Category: Children’s

any stories that I would consider appropriate for middle school level or below

The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis

the Chronicles of Narnia series: book one

genre: children’s. fantasy. christianlit.

The Review

The Magician’s Nephew is a special kind of book. I have no doubt that this is almost wholly to do with the fact that C.S. Lewis is the mastermind behind it. There’s just something magical about how he writes. While I’ve enjoyed some of the books he’s written for adults (the Screwtape Letters – AMAZING), his children’s stories are such treats. 

Characters:

The Lady is certainly one of the more fascinating characters I’ve ever read about. Lewis obviously employs heavy Christian influences in a lot of his books and there’s no shortage of that here. The Lady is meant to represent the Devil or maybe just evil personified. Yet, when we’re introduced to her character, she’s a giantess that’s been frozen in time in an abandoned hall on a dying planet. This is nuts. What does all of that even mean? The whole idea of the Lady as a character is fascinating. Lewis knows how to have the perfect amount of mystery so you’re hooked, but not confused.

The only thing that limits this story is the unfortunate sexism of its time of publication. While the Lady is an intimidating force to be reckoned with, all other female characters are cast aside. Polly seems to be as much a main character as Digory, yet she misses out on half of the adventures just because she’s a girl. A little of this can be forgiven seeing as these were written in the 50s, but that still doesn’t take away the disappointment. 

Set-Up:

Short and to the point, this book definitely left me wanting more. This world feels so heavy with lore and it’s like we’re only dipping our toes into the ocean.

As I’m writing this review, I have only recently read three books in this series and this is the only look at the other worlds that I have seen. The idea behind the Woods between the Worlds is jaw-droppingly amazing. I want to say there’s even a Doctor Who episode like this, but I could be making that up. As someone who isn’t a huge fan of overly-religious connotations in literature, the scene with the creation of Narnia is just magical. C.S. Lewis manages to weave out something beautiful and enchanting, while still managing to keep that children’s-book feel.

The Magician’s Nephew is a children’s book with an adult story. If you allow yourself to read it without thinking, it’s entertaining; enjoyable. If you sit a little too long and think about what you’ve read and what’s happening between the lines, you realize that it’s just on the edge of being disturbing. Which, in fact, is true of a lot of children’s books.

approx read time: 3 days

Rating: 5 out of 5 Screems™

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Ownership: I do own this book, but will probably donate it for a complete, matching set later on

Links: Author. Goodreads.

Stargazer by Patrick Carman

stargazer

the Land of Elyon series: book four

genre: children’s. fantasy. christianlit.

The Review

What a surprise! Stargazer is a great end to the Land of Elyon series. I absolutely fell in love with the Dark Hills Divide and was then extremely disappointed in the books that followed. However, Stargazer is so good it almost makes up for the previous three.

Characters:

Alexa is so much more mature in this final book. She is directly responsible for almost every outcome in this story (which was one of my main issues with the previous books) and really comes into her own. We see her do a lot of things in Stargazer that she would never have done in the earlier books. I have a few more comments on this in the spoilers section below.

The other characters are just as well-rounded. The other characters are just as well-rounded. Yipes, Matilda, Marcus, and the ever present cast of animal characters are interesting, unique, and adorable (Grump was one of my favorites even though he barely spoke at all).

Set-Up:

The year between Into the Mist and Stargazer must have been spent doing an extensive amount of writing exercises or something, because Carman’s writing is just that much better! The wording is more mature, more filling, and more entertaining. Stargazer doesn’t feel so much as a children’s book, as a young adult adventure.

However, the ending wasn’t quite as good as the rest of Stargazer. I felt like Carman sort of lost his groove and almost reverted back to the writing of the previous books. I won’t spoil too much, but the final climax felt corny and kind of like a cop-out. It’s also super quick and some long-distance journeys take little to no time at all.

That being said, Stargazer is definitely a great read. Was it worth reading Through the Valley of Thorns , the Tenth City , and Into the Mist ? I’m not so sure, you tell me.

Spoilers below: highlight text block to view

Alexa finding her “home” in the air was something I found to be really satisfying and might have been the best part of the book/series as a whole. It felt right with Thomas and Roland Warvold being masters of the land and sea (respectively) it was fun to see Alexa become the master of the sky.

approx read time: 4 days flat. Loved this one!

