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As the novel opens, Will's enemies will do anything for information about his missing father, a soldier and Arctic explorer who has been very much airbrushed from the official picture. Now Will must get his mother into safe seclusion and make his way toward Oxford, which may hold the key to John Parry's disappearance. But en route and on the lam from both the police and his family's tormentors, he comes upon a cat with more than a mouse on her mind: "She reached out a paw to pat something in the air in front of her, something quite invisible to Will." What seems to him a patch of everyday Oxford conceals far more: "The cat stepped forward and vanished." Will, too, scrambles through and into another oddly deserted landscape--one in which children rule and adults (and felines) are very much at risk. Here in this deathly silent city by the sea, he will soon have a dustup with a fierce, flinty little girl: "Her expression was a mixture of the very young--when she first tasted the cola--and a kind of deep, sad wariness." Soon Will and Lyra (and, of course, her dæmon, Pantalaimon) uneasily embark on a great adventure and head into greater tragedy. (Amazon.com)A worthy second enstallment. I enjoyed it as much as the first. Will is a great addition. He is so strong and brave and his love for his mother is inspiring. His magic artifact is terrible and amazing all at once. The different worlds are described wonderfully.
This second novel does go a bit more into the anti-religous aspect of things and sure there's some sacreligous things mentioned, but once again if you take it for what it is (a fantasy novel) then there's no reason to take offense. So again I enjoyed the book, but as with the first, I do not find it a childrens story at all. It is full of things that young children wouldn't understand and includes things such as violence, death, and sex. Not terribly detailed, but enough that I wonder how anyone would ever think this was a story for children.
So a good story for adults, but would need severe editing to be a children's story.
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The overlays say:
Momma's Boy
Daddy's Boy
Momma's Girl
Daddy's Girl
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OATHS SWORN . . . loyalties tested . . . forces collide.Following the colossal battle against the Empire’s warriors on the Burning Plains, Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have narrowly escaped with their lives. Still there is more at hand for the Rider and his dragon, as Eragon finds himself bound by a tangle of promises he may not be able to keep.First is Eragon’s oath to his cousin Roran: to help rescue Roran’s beloved, Katrina, from King Galbatorix’s clutches. But Eragon owes his loyalty to others, too. The Varden are in desperate need of his talents and strength—as are the elves and dwarves. When unrest claims the rebels and danger strikes from every corner, Eragon must make choices— choices that take him across the Empire and beyond, choices that may lead to unimagined sacrifice.Eragon is the greatest hope to rid the land of tyranny. Can this once-simple farm boy unite the rebel forces and defeat the king? (amazon.com)I was not so impressed with this installment of the series. The politics made it long and often uneventful. There was lacking a general plot. Many subplots but aside from the series objective of kill the king, there was no sustaining plot thgough this book. As often happens when a series is lengthened to this extent there are more characters with more foreign names than we can keep track of. The climax felt rather anticlamatical to me.
Having said this, I still am excited for the last book to come out. I hope the final battle will make up for the "filler" book.
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Aren't they great! She must know me so well. Fairies and my men! My favorite things! I'm sad cause I can't get them to work as sig tags at CafeMom, but I'll use them elsewhere. Bonus points to my secret sister cause I never got around to sending pictures for her to use. Did that stop her? NO! She took these pictures of my handsome men off another LO I've done. How clever is that? I love you secret sister! You rock!
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I love Swirlies! Don't you? They have such infinite uses! I recently learned how to make them so I thought I'd share. They are all black so you can do what you want with them. Paste in any color or pattern you want to make it match your Layout! Or let it enhance your background by using a blend option! Yay Swirlies!
Credits:For last night Speed Scrap at Digi Scrap LO Contests hosted by NutsAboutGabe
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"Backyard Playground" ADS Collab
"My Favorite Jeans" by Creative Dreams
"Make Like a Tree" by Harmonystar
For Friday's speed scrap at Digi Scrap LO Contests hosted by Missdamsel
It's not a fave of mine. Expect to see this picture done again, cause I love the picture, just not the layout.
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"Spice Market" by Emily Giovanni
strip clusters by Danielle Young
Charm by LL Creations
And of course a Layout I made using it!
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About a street-wise girl that gets caught in the middle of a political battle. She goes on a quest to rescue her best friend who has been taken by the Gobbers. on the way she recieves the help of gyptians, armored bears, witches, and an aeronaut!I did check into these alligations and yes Phillip Pullman is an athiest and yes he has strong theological views in that manner. And yes he has said himself that in the end of the series the children "kill God". Though I have not seen anything where he specifically said he Hates the Chronicles of Narnia.
Okay so first of all let me say I have seen the movie and really enjoyed it. There is nothing, evil or dangerous in it so don't freak out. It was very well made and It's just good 'ol fantasy for any age. If you are trying to protect your childen then turn off the smutt on tv and pop in this movie.
