ravens

Review: Gabriel Finley & the Raven’s Riddle by George Hagen

| Tasha

gabriel finley and the ravens riddle

Gabriel Finley & the Raven’s Riddle by George Hagen

Gabriel is a 12-year-old who loves riddles, he collects them and loves puzzling over them, just like his father did.  But his father has disappeared, leaving Gabriel behind in the care of his loving aunt.  Outside the house, Gabriel is unaware of the raven’s nest and the little raven growing up in it.  Paladin is a special raven though, one that is destined to have a magical bond with Gabriel, but only if he can survive the attacks upon him.  Owls hunt ravens for food, but worse are the valravens, creatures who serve Corax, a half-man, half-raven.  As Gabriel learns more about his father and his family’s special relationship with ravens, he is drawn into a quest that will lead him and his friends into the underground world of Aviopolis to confront Corax and save his father.

Inventive and unique, this middle-grade fantasy novel is something special.  Gabriel is an interesting protagonist, cautious with the friends he makes and living in a world where magic is suddenly part of his life.  He adapts quickly but believably to what is happening and responds with bravery but also curiosity.  He and his friends have a variety of skills, and they all nicely come into play during their adventures.  There are other characters who may be friends or not, they are written with a wonderful ambiguity that is allowed to be unresolved for a long time, adding richness to the tale.

Hagen has added a lot of depth to her novel with his creation of a raven society where they test one another to see if they are valravens with riddles.  Valravens don’t care for humor, so they are easily identified opposed to the merry ravens.  Much to my delight, it is revealed later in the book that owls love puns.  So the book is filled with wordplay, a grand element of the plot.

A vibrant mix of riddles, adventure and animal tale, this book is definitely one worth discovering.  Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from copy received from Schwartz & Wade.

Review: The Cheshire Cheese Cat by Carmen Agra Deedy

| Tasha

cheshire cheese cat

The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale by Carmen Agra Deedy & Randall Wright, illustrated by Barry Moser

Skilley is an alley cat who is down on his luck, he has a broken tail, tattered ears, and has grown used to dodging brooms and wheels.  So when he hears that Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, a local inn, needs a mouser, he concocts a plan to become that cat.  But Skilley has a horrible, shameful secret that he carries with him: he doesn’t eat mice.  Instead he prefers a good nibble of cheese.  Discovering this, a mouse named Pip strikes up a deal.  The mice of The Cheese will provide Skilley with the cheese he needs in exchange for him pretending to nab them and eat them.  The plan is perfection for a short time, until an evil cat named Pinch enters the inn and more secrets start coming out.  Add some historical British figures and you have an engaging romp of a novel for middle readers.

The authors have created a historical fiction novel that is also an animal novel.  It has figures like Charles Dickens and Thackeray, but mostly focuses on the animals themselves.  It is a novel that explores friendship and accepting yourself even if there are things that you might be ashamed of.  These messages are woven skillfully throughout the story and never become overbearing.

The pacing of the novel is also skillfully done.  There are quieter moments in the novel, but the foreshadowing makes even those uneasy ones.  Once the story really gets going, it reads quickly.  I couldn’t put it down in the last few chapters because I was so caught up in the story.

I’m not a huge animal story fan.  It seems that they tend to be tearful, overly emotive, and generally tragic.  That is not the case here.  Instead readers will cheer on the heroes, worry for their safety, and find themselves in the midst of a grand adventure in Elizabethan England.

Highly recommended, this book is one delicious read with a pleasing mix of sweet and savory.  Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from copy received from Peachtree Publishers.

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