Rating: 4 out of 5 Screems™

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Previous book in the series: Into the Mist

Ownership: this series has been donated to my local library!

Links: Author. Goodreads.

Inkspell by Cornelia Funke

inkspell

the Inkworld series: book two

genre: children’s. fantasy.

The Review

Okay, I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book so hold on to your hat here. This is such a classic series that I had a really hard time choosing a rating. In the beginning, I was all about this, but it just kind of went downhill for me.

Characters:

In comparison to the first book, Inkheart, I felt like Inkspell really let me down in the area of characters. Which was honestly a surprise to me. I really enjoyed all the characters in Inkheart, yet, for some reason, the same characters felt flat and uninteresting in the sequel. It seemed like Funke writes in limited third person with Meggie as the main character (at least that’s how Inkheart was). But in this book, Funke hopped around all over the place and I had a hard time keeping up with whose head I was supposed to be in. And, if Meggie is still supposed to be the main character, she didn’t have a lot of chapters.

One area where Funke succeeds is the covering the unlikeable, but natural emotions of her characters. Meggie and Farid acknowledge their unfounded jealousies. Fenoglio is a whole mess in and of itself (he’s the main villain of this story in my opinion, I hate him). And even Roxanne, in the end, can lash out when she’s in pain. However, the problem is that the positive aspects of her characters can get lost because of her emphasis on the negative. This really made it hard for me to attach to and root for the characters.

Set-Up:

This is the main problem with this book. It is way too long. And I don’t mean page length — I have no issue reading a long book. But man this book felt like it took FOREVER. There were a lot of parts in here that weren’t really important and they took up pages and pages of this story. I understand wanting to flesh out your characters and fill in gaps to give your story substance, but there were so many parts that dragged on for no reason. I loved Elinor in the first book, but her chapters, specifically, were completely unnecessary. She and Darius had no influence on the story at all. If Funke wanted to still have her in the story, she could have stuck with just one chapter and been done with it.

The middle chunk of this book is really where I got stuck. It felt as though nothing was happening and the story was just bouncing around between characters. Chapters that were 3 – 10 pages in length and just adding a ridiculous amount of background or scenic descriptions.

Additional notes: This isn’t a bad book. The Inkworld series is rich and creative, but I find it hard to think of this as a kid’s book. In comparison to Inkheart it feels like it’s on a whole different level. It’s violent, it’s wordy, and it’s long. If anything this is a young adult fantasy story about a 13/14 year old and her experiences in a cruel fantasy realm.

Spoilers below: highlight text block to view

My biggest complaint is that my favorite character dies in the end. Honestly, Dustfinger was the only reason I kept struggling to get through this. Why did this have to happen haha.

approx read time: 23 days (I told you this took me forever. yeesh.

Rating: 3 out of 5 Screems™

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Previous in the series: Inkheart

Ownership: I was going to keep this series, but I’m pretty sure it will be donated now 😂

Links: Author. Goodreads.

Into the Mist by Patrick Carman

into the mist

the Land of Elyon series: prequel

genre: children’s. fantasy. christianlit.

The Review

Technically, this is prequel, but the story is being told to Alexa Daley in between the space of the Tenth City and Stargazer. To me, this is more like the fourth book of the series with really large flashback scenes. It’s set up as a story-within-a-story and takes you to an entirely different kind of tale. Overall, it’s not a bad addition to the Land of Elyon series, but I’m hoping Stargazer really brings it home with a solid ending.

Characters:

The characters for this part of the series are pretty good. Roland and Thomas are both interesting. The brotherly dynamic is a nice touch and makes for relatable interactions throughout the story. Thorn, to me, was the best part of the story. As with the previous three books, I seem to really like the animal characters the best. I just really want a big cat for a friend, okay?

Set-Up:

However, as with the previous two books of this series, I still have problems with the plot. The adventure itself is fun and entertaining, but … I feel bad saying it almost seemed unnecessary. Since I’ve already read the following book, it’s easy to see that Carman wrote this afterwards (or in tandem) so that he could explain what was going to be present in Stargazer. Which is totally fine, but some of it seemed very over the top.