So on to the book. Cause that's the real danger right? cause the movie has been "dumbed down" and is designed to "fool kids and parents into buying the triligy"?
Well the ruling power in this alternate version of our own world is the Catholic church. I can see how perhaps they could be upset but I assure you that it's nothing worse than the HISTORICAL stories I've read and movies I've seen about the dark ages when the Catholic church did rule and killed people simply for ideas. So this is far from a new idea and I didn't find it offensive at all. Also it is not uncommon to have the hero/heroin of the story fight against the established ruling power. I can name at least 7! Think about it I bet you can too!
I read this book through waiting for the blasphame and nothing came close until perhaps near the end where this mystery Dust was finally described as physical evidence of the origanal sin of Eve. You know, "for dust thou art,and unto dust shalt thou return . . ." I actually still didn't have a problem with it.
I understand that the other books get more directly to the point and I will read and report my feelings on those but here is my feelings for this book alone. There is no theological danger in reading it. I don't see it as an evil trap by satan to get at our children. C'mon! It's fantasy! Talking armored bears, witches, and Dust. Where's the issue?
Need more than that? Our children are too vulnerable to outside ideas you say? Well let me give some background on MY reading material as a child. In second grade I came across a book in the school library with really pretty pictures. I checked it out and it turned out to be a childrens book on greek mythology. I loved it and read everything on mythology I could get my hands on. By 5th grade I knew all the gods by their greek and roman names as well as their stories. So reading about gods that committ the worst of sins, adultery, murder, not to mention showing all the bad characteristics humans have to offer, jelousy, pride, anger . . . and so on is ok for a child to read but boy Dust is dangerous! My love for mythology continues, but never in my mind was it anything more than fantasy. Do you think children can't tell the difference? If you teach children that The Bible is real and that The Golden Compass is fantasy, they will understand that. There is no danger.
Having said that, let me say that I don't feel The Golden Compass is a very good children's book. But Rachel you just said....
I said it is not a danger to a childs or anyones religeous beliefs. The book is full of very big words with foreign pronunciation and complicated political plots. Yes that's exactly what my teacher has been telling me to put in my children's stories, wait no, that would be keep it interesting but easy to understand! Okay! So I tried to read a chapter out loud to Ryan, as I sometimes do at night, and it flowed so difficultly that I couldn't read out loud and follow what I was saying. I did understand fine reading silently, but it can get confusing. Anyone younger than 4th grade would surely get bored if it was read to them, and find it nearly impossible to read themselves. Furthermore, children die in this story. Not some bitter sweet for the greater good death either, but painful and tragic and make me cry. I say any book that makes me cry should not be read by a child. And finally the ending is not happy. It is full of confusion and betrayal. Children stories do NOT end unhappily. It's an unwritten rule. . . well actually it says that in my Children's writing manual. . . so it is actually a written rule.
I found the book in the teen section of the library. That is appropriate. It is a good read for teens and adults. I enjoyed it and look forward to reading the rest. I'll let you know when I do.
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"Tiny Treasures" Statements by Jodi http://www.statementsbyjodi.com/store/
Template: "Playing with Paper" by Michelle Filo
It's 1735. Forrest Harper's life inside the Tower of London consists of three ways to pass the time: chores, chores, and more chores. His only friends are the spirited ravens he tends with his father. So when vicious Scottish Rebels are captured, Forrest can't wait to prove himself by standing guard. If only Forrest's prisoner hadn't turned out to be the noble and daring Maddy. And if only Maddy wasn't about to be executed. . . .Now, as Forrest chooses between friendship and family, safety and escape, he and Maddy must flee, somehow navigating the cold, dank corridors of the Tower. (Amazon.com)I loved it! Written for children but with such an exciting plot anyone could enjoy it! The Tower of London comes to life through the eyes of an eleven year old who lives there, such a different point of view from the prisoners there, but Forrest feels trapped there all the same. A great story of adventure, courage, and growth. The characters are warm and real. Going to look into more books written by Elvira Woodruff!
Let me know what you think! I'm enjoying this so much I may eventually be offering freebies on this blog if there is enough interest!
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Spoil Alert!
So come get your speed scrap on!
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The first is pretty self explanatory. My blog is Excellent!
The second is the "Proximidada Award" or "Friendship Around the World Award".
Originally this award was written in Spanish, but it translates to highlight blogs that are pleasing or special in some way, and also to extend the hand of friendship around the world.
The digi scrap world transends all oceans and borders. Many of the kits I used have been made by designers from all over the world.
Now I'm suppose to pass these on but most of the people I know have already recieved them. So if you have not and think you may deserve one or both of these awards let me know! ;o)
