What We’re Reading

His Dark Materials, Bk.1: The Golden Compass

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After seeing a trailer for this movie recently, and then stumbling across my copies of the series in VT, I decided to re-read them.

This story is central to Lyra Belacqua, a child without family, left in the care of Oxford College. While the college does its best to educate her, Lyra more greatly enjoys running amok with her best friend Roger, who works in the kitchens. But her curiosity and hankering to know are what lead everything into being.

Having snuck into a room she’s not meant to be in, she gets trapped, and while hiding in a closet sees a plot to poison her uncle unfold. She then warns her Uncle without thinking, and after filling him in, is left hidden to spy on the upcoming meeting. The meeting, of course, leaves her all the more curious, especially about Dust.

Then come the Gobblers, child thieves, stealing children from their families all around England, and finally coming to Oxford, where they get their hands both on Roger, and a gyptian boy Lyra knew. Lyra has little time to mourn, as she herself is about to go away, newly made assistant to the beautiful Mrs. Coulter.

Not long into her new life, Lyra grows increasingly disturbed, both by Mrs. Coulter, and her daemon, the evil golden monkey, who can roam too far from his mistress. In the end, she runs away, meeting up again with the gyptians, who hide her and keep her safe, as they know even more about her and the big picture and the gobblers than she herself does.

And so begins Lyra’s Quest to save Roger, and all the captured children, and her father, as she comes to learn Lord Asriel to be.

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Children of the Red King, Book 6: Charlie Bone and the Beast

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Having just recovered his father from a years-long enchantment, Charlie is on his own again—his parents have gone off for a second honeymoon. But there’s plenty to look forward to. Once they’re back, the family will be moving into its old home. Which, as Charlie and Uncle Paton find out while visiting, has been recently vandalized. By something not quite human, if the glimpse Charlie gets of two figures scurrying away is right.

At school, things aren’t going so well either. The appearance of a boy called Dagbert Endless has everyone ill at ease. Cook, because she knew his father. Charlie, because Dagbert has attached himself to him and is insulting all his friends. Charlie’s friends because…they’re being insulted. But the boy’s plot fails. He can’t actually break up Charlie and his gang, since they know it’s what he’s up to, and they aren’t falling for it.

Charlie’s aunt has also remarried, and is now step-mother to a sweet girl, and rather questionable boy, who happens to be under Manfred Bloor’s control.

But the real key to the story is the beast. Asa, after helping Charlie save his father, hasn’t been seen since. But mournful howls can be heard filling the air every night. The townspeople get themselves into a panic and go out on a hunt, after which Charlie knows he just has to find Asa. And thanks to Mr. Ominous, he has a plan.

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Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 3: The Titan’s Curse | Rick Riordan

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The action is non-stop in this installment of the series, right from the get-go. Percy, Annabeth and Thalia are on their way to Maine to answer Grover’s call for help. Unsure of what they’re walking into, they don’t have much of a plan, which leaves them without much to go on when the first people they encounter are a couple of the school administrators.

After managing to squeak by that sticky situation, the kids are undone again as the monster-in-residence at the school makes off with the half-breeds Grover found. Percy goes after them alone, unable to find any of his friends, and lands himself in yet another bad spot. The gang arrives to help him out just in time to realize it’s all a trap. Only some completely unforeseen assistance gets them out of the jam, but not without losses.

The group arrives back at camp only to prepare to leave again on a mission, ultimately, to save the world. Their friend-turned enemy Luke has gotten himself in with the wrong crowd, and a plot to overthrow the Olympians is under way. Three Hunters and two campers are chosen to go after the goddess Artemis, who needs to be at the meeting on the solstice or all hell will break loose. Percy, unwilling to be left behind, follows along unbeknown to the rest, unwilling to sit idle while he has a friend in trouble.

As foretold by as prophecy before the group departed, they suffer loss along the way, and obstacles at every turn. Will they succeed in their quest, or will Kronos awake and the Titans be restored?