By biggest issue was the idea of these boys experiencing so much responsibility and hardship. I understand the need for characters to “go their own path” and learn on their own, but a lot of things (like literal child abuse) was unnecessary to the story as a whole. There are some other fantasy aspects of the story that are a little ridiculous, but this is targeted from young readers so I can’t really criticize too much here.

Spoilers below: highlight text block to view

There was one other bit of plot in Into the Mist that I found difficult to take. The whole business with the Lost Children was over the top. I loved the idea that Armon was saving them from the reign of Grindall and taking them to safety. But was it really necessary to take them all on a 12 day voyage into the Lonely Sea and then dump them on an uninhabited island? Why couldn’t they have set them up somewhere near the Wakefield House even? Considering how small the Land of Elyon actually is, maybe they would be found easily, but I just don’t think sending 10 year olds out to an abandoned island seems like “saving them.”

approx read time: less than a week

Rating: 3 out of 5 Screems™

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Next book in the series: Stargazer

Previous book in the series: The Tenth City

Ownership: this series as been donated

Links: Author. Goodreads.

The Tenth City by Patrick Carman

tenth city

the Land of Elyon series: book three

genre: children’s. fantasy. christianlit.

The Review

To be honest I was disappointed with this addition to the Land of Elyon series. I thought the Dark Hills Divide was absolutely fantastic so I continued the series. I was a little let down with Through the Valley of Thorns but I was still ready to keep reading. However, the Tenth City was not what I wanted out of this series.

Characters:

I know a lot of people complained about Alexa not doing a lot in Through the Valley of Thorns which was something I didn’t really agree with, but in the third book, this is really apparent. I liked how Carman went about this in the first book. Not making Alexa so brave that she was an unbelievable or unrealistic character, but as the books go on it seems as though Alexa is only following instructions. There are a lot of moments were Alexa could shine and do her own thing to save Elyon, but she’s only given instructions and then follows them to the letter. It completely diminishes her character and seems like she’s only there as a narrator of the story instead of an active participant.

Set-Up:

As far as plot goes, there are a lot of “twists” that felt cliche that didn’t really add to the actual story. There’s nothing wrong with predictable plot twists, but these were unnecessary. This was supposed to be like the climax of the trilogy, but it was just uninteresting. I really didn’t want to give this book a bad review, but it was just so disappointing in comparison to how great the Dark Hills Divide was. With all of this said, I’m still going to finish the series as I remember enjoying Stargazer and the one about Thomas and Roland when I read them as a child.

approx read time: around three days

Rating: 2 out of 5 Screems™

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Next in the series: Into the Mist

Previous in the series: Beyond the Valley of Thorns

Ownership: I used to own this, but have since donated it to my local library

Author. Goodreads.

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

Inkheart

the Inkworld series: book one

genre: children’s. fantasy.

The Review

I haven’t come upon a book like this in quite a bit. I’d been meaning to reread this for awhile because I wanted to get it out of my bookcase. But, I have a feeling that after reading the rest of the books again, these will be staying.

Characters:

Honestly, where I think this book shines the most is with its characters. I liked Meggie and Mo both. I fell in love with Dustfinger immediately. Elinor is hilarious and it’s so fun to see that reluctant, “normal” character in stories like this. She doesn’t want to be there at all and is constantly questioning the sanity of everyone around her. The main characters all have their own personalities and motivations.
The only characters I didn’t attach to were the villains. Capricorn is intimidating, but Funke could have taken his character further. However, this is done for a reason that I appreciate. Inkheart goes out of its way to reduce the amount of violence within its pages. The villains, although ruthless, shy away from it.

Set-Up:

I read Inkheart when I was very young and think that’s the reason I didn’t really care for it. I was reading a lot of fast-paced, action-packed books like the Harry Potter and Charlie Bone series. Inkheart is more densely packed with descriptions and explanations. It’s a calmer book. A more realistic type of fantasy story when it comes to the action and the conflicts. There are certainly plenty of high-danger interactions, but this story is more subtle than most in this genre. That’s what really makes Inkheart so precious. Inkheart is one of those classics that never ages. It’s a staple for any child (or adult!) who loves the fantasy genre.

