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Brian, His Granddad & the Cup of Ages
When eleven-year-old Brian Pankhurst has to stay with his grandparents, he's not exactly enthusiastic. He barely knows them, after all, and they're a little strange. They're stranger than he realises, in fact. Very soon after he arrives at their ancient house, Brian starts to feel that something isn't right. Why has someone sent his granddad a completely blank letter? Why don't people who go in to the local bookshop ever seem to come out again? What does his granddad mean when he says Brian's father wasn't really an accountant? Then Brian wakes in the middle of the night and finds he's going to have to adjust to three things very quickly: magic is real, monsters are real, and he and his family are in terrible danger...
310 pages, Paperback
First published August 10, 2011
4 people are currently reading
1885 people want to read
About the author
P.J. Taylor
2 books26 followersP.J. Taylor was born in Kent in 1971. He was educated at Ramsden School for Boys, where he spent pretty much most of the time playing computer games, watching movies and occasionally writing a short story. In 1988 he began working for a bank in London and five years after this he was happily married and living in South East London.
In 1994 he was diagnosed with Wegner's Granulomatosis and became seriously ill. Five years later and after various treatments he successfully went into remission. Unfortunately, in 2004 he became seriously ill again and was diagnosed with an inoperable tumour behind his left eye caused by the same disease.
It was whilst he was in hospital, receiving treatment, that he began working on his first novel 'Brian, his Granddad & the Cup of Ages'. Inspired by the books he loved as a child this was successfully published as both a paperback and digitally in 2012. You'll find that many of the locations within the novel are real whilst the names of a number of characters are inspired from old time radio shows such as 'Round the Horne', 'The Goon Show' and 'The Clitheroe Kid'
Due to the popularity of his debut novel he has recently completed a sequel. Brian, the Alchemist & the Silver Dragon is due to be published as both a paperback and digitally in August 2016.
P.J. Taylor currently lives in Surrey where he spends most of his time still playing computer games, watching movies and writing children's fantasy novels.
In 1994 he was diagnosed with Wegner's Granulomatosis and became seriously ill. Five years later and after various treatments he successfully went into remission. Unfortunately, in 2004 he became seriously ill again and was diagnosed with an inoperable tumour behind his left eye caused by the same disease.
It was whilst he was in hospital, receiving treatment, that he began working on his first novel 'Brian, his Granddad & the Cup of Ages'. Inspired by the books he loved as a child this was successfully published as both a paperback and digitally in 2012. You'll find that many of the locations within the novel are real whilst the names of a number of characters are inspired from old time radio shows such as 'Round the Horne', 'The Goon Show' and 'The Clitheroe Kid'
Due to the popularity of his debut novel he has recently completed a sequel. Brian, the Alchemist & the Silver Dragon is due to be published as both a paperback and digitally in August 2016.
P.J. Taylor currently lives in Surrey where he spends most of his time still playing computer games, watching movies and writing children's fantasy novels.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
February 3, 2013
You can find the original review over at my blog:
3.5....
Let me start off by saying that this review is of my opinion of the book. I think that it is a perfect book for middle-graders, and if given a rating for that it would be a 5.
The start of this novel gets straight to the point with Brian's situation and what his mother is doing (albeit a tad too formal for this genre). Brian, Audrey and Norman all reminded me too much of Harry, Hermione and Ron from the Harry Potter series. It was like this the whole way through the book, which is why I think it got brought down a rate. Also, the constant reference to Rock Cakes was as tiring as the three main character's similarities to H.P. Another little downfall, was the world "albeit". It was used throughout this book very frequently, and I felt like it was there at least once in every chapter. These are what brought the book down for me.
The overall story was put forward to us great and other than the downfalls mentioned above, was a great read. I love the use of books in this book (HA!), a unique idea to use as well as to capture the attention of book lovers even more --> definitely got my attention captured!
The supporting characters as well as what the kids have to face to find out the truth, and to help stop what is going on are very entertaining. The two monsters Sam and Hadley are the coolest monsters out! ( yes the coolest :) )
Brian is a very curious character when we first meet him, and this is what propels him to go searching for the adults and solve the mystery. With some very awesome creatures and supporting characters, this book is great to give to any 12 year old.
I really do hope that there is a sequel. There are still some threads hanging loose with Brian's story, and you really do want to find out how everything is after the ending. (This paragraph might be a bit confusing, but I don't want to give away any spoilers)
3.5....
Let me start off by saying that this review is of my opinion of the book. I think that it is a perfect book for middle-graders, and if given a rating for that it would be a 5.
The start of this novel gets straight to the point with Brian's situation and what his mother is doing (albeit a tad too formal for this genre). Brian, Audrey and Norman all reminded me too much of Harry, Hermione and Ron from the Harry Potter series. It was like this the whole way through the book, which is why I think it got brought down a rate. Also, the constant reference to Rock Cakes was as tiring as the three main character's similarities to H.P. Another little downfall, was the world "albeit". It was used throughout this book very frequently, and I felt like it was there at least once in every chapter. These are what brought the book down for me.
The overall story was put forward to us great and other than the downfalls mentioned above, was a great read. I love the use of books in this book (HA!), a unique idea to use as well as to capture the attention of book lovers even more --> definitely got my attention captured!
The supporting characters as well as what the kids have to face to find out the truth, and to help stop what is going on are very entertaining. The two monsters Sam and Hadley are the coolest monsters out! ( yes the coolest :) )
Brian is a very curious character when we first meet him, and this is what propels him to go searching for the adults and solve the mystery. With some very awesome creatures and supporting characters, this book is great to give to any 12 year old.
