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tapestry100 (306 KP) rated The Golden Compass in Books

Aug 2, 2017

The Golden Compass

Philip Pullman | 1995 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)

7.6

(68 Ratings)

Book Rating

Originally reviewed on http://www.frommybookshelf.com

Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass will forever be one of my favorite books. I remember reading it when it was first published in 1995 and thinking then I had never read anything like it before, and each subsequent reading (along with the other books in the His Dark Materials series, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass) still brings that feeling of wonder. The ideas and themes that Pullman introduces in these books challenged me as a reader then, and still do over 20 years later.

Lyra's story of friendship and loyalty found in the most unlikely places, and opposing and challenging those whose beliefs may be strong but not necessarily in the right, resonated strongly with me right out of high school, and I still think that these are important themes for any young reader to experience, especially told through Lyra's eyes. Her strength of character and resolve in what she believes right creates a fantastic role model for anyone, but especially those, I think, who are trying to find their way in the world and are looking to literature to help them. Of course, Pullman disguises much of this in a fast-paced adventure story filled with political intrigue and suspense around every corner, so it will keep readers both young and old eager to find out what happens next. Not every book deserves the title "unputdownable", but I think this was one of my first experiences with a book that earned that description for me. An alternate universe, witches, daemons, polar bears who talk, and more make this book one of the more unique books you'll read, and Philip Pullman's writing is beautiful and poignant.

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Lilyn G - Sci-Fi & Scary (91 KP) rated Tokoyo, The Samurai's Daughter in Books

Feb 1, 2018

Tokoyo, The Samurai's Daughter

Faith Justice | 2017 | Children, Science Fiction/Fantasy

8.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

This was a good kids fantasy read

Contains spoilers, click to show

Tokoyo, The Samurai’s Daughter is a middle grade fantasy novel inspired by The Tale of the Oki Islands. It is a swift read that flows like the water that has so large of a presence in it. It was an enjoyable story featuring a young woman who has to be extremely brave and save her father.

I loved that Tokoyo, The Samurai’s Daughter was all about Tokoyo. Her abilities and determination were what carried her through. There was no male figures that interceded to provide help to get her through the difficult parts. She did it all herself, with only the caring, mental support and encouragement of the Ama. Though there has definitely been a surge of girls being front and center on action and adventure tales lately, it’s still not enough. This book was a welcome addition.

Now, I don’t know anything about Japanese culture, but the representation in here felt respectful and real. (The notes in the back indicate that the author has done plenty of research!) There was nothing about it that was included for laughs. Tokoyo, The Samurai’s Daughter will hopefully provide young readers of Japanese descent another role model they can look up to situated in the history of their country.

Overall, the pace of the novel is fantastic, the prose is near perfect, and the story was an engaging one. Faith L. Justice has done a great job with Tokoyo, the Samurai’s Daughter. And Kayla Gilliam provides simple illustrations that spice up the text every few chapters and provide a treat for the eyes.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book free from the author for review consideration as part of Rosie's Book Review Team

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Nicole Hadley (380 KP) rated Different? Same! in Books

Jun 18, 2018

Different? Same! by Heather Tekavec is a beautiful and playful animal book that seeks to engage young readers by pointing out differences between groupings of widely different animals and then asking what similarity exists. The similarity might be stripes, horns, whiskers or shells.

It is wonderfully written and beautifully illustrated. While the book is for young children (ages 2-5) I read it to my 5th and 6th grade students who enjoyed the book very much. It makes you consider animals in different ways and think about why these vastly different animals might all have horns, whiskers, shells, etc. We had fun with the last page of the book, pointing at various animals that all had a particular characteristic.

On each two-page spread, there are four animals. The animals each something about themselves or their habitat and each thing is different. Then we are told what they have in common or how they all the same, such as they have stripes or scales or tusks etc. I loved the science behind this but it is so much more than that. The message that no matter how different we all are, we are still all the same, we are human is a message that needs to be reiterated over and over. The illustrations are wonderful, so cute and playful. The vocabulary is descriptive, yet simple. the only complaint I have is that the animals are not named. It would be nice if they had been labeled so that children could ask questions and get further information. If they do not know what the animal is, that could prove to be difficult.

Thank you to Kids Can Press and NetGalley for this ARC. I received this book in exchange for an honest review.