Book Review

To start, a confession: I have deviated from my book list. For a good cause, mind you. Abigail started reading The Mistmantle Chronicles: Urchin of the Riding Stars as part of her schoolwork, and I figured I'd need to read it, too, just to know what she was reading and be able to discuss it with her.

It didn't take long - maybe a couple chapters - before it went from reading it for Abi's monitoring to reading it for fun! Yes, it's a kid's book; yes, it's about an orphaned squirrel fulfilling his powerful destiny; yes, it's got talking squirrels, otters, hedgehogs and moles. I don't care. The writing is wonderful, the story is well-developed, and it's just good. Plus, there is continuous reference to prayer to and reverence of "The Heart", which seems symbolic of God, something rarely found in children's literature (at least, that I've seen).

We found the book in the library, plus the audio book - we all enjoyed listening to the narration by Andrew Sachs (Manuel of Fawlty Towers fame!) to the point where we were all listening to it over meals just to hear what happens next! Even Toby enjoyed it and is on to reading Book 2 to the kids - which is high praise from a man who normally can't stand the humanization of animals...

So, for those who are looking for summer reading that's fun and a little different, this is a good way to go. Get the book for bedtime reading, or the audio book for long car rides. If you don't like it, then...I can't help you.