Reckless

Annotation:

Searching for his lost father, Jacob Restless finds more questions than answers in his father's study.  The mirror on the wall provides the gate to a mirror world.  As Jacob explores the world, he searches for the answers about his father. 

Book Talk:

Jacob Restless has been searching for answers.  His father has disappeared, and no one knows where he has gone.  As he is searching his father's study for answers, Jacob finds a mirror on the wall.  Unique in design, Jacob wonders why his father had left the mirror on the wall.  Jacob finds a clue, "The mirror will open only for he who cannot see himself". 

Once Jacob understands the clue, he finds himself in a strange world that is accessed only by the mirror.  There are strange, mythical creatures here.  Creatures that exist only in fairy tales in our world.  Jacob begins a search through the mirror world, looking for his father.

But when Jacob's younger brother Ben enters the mirror world, things get downright dangerous.  Unaware of the dangers of the mirror world, Ben makes a deadly mistake.  He is attacked by a Goyl.  Ben manages to fight off the Goyl, marred only by some scratches.  The scratches contain a deadly poison.  Slowly but surely, they will change Jacob's flesh to stone.  He will lose his humanity and become a Goyl - the enemy of all humans in the shadow world.

The Goyl are anxiously awaiting Ben's arrival, for it is said that he will become the Jade Goyl who will give invincibility to the King he serves.  King Hentzau, the Dark Fairy, and his men are searching for this magic weapon which will allow them to rule the mirror world once and for all.

It is a desparate race against time.....

Author's Web Site:

http://www.corneliafunkefans.com/en

Tales From Outer Suburbia

Annotation:

A short story collection of tales set in the outer suburbs of Australia.

Book Talk:

Living in the suburbs is just so ordinary, or is it? 

Come and visit the Outer Suburbs.  You will discover a magical inner courtyard located within the attic of your house.  Find an unexplained deep sea diver walking down the middle of the street.  Discover a Dugong in your front yard, and find instructions on how to make your own pet! 

Just how far is Outer Suburbia?  It is closer than you think!

(Open the book to the table of contents.  The page is laid out as a mailing envelope.  The stamps on the side are pictures from each of the stories, with the title of the story written on the stamp.) 

Note - I like to read snatches of the books during book talks.  Michael Sullivan, author of "Boys and Books" recommends reading just a small selection of a story to the children.  This allows them to get engrossed in the book and want to hear more.  It also allows the children to hear the reading level of the book and decide if they want to read it for themselves.  If I were book talking this book, I would read the story entitled "Night of the Turtle Rescue".  It's short- 1 page.  The picture is intriguing, and the story itself is one that will leave the listeners wondering "what's next?".  However, you would need to pick a story that appeals to you...

Author's Web Site: http://www.shauntan.net/

Reviewer's Note:
This book puts me in the mind of The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick.  The pictures in this book are the rich kind of pictures you would expect of a graphic novel or a children's picture book.  The pictures are as integral to the stories as the words.  Several stories are only told through the pictures- but they are not wordless pictures, the words make up the illustrations and tell the story.  This is definitely an intriguing, off the wall collection of short stories.

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