Additional notes: I think I’ll be doing a review of the film adaptation eventually. So keep your eyes out for that!

approx read time: 10 days

Rating: 5 out of 5 Screems™

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Next in the series: Inkspell

Movie adaptation review: Inkheart (2008)

Ownership: I own this. I was going to donate it, but I have a feeling I’ll be keeping it once I finish the series.

Links: Author. Goodreads.

Beyond the Valley of Thorns by Patrick Carman

Beyond the Valley of Thorns

the Land of Elyon series: book two

genres: children’s. fantasy. christianlit

The Review

This is a great sequel to the Dark Hills Divide. It also immediately took my criticisms for the ending of the first book and solved them within the first few chapters. I’m not gonna lie though, this is kind of where I find some issues. Although the story, adventure, and characters are all phenomenal, the thinly veiled creationist backplot was just laid on a little thick. With Abaddon (Elyon’s favorite) being a fallen Seraph (read: angel) and wishing to bring about the fall of mankind through sin…I don’t know. It didn’t make the book bad, it just made it a little less enjoyable for me. However, despite this, it’s still a great read. I look forward to reading the rest of the series and continuing with Alexa’s journey!

Characters:

Most of the characters are carried over from the first book and get even more development in the sequel. I still think Alexa is a really amazing female lead. She’s brave and independent, but not so much that it’s unrealistic for a 12 year old. Also, Odessa is the best and anyone who thinks otherwise can fight me. I mean, have you seen her on that cover?

Set-up:

The story brings Alexa and her group of friends outside of the walls and into the world. This really expands the story to new levels. The evil is much more present and looming. It’s definitely a lot moodier than the first book, but it’s still a good story for any young fantasy fan. (Or adult. I enjoyed it. I’m 24. Come at me.)

Additional notes: the ChristianLit aspects are a little stronger in the sequel, but still do not distract from the overall story.

Approx read time: 2 days

Rating: 3 out of 5 Screems™

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Next book in the series: The Tenth City

Previous book in the series: The Dark Hills Divide

Ownership: I used to own this, but have since donated it to my local library

Author Goodreads

The Dark Hills Divide by Patrick Carman

The Dark Hills Divide

the Land of Elyon series: book one

genres: children’s. fantasy. christianlit.

The Review

This is one of my absolute favorite children’s fantasy books. Pretty sure I read this like 25 times. It’s been sitting on my bookshelf for years and I couldn’t resist re-reading. Thoroughly entertaining, The Dark Hills Divide has a little bit of everything a young reader needs: adventure, mystery, secrets, magic, puzzles, and a little bit of rule breaking. The mysteries and puzzles are intriguing enough for anyone to follow and I found the animal magic to be adorable. It’s not an overly-complicated or particularly original story, but it’s fun and that’s good enough for me when it comes to a kid’s book. As an adult, I was hoping for more information on the Land’s background and history, but I’m looking forward to reading the next three books again to fulfill this need!

Characters:

Alexa is a wonderful 12 year old character to follow in her adventures through Bridewell. She’s brave, smart, snarky, and really shines through in this story. I absolutely love that this series is led by such a great female character and there’s no allusion to her needing a male companion. I’m all for girl MCs! The other characters are just as colorful and easily distinguishable — something I sometimes struggle with in children’s books.

Set-up:

Have you seen that cover art? I’m not gonna lie, that was art was 100% why I picked this up as a kid. The writing is very easy to follow — a children’s book through and through. I remember some of the anecdotes or inferred sentences went over my head as a kid, but nothing so complicated that it ruined the story for me. I didn’t notice any typos or missed edits.

Spoilers below: highlight text block to view

The only thing I wish was different about the book was something that happened in the last few pages. [ Both Yipes and Alexa lost their ability to talk to animals! It’s a great way to show maturity and character growth but I thought the animals were such rich characters themselves and I would have liked to hear more from them in the future books.

Additional notes: The Christian aspect to this book is pretty obvious, but I didn’t find it to be overwhelming in any way. It’s certainly worth the read even if this genre addition makes you leery.

approx read time: less than 24 hours (although idk if this is an accurate time considering I blasted through this in one sitting. #SorryNotSorry)

Rating: 5 out of 5 Screems™

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Next book in the series: Beyond the Valley of Thorns

Ownership: I used to own this, but have since donated it to my local library

Author Goodreads