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A review by teaandspite
The Arkadians by Lloyd Alexander
5.0
This was one of my favourite books as a child and I'm thrilled to find that it holds up. The callbacks to Greek and Roman mythology make it fun without veering into complete rip-off territory, the characters are delightful, and the pacing is just fast enough to keep even my ADHD brain engaged.
I especially enjoyed the way it features older characters. I understand why children's books now rarely go more than 2-3 years older than their target audience, but some things simply work better if you assume the characters are young adults rather than young teens. A 20-year-old fleeing execution by crooked government officials is an adventure, a 14-year-old doing the same thing is cause for an international investigation. Older characters allow for more interesting and complex storylines without falling into the "incompetent adults" trope that often ruins childhood favourites.
That's not to say that this isn't a book for children. It is. It's a coming-of-age tale that fits right in with all the classic tropes of children's stories. It's just one that expects children to be able to relate to all kinds of stories and protagonists, not only ones that are exactly like them. It treats children like rational people with the ability to see beyond their own perspective. More children's books should follow its example.
I especially enjoyed the way it features older characters. I understand why children's books now rarely go more than 2-3 years older than their target audience, but some things simply work better if you assume the characters are young adults rather than young teens. A 20-year-old fleeing execution by crooked government officials is an adventure, a 14-year-old doing the same thing is cause for an international investigation. Older characters allow for more interesting and complex storylines without falling into the "incompetent adults" trope that often ruins childhood favourites.
That's not to say that this isn't a book for children. It is. It's a coming-of-age tale that fits right in with all the classic tropes of children's stories. It's just one that expects children to be able to relate to all kinds of stories and protagonists, not only ones that are exactly like them. It treats children like rational people with the ability to see beyond their own perspective. More children's books should follow its example.