Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Ashtown Burials #1: The Dragon's Tooth by N D Wilson

This fantasy tale is the beginning of a new series you won't want to see end...

Random House Young Readers sent me a copy of this book for review (thank you).  I'm glad they did, this is a fascinating new series that I think will sell well.  This book is written for ages 9-12 and is available now at your local bookstore.

This story has a "Bradbury" flavor to it.  It begins at a roadside motel which is surreal at best.  It's run down, the orphaned children run it themselves, and everybody eats waffles.  Most rooms aren't in very good shape.  Then one night a stranger shows up...

Mr. Wilson also wrote 100 Cupboards that I read some time ago, and that was a good read.  So I expected this one would be, too, and he didn't disappoint me.

This is a fast moving story with danger on every other page and with odd creatures and characters interspersed throughout the story.  There's mythology inserted here and there to add more context to the story.  It's also the traditional fight between good and evil that is the major plot of this story.

Cyrus and Antigone Smith are brave children who are determined to finish the current quest so they can save their brother.  The trials and tribulations they go through are what makes the story fascinating.

I enjoyed this one enough to already be looking forward to the next in the series.  Any book who keeps me flipping pages to read what happens next is a good book for me. Why don't you try it out and see what you think?  

Happy reading!

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