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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
This is a delightful little book of three children who end up crossing the line to a hidden magical world. Kate, Michael and Emma spent ten years being shuffled from one orphanage to the next before ending up in the last one, a strange place called Cambridge Falls. It's a place with empty dormitories, walls that move and hidden doors. They stumble upon a book with remarkable qualities and thus into an adventure in which they must save the world.
The orphan children with the fate of the world on their shoulders is a familiar concept. This is brilliantly done however. Kate, Michael, Emma and the readers are all equally convinced that the parents will be back one day. The siblings bicker, betray and love each other in a most convincing manner. It was a fun, easy read with plenty of forward movement and tension. Not a dull moment in fact. I'll be reading the next one in the series as soon as it is available.
The orphan children with the fate of the world on their shoulders is a familiar concept. This is brilliantly done however. Kate, Michael, Emma and the readers are all equally convinced that the parents will be back one day. The siblings bicker, betray and love each other in a most convincing manner. It was a fun, easy read with plenty of forward movement and tension. Not a dull moment in fact. I'll be reading the next one in the series as soon as it is available.
The Emerald Atlas starts off a little familiar. A group of kids, without a family, bounce around from one orphanage to the next, each one worst then the last. That is, of course, until they come to their most recent home. The story picks up fairly quickly leaving the tired, orphanage story line in the dust. Although there is a sense of ‘I’ve read this before’ it isn’t so strong as to detract from the enjoyment of the book. The writing is clear and descriptive when it needs to be.
The story takes place mostly on an island. Although it is a magic island without the same size restrictions as more mundane islands, this great adventure always felt a little small to me. Kind of like it was trapped on that small island. I didn’t get that sense of immenseness I have with other similar stories.
The characters themselves are entertaining, but they may fall into the archetypes too easily. The leader, the smart one, and the brave one. Like I said early the story felt a little small and the same can be said for the characters, there was not much in the way of growth or realization.
It did end with promise of a pretty large adventure to come. I think if maybe we could get off this island and more of the magically world was explained and explored we could have something really enjoyable.
Reviewer: Chris for Book Sake - http://booksake.blogspot.com
The story takes place mostly on an island. Although it is a magic island without the same size restrictions as more mundane islands, this great adventure always felt a little small to me. Kind of like it was trapped on that small island. I didn’t get that sense of immenseness I have with other similar stories.
The characters themselves are entertaining, but they may fall into the archetypes too easily. The leader, the smart one, and the brave one. Like I said early the story felt a little small and the same can be said for the characters, there was not much in the way of growth or realization.
It did end with promise of a pretty large adventure to come. I think if maybe we could get off this island and more of the magically world was explained and explored we could have something really enjoyable.
Reviewer: Chris for Book Sake - http://booksake.blogspot.com
Michael and Emma can't remember their parents, and their older sister, Kate, barely remembers them. All she knows is that she promised her mother to keep her siblings together. When they are sent to a final orphanage and transported into the past, Kate finds this promise to be difficult to keep. Will she be able to look after her brother and sister, rescue the other captured children, and hold on to this mysterious book everyone is searching for?
This book has two things every child likes to read about: orphans and magical worlds. Part Narnia, part Lord of the Rings, part Unfortunate Events, this was a fun read. I now understand why I was the 34th person on the waiting list at the library. This one is definitely worth the wait, folks - stop by your library and add your name to the list today.
This book has two things every child likes to read about: orphans and magical worlds. Part Narnia, part Lord of the Rings, part Unfortunate Events, this was a fun read. I now understand why I was the 34th person on the waiting list at the library. This one is definitely worth the wait, folks - stop by your library and add your name to the list today.
The Emerald Atlas is a thrilling adventure into the realms of magic and mystery. As the story begins three children--Kate, Michael and Emma--are scooped from their beds by their parents and turned over to an unnamed man in an old tweed suit. The old man indicates that a mysterious "they" have found them and are coming for the children. Kate & Michael & Emma's parents pack their small children into the man's vehicle and the children are then spirited away into the darkness.
We rejoin the children ten years later. They are residents in the latest of a long string of orphanages. Kate, as the oldest, is the only one who remembers their mother and her whispered promise that she will see her children again and they will be together as a family once more.
Due to an incident between the children and a prospective adoptive parent (who has a bizarre obsession with swans), the three siblings are sent to yet another orphanage. The new orphanage is in Cambridge Falls and when the children arrive they realize they are the only residents in the entire orphanage. This is the first of many unsettling discoveries. In their explorations the children discover a strange green book which has the power to send them back in time.