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Percy Jackson & the Olympians, Book Two: The Sea of Monsters | Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson has finally done the impossible–he made it through the school year. If he can just get through the last day. When he gets to gym class, and realizes there is something very wrong with the members of the opposing team, he knows he’s in trouble. When they begin to grow in size, and throw balls of fire, he’s sure he’s sunk. And if not for his friend Tyson’s bulk and immunity to fire, he would have been. But somehow, with Tyson’s help, and the sudden appearance of Annabeth, he manages to escape. Leaving the school on fire, Percy heads towards camp, where things are even worse.

Camp is under attack, its borders weakened. The tree which normally strengthens their protection has been poisoned and is dying. The more times passes, the more the danger grows. Chiron the Centaur has been dismissed, and the replacement Activities Director is a bad seed. Percy feels he has to do something. When he shares his recent dreams with Annabeth, they think they’ve found a way to save them all. But Tantalus will have none of it, and offers the quest instead to Clarisse, who has no love of Percy or his friends.

Hope seems lost, but when Percy sneaks out to the ocean to clear his head, he finds some very unexpected help awaiting him. Annabeth and Tyson manage to arrive just in time for the three of them to take off on their unapproved quest, and just miss being eating by the patrol harpies.

Along the way there are many mishaps, and of course a few surprises. And while Percy and his friends do manage to save their camp, the outcome, as has to be expected with the evil Kronos involved, is not what any of them expected.

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Septimus Heap, Book Two: Flyte | Angie Sage

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Picking up where we left off in Magyk, Septimus is reunited with his family, and apprenticed to the ExtraOrindary Wizard, Marcia Overstrand. Princess Jenna is now living in the castle, with a guard of ghosts. Simon, angry at not being chose apprentice himself, has been missing for a year, during which time, it turns out, he’s been up to no good.

Having decided his family was against him, Simon took up with DomDaniel and learned the Dark Arts. With him, he plots to overthrow the ExtraOrdinary Wizard. But his kidnap attempt goes awry when Jenna escapes and steals his horse. Meanwhile, Septimus and brother Nicko set off to find her–luckily, their paths converge at the Port.

After an even luckier escape from their room in a witch coven’s house, the lot sets off for the marshes,to see their aunt. Simon catches up with them here, and unending trouble ensues. The depths of Simon’s darkness will soon be uncovered, as Jenna fights to save life as she knows it, and Septimus fights to save his mentor from destruction. Will they succeed?

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Percy Jackson & the Olympians, Book One: The Lightning Thief | Rick Riordan

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Percy Jackson hasn’t had the easiest time of it. No father, evil step-father, loving mother who he’s always parted from, new school every year… Then his math teacher turns into an evil monster, who he kills when his Latin teacher throws him a pen that morphs into a sword, and he really knows something’s different about him.

There’s not a lot more to say, without giving away most of the plot, but let’s just say that the peaceful trip to shore Percy and his mother plan turns anything but, and the ensuing adventure of trying to reach Half-Blood Hill is just the beginning.

Fantasy or adventure fan? You’re sure to fall in love with this series!

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Children of the Red King, Book 5: Charlie Bone and the Hidden King | Jenny Nimmo

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The trouble in and around Bloor’s Academy grows even greater, as the Children of the Red King struggle on with their fight. All the town’s animals have disappeared over night, and no one knows why. With the help of Billy’s rat Rembrandt, Charlie Bone uncovers the answer. And with the help of a mysterious girl named Naren, is able to find the animals and bring some back. But as he only brings his friends’ animals back, he then finds himself to blame for the rest of them being missing. Having sworn never to tell the secret of Naren’s family, he can only hope that the rest of the animals will return on their own. Luckily, they do.

Meanwhile, there are rumors circulating of a mysterious Shadow. One which Rembrandt tried to warn them about, but the boys could make no sense of his cryptic message. While it’s widely known that there was someone called the Shadow who tore the Red King’s family apart, there is almost nothing to be found about him, outside of travel journals written by Bartholomew Bloor, which he gets to Charlie, and which Charlie must then hide, once he’s read them and discovered all he can.

And if that’s not enough, his best friend’s parents have been sneaking around Bloor’s, his mother has been bewitched and is forgetting his father, and the nicest teacher at the Academy has turned out to be an enemy. Armed with a charm that can free the King and the knowledge of where his father is, Charlie aims to set his life straight.

A fun and fast read that’s rather difficult to write well about without giving it all away.

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