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| Page 13 | Book Reviews - Children & Young Adults |
January 2007 |
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| Page 13 | Book Reviews - Children & Young Adults |
January 2007 |
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DVDs - Various Carew
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By Alidë Kohlhaas For readers who have followed my occasional reviews of children's books, it must be clear that I have had a little difficulty with J. C. Mills and her stories under the heading of The Goodfellow Chronicles. The first in the series of the trilogy, The Sacred Seal, was delightful in many ways, but her excessive use of 'thankfully' etc. made it at times a tedious read. Yet I praised the book because it promised so much more. The story, basically, is quite delightful. The remaining two books in this series, The Messengers & The Book of The Sage, failed to follow through an what had been promised by the author. While Mills' language was far clearer and more enjoyable to read in these two books, the stories in themselves were letdowns on what one had been made to expect from the first book. Now, Mills had come out with Carew, a book that she has written to appeal to young adults, so to speak, namely those over 12-years-of-age.
The story is set in Northern Nepal, on the edge of the Himalayas, and near the city of Khatmandu. It has two youthful protagonists—a boy and a girl—who meet there by chance. Lucy is the niece of the leader of an expedition, and Evan the son of the photographer who had been hired to photograph the expedition. Without giving away too much, it can be revealed that together they, after considerable effort and danger to themselves, manage to save a rare creature from a terrible fate. The villain of the book wants to have this creature for personal gain. He manages to capture it and in consequence sets about some very strange and harmful events, which our young friends realize can only be corrected if the creature is returned to its mountain abode. But just how they are to achieve this is not for me to tell. It has to be said that Mills has managed to capture the atmosphere pf Nepal in her book, the mysticism of the mountains and forests of that country on the edge of the 'western' world, just across from China. This makes it an additional plus as far as I am concerned. So, if you care about what to give your children, or grandchildren to read than this is definitely a tale worth purchasing for them. |
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Carew, in my estimation, is a complete success. It contains mystery,
adventure, exotic location, and concern about the environment without being
overtly 'educational'. In other words, Carew is a fun read that can be heartily
recommended for the younger set. And, most importantly, it is clearly written
and contains the sort of language with which youngsters can connect.