When Michael is inadvertently left behind, trapped in the past, the prisoner of the evil Countess, Kate and Emma must find a way to rescue him. Their originally straightforward rescue mission becomes an amazing journey into the events of the past. They encounter unspeakable evil--witches and monsters who desire the book the children now possess, courageous friends, a wise wizard dedicated to the preservation of good and the truth about the loss of their parents.
The Emerald Atlas is a thrill ride that barely lets you catch your breath before plunging on to the next fight-or-flight situation. For readers who love series like Harry Potter, Artemis Fowl, Septimus Heap and The Alchemyst, The Emerald Atlas is a perfect independent or read-aloud selection.
I am already almost finished with the second book: The Fire Chronicle and it fulfills the same promise of adventure and suspense--with even a dash MORE humor! I can't wait for the third and final book in the trilogy!
We rejoin the children ten years later. They are residents in the latest of a long string of orphanages. Kate, as the oldest, is the only one who remembers their mother and her whispered promise that she will see her children again and they will be together as a family once more.
Due to an incident between the children and a prospective adoptive parent (who has a bizarre obsession with swans), the three siblings are sent to yet another orphanage. The new orphanage is in Cambridge Falls and when the children arrive they realize they are the only residents in the entire orphanage. This is the first of many unsettling discoveries. In their explorations the children discover a strange green book which has the power to send them back in time.
When Michael is inadvertently left behind, trapped in the past, the prisoner of the evil Countess, Kate and Emma must find a way to rescue him. Their originally straightforward rescue mission becomes an amazing journey into the events of the past. They encounter unspeakable evil--witches and monsters who desire the book the children now possess, courageous friends, a wise wizard dedicated to the preservation of good and the truth about the loss of their parents.
The Emerald Atlas is a thrill ride that barely lets you catch your breath before plunging on to the next fight-or-flight situation. For readers who love series like Harry Potter, Artemis Fowl, Septimus Heap and The Alchemyst, The Emerald Atlas is a perfect independent or read-aloud selection.
I am already almost finished with the second book: The Fire Chronicle and it fulfills the same promise of adventure and suspense--with even a dash MORE humor! I can't wait for the third and final book in the trilogy!
Really good kids book. Not as in depth as Harry Potter, and not as sexy as Hunger Games, but a fun read that starts off an adventure.
Fun, fun, fun book! It sucked me right in at the beginning, and kept me hooked to the end. I listened to the audio version, read by Jim Dale; he is fantastic. The book was well written, with humor, adventure, and time travel throughout. Looking forward to the next in the series...
Enjoyable. I would like to find out what happens in the next installment. That said, it didn't suck me in so much that I rushed to seek out the second book.
I was torn with The Emerald Atlas. There were times I hated it, times I loved it, and times I could only shake my head in wonder. There were some overdone elements - the kids being "orphaned", there being a prophecy, etc. but overall The Emerald Atlas is a remarkable well told, hilarious, heart wrenching adventure all of its own.
Just finished the trilogy. It’s definitely a series for younger readers but it was an entertaining journey and I’ll listen to anything Jim Dale narrates.
[...] il romanzo mi è piaciuto, forte degli elementi tipici del fantasy tradizionale che, incastonati a dovere, danno vita a una storia coinvolgente dai risvolti a tratti oscuri. La ventata innovativa è data dalla funzione dell’Atlante – che non vi svelerò -, vero fulcro di tutte le vicende in cui si trovano improvvisamente scaraventati i nostri protagonisti, di cui ho adorato il rapporto fraterno, descritto in modo realistico, fatto di bisticci e frecciate ma anche di abbracci e calde lacrime d’amore. Tutti e tre ben definiti, ognuno ha le proprie peculiarità ma il loro denominatore comune è senza dubbio la determinazione: Kate, la cui preoccupazione più grande è proteggere i suoi fratelli, Michael, con la fissa dei nani e la voglia di contraddistinguersi, ed Emma, indomita combinaguai dal cuore grande. Anche gli altri personaggi presentano una buona caratterizzazione, oltre che una netta distinzione tra chi parteggia per il bene e chi per il male, eccetto forse proprio l’antagonista, così spietata da cadere quasi nel cliché. [...]
Per la recensione completa, qui: http://lanicchialetteraria.altervista.org/?p=1125
Per la recensione completa, qui: http://lanicchialetteraria.altervista.org/?p=1125