By James Riley
4RBooks: 4/6, grades 5-8
Amazon rating: 4.6/5, grade level 3-7
Good Reads: 3.96/5
Common Sense Media: 3/5, age 8+
383 pages
Synopsis:
Owen is bored, except when he is reading his favorite series of books, a six-book set (so far) about Kiel Gnomenfoot and his adventures protecting the magic planet of Magisteria from the science planet of Quanterian. The seventh book is due out soon and he can’t wait.
One day after math class, notices a girl named Bethany has left her book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory behind. He picks it up for her, and then heads to the library to help his mother. While there, he discovers Bethany coming up and out of the book. After confronting her, Owen learns that Bethany is a half-fictional person who can go in and out of books, landing in the middle of the plot whenever and wherever she wants.
Owen also learns that Bethany’s father, a fictional character, has been lost in the world of literature since she was a little girl. She is going into these stories hoping to find him and bring him home. Owen volunteers to help if she takes him into one of the Kiel Gnomenfoot stories. Bethany agrees but gives Owen a set of rules to follow… which he doesn’t.
Owen and Bethany are now trapped trying to fix Owen’s mistakes and make sure the story concludes the way it is supposed to, without getting killed, or having an entire planet destroyed, while saving there hometown, too.
Parental Guidance: medium-low
Bethany’s father disappeared into a book and hasn’t been seen in years. She is trying to find him since it was partly her fault he disappeared.
There is a lot of science fiction and fantasy type violence but on a cartoonish level. There are zombie robots, magic spells, death rays, and evil leaders.
One character is half-robot and half-human.
One character must contemplate giving up his heart (and his life) to save Magisteria.
One of the major themes of the book is the interconnection between science and magic.
Recommendation:
There is much to like about this book. The premise, though not unique, is interesting and has some unusual plot twists. It is action packed and the characters all have their quirky qualities. Readers with a diverse background of books in their personal list will enjoy the shout-outs and Easter eggs of novels throughout the story. The importance of books and reading is woven throughout the story.
It is a long novel and can get complicated at times. After the initial set-up, Owen and Bethany’s paths separate into parallel story lines. The chapters bounce back and forth between the two until coming together at the end. Though there is no reason to keep this off an elementary school library shelf, the length, complications, and science/magic debate makes this more of a middle school read. It’s probably best for advanced readers who can stick with a longer, slightly complicated story line.
Because of its length and style, I’m not sure there is much use for this book besides as a personal read. Using it for a class read or group read would be difficult because of how much time would need to be invested. Similarly, reading it as a family might prove challenging, too. That’s a shame because the themes could be hashed out into interesting and thought-provoking discussions.
Earlier on this blog I reviewed Mr. Riley’s three-book series of fractured fairy tales starting with Half Upon a Time. This book is the first of a five-book series.
Comments