to insult The Hobbit, though :-( |
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Title: Dealing with Dragons Author: Patricia C. Wrede Pages: 212 Rating: * * * * Remarks: This is a really good book. It always gives me a laugh, even though I’ve read it about half a million times. It’s the first in the series of The Enchanted Forest Chronicles. But anyway, there is a princess named Cimorene who hates being a princess. She hates castle life, and runs away to be a dragon’s princess. Cimorene loves being a dragon’s and she exposes a plot between dragons and wizards, makes cherries jubilee, and meets some very odd and fascinating creatures. There’s a lot more, but you have to read it to find out! |
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Title: Calling on Dragons Author: Patricia C. Wrede Pages: ??? Rating: * * * Remarks: This is the same quality as the others in the series. This is the third in the series. In this story, a powerful magic sword is stolen by wizards, and a group of magicians, witches, royalty, cats, and a dragon goes off to recover it. They are accompanied by a rabbit who has a number of spells on him, which are mostly all his own fault. Then, in the struggle to recover the sword, they also nullify a meddlesome supporter of "traditions" like witches having just one, black cat and looking evil. There's an amusing end to this interesting story. |
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Title: Talking to Dragons Author: Patricia C. Wrede Pages: 255 Rating: * * * Remarks: This is the fourth in the series of the Enchanted Forest. It's about Cimorene's son who is on a journey with a powerful sword in his hands. Everyone seems to want this weapon, so he has to keep running away and on his travels he meets a fire-witch (find out what that is in the book) and a lot of other weird folk. He finds out why he was sent on the journey and finds his family and true friends. Some of them are a bit odd, but he seems to like it that way. |
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Title: 2041: Twelve Short Stories About the Future Authors: Connie Willis, Nancy Springer, Carol Farley, Anne McCaffrey, Patricia A. McKillip, Joe Haldeman, Kara Dalkey, Jane Yolen, Resa Nelson, David Alexander Smith, Peg Kerr, Susan Shwartz, Bruce Coville Pages: 218 Rating:* * * * Review: These twelve stories about the future deal with many matters. One is about a time when books are censored so much that of Shakespeare's plays, only Hamlet can be read in school without offending some group of people, and only four lines of Hamlet. In another author's vision, there is a kind of flying gymnastics for children who weigh less than 35 kilograms. Lastly, the United States flag ceases to promise freedom and allows Shoot On Sight officials who do just that- shoot people on sight for the slightest violation of the overly strict laws. These ideas are only a few of those that are outlined in this fantastic book. All the stories are wonderful, and they make you wonder what the future really will be like. |
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