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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
DNF'ed at page 200.
It was starting to get interesting at the 100 page mark, and then it just went downhill. It was little bit too much like every other middle grade fantasy book for my liking.
It was starting to get interesting at the 100 page mark, and then it just went downhill. It was little bit too much like every other middle grade fantasy book for my liking.
I loved this book. I went into it with low expectations and came out amazed. My main complaint is that I have NO idea when the second book comes out.
Second read: I couldnt remember ANY details so I Am glad I read it again so I can finish the series.
Second read: I couldnt remember ANY details so I Am glad I read it again so I can finish the series.
fast-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
The story begins with three siblings who are taken from their parents because they are special and need to be hid. Fast forward several years later and several orphanages later, they are still waiting for their parents to return. When they get sent to their latest home, the mysterious Dr. Pym (who happens to be a magician) helps guide them on a journey where they travel through time and save a town. It has strong sibling relationships as well as a moral overtone of right and wrong. There are some funny parts and some scary parts. It definitely is an action packed book. Some of the time travel stuff got a little fuzzy as how to it worked. I would say both boys and girls will like this book and those who like fantasy/magic books will really enjoy it.
The first scene will undoubtedly remind any reader of the very first chapter of Harry Potter #1, and the second reminded at least one reader (me) of the Series of Unfortunate Events. However, there were enough differences following those two chapters to keep me reading. Stephens' writing is clear, though not distinctive. I did enjoy the plot, and the Countess is a creative villain.
When I was a "real" children's librarian, I tried to maintain a familiarity with the books that were popular with kids, which occasionally meant reading books that didn't live up to my lofty literary standards. Since I don't work directly with the public anymore, I rarely take the time to read mediocre books on purpose. Sometimes I feel like this gives me a skewed set of standards for the books I do read. It's easy to nitpick A Monster Calls when you're comparing it to Breadcrumbs, instead of the latest Monster High (see? I've totally heard of that series).
For that reason, it's refreshing to read a book like The Emerald Atlas. The author wrote for Gossip Girl and The OC, and it shows. Two of the protagonists are cardboard cutouts, straight out of the latest High School Musical franchise - the nerdy boy, the small but scrappy girl - and their dialogue is wince-inducing. The eldest child is slightly better developed, but she still only has one guiding motivation. The villains are laughable, prancing around caves and dilapidated castles in mustache-twirling glee.
As for the settings... As the book opens, the children are spending time in the Edgar Allan Poe Home for Hopeless and Incorrigible Orphans. If you're going to throw a whopper of a place name like that into your novel, it better have a (hopefully ironic, self-mocking) tone to match. This one doesn't.
Now that I've gotten all of that out of the way, though, let me hasten to say that I would totally recommend this book to kids if I were still doing active readers' advisory. The plot is reasonably well-crafted (though I suspect there are probably holes, since it is a time travel tale), the pacing is pretty good, and it's full of monsters and action. The message of family loyalty and forgiveness (not that I support didacticism, mind you) is a positive one too.
So, yes. I would send this book home with lots of kids, and they would probably love it. But Breadcrumbs is better.
For that reason, it's refreshing to read a book like The Emerald Atlas. The author wrote for Gossip Girl and The OC, and it shows. Two of the protagonists are cardboard cutouts, straight out of the latest High School Musical franchise - the nerdy boy, the small but scrappy girl - and their dialogue is wince-inducing. The eldest child is slightly better developed, but she still only has one guiding motivation. The villains are laughable, prancing around caves and dilapidated castles in mustache-twirling glee.
As for the settings... As the book opens, the children are spending time in the Edgar Allan Poe Home for Hopeless and Incorrigible Orphans. If you're going to throw a whopper of a place name like that into your novel, it better have a (hopefully ironic, self-mocking) tone to match. This one doesn't.
Now that I've gotten all of that out of the way, though, let me hasten to say that I would totally recommend this book to kids if I were still doing active readers' advisory. The plot is reasonably well-crafted (though I suspect there are probably holes, since it is a time travel tale), the pacing is pretty good, and it's full of monsters and action. The message of family loyalty and forgiveness (not that I support didacticism, mind you) is a positive one too.
So, yes. I would send this book home with lots of kids, and they would probably love it. But Breadcrumbs is better.
5/5 Stars!
A wonderful debut! For me, it felt a lot like Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Not the story or the plot, but the part about being a special child who grew without his parents. I can't wait to pick the next book up!
A wonderful debut! For me, it felt a lot like Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Not the story or the plot, but the part about being a special child who grew without his parents. I can't wait to pick the next book up!
Loved this book, it was an amazing adventure in a way it reminds me of Narnia
My first book of 2020 is a TOME of children’s literature that deserves a place of acknowledgement for how deeply and seriously it takes its characters and adventure. I admired the bravery and earnestness of the children, the realistic ribbing and exasperation but fundamentally deep love and devotion for one another. I particularly appreciate a book where the villain is so dastardly that the heroes have to commit to communicating clearly and honestly, and acting wholeheartedly for the good of all, so that none of the danger comes of their selfishness. I cried more than once at certain
Recommended for ages 9 and up.
Dark themes: children in peril, missing/dead parents, creepy monsters.
Recommended for ages 9 and up.
Dark themes: children in peril, missing/dead parents, creepy monsters.