I really do hope that there is a sequel. There are still some threads hanging loose with Brian's story, and you really do want to find out how everything is after the ending. (This paragraph might be a bit confusing, but I don't want to give away any spoilers)
July 3, 2017
Excellent!
I really loved this book! Brian's father is missing and his mother takes him to stay with his grandparents for a while. Things are not what they seem, two monsters Sam and Hadley and three friends join Brian in an enthusiastic romp. Great fun. Wasted on just kids!
I really loved this book! Brian's father is missing and his mother takes him to stay with his grandparents for a while. Things are not what they seem, two monsters Sam and Hadley and three friends join Brian in an enthusiastic romp. Great fun. Wasted on just kids!
July 11, 2013
I received "Brian, His Granddad & the Cup of Ages," free as a book for review.
My mother told me, so many years ago, if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. Sounds simple, unfortunately it’s easier said than done. And so I have made it my practice not to write reviews on books I don’t like.
It’s not that I disliked this book. In fact it was cute; my main issue was how often I found myself realizing how closely the characters, and some of the plot, mimicked another story and its characters which had already been written by someone else.
I think it was Ernest Hemingway who said, “Every writer has three good stories in him, and he keeps re-telling them until the reader no longer wants to read them.” I’m not sure those are the exact words, but you get the idea.
It's obvious the reading public is not tired of reading stories about wizards and witches. I know I'm not. Since there are so many offerings out there, it has to be difficult for any author to be completely original and not sound like they’re mimicking something they’ve personally read and enjoyed.
So I think it’s important for the author to make an even greater effort to separate their protagonists’ and antagonists personalities from those of such a popular series as J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books. Other critiques of this work have made the same comment about the characters. So I’m not alone in this.
The voice of this author is sweet, and I think he is writing to the right age group. However, he needs to find a fresh way to tell his story. I have rated the book two stars, which is defined by the review process on Goodreads as being “it was ok.” This rating does not reflect a dislike of the work, it was ok. In my book, ok is ok, not bad. One star or no stars would reflect an active dislike, something I did not feel while reading this book.
The book needs to be reworked and I think if the author does this, the under nine audience will embrace it with alacrity.
My thanks to the author for the opportunity to read his work, I know what it takes, and I can hear his passion for writing in his words. I know we will see more from this author and I will look forward to reading what he comes up with next.
My mother told me, so many years ago, if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. Sounds simple, unfortunately it’s easier said than done. And so I have made it my practice not to write reviews on books I don’t like.
It’s not that I disliked this book. In fact it was cute; my main issue was how often I found myself realizing how closely the characters, and some of the plot, mimicked another story and its characters which had already been written by someone else.
I think it was Ernest Hemingway who said, “Every writer has three good stories in him, and he keeps re-telling them until the reader no longer wants to read them.” I’m not sure those are the exact words, but you get the idea.
It's obvious the reading public is not tired of reading stories about wizards and witches. I know I'm not. Since there are so many offerings out there, it has to be difficult for any author to be completely original and not sound like they’re mimicking something they’ve personally read and enjoyed.
So I think it’s important for the author to make an even greater effort to separate their protagonists’ and antagonists personalities from those of such a popular series as J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books. Other critiques of this work have made the same comment about the characters. So I’m not alone in this.
The voice of this author is sweet, and I think he is writing to the right age group. However, he needs to find a fresh way to tell his story. I have rated the book two stars, which is defined by the review process on Goodreads as being “it was ok.” This rating does not reflect a dislike of the work, it was ok. In my book, ok is ok, not bad. One star or no stars would reflect an active dislike, something I did not feel while reading this book.
The book needs to be reworked and I think if the author does this, the under nine audience will embrace it with alacrity.
My thanks to the author for the opportunity to read his work, I know what it takes, and I can hear his passion for writing in his words. I know we will see more from this author and I will look forward to reading what he comes up with next.
February 17, 2013
Really good book for ages 7+ . We meet Brian who has come to stay with his grandparents, whilst his mother finds a new home to move into. We soon find that Brian's paternal grandparents are more quirky than meets the eye, which tweaks Brian's curious nature. Comic value arrives in the forms of Sam and Hadley! two monsters who appear in Brian's bedroom. I loved these two characters they are bizarre and funny and i'm sure a child reader would find them hilarious. This is a tale of friendship, adventure and curiosity....oh and monsters :0)
The writing style is descriptive and flows nicely to allow you to read easily and concentrate on the Who is it? whats coming next? questions that inevitably arrise in a story like this. There is an exception to this though i found the baddies name (deevilmon - not a spoiler as it is clear from the start he is a baddy and not a baddy you have to guess)disrupted the reading flow.
The storyline is good and i just absolutely L-O-V-E the way they travel in this story...i cant go into more detail without giving a spoiler to the first few chapters so i will leave it as that. The baddies are well thought out and definately bad which i like in childrens books....i have found some childrens books they make the baddies too complex and it puts children (mainly my child off).
What i would like to see from the next book - hmmm i'd like there to be more of a rollercoaster. Good books have you laughing one minute and crying the next, fear for a character to falling in love with one etc. I felt this book didn't really hit many emotions but then it is written for children and i am shall we just say past that age lol. My 7 year old daughter is now going to read it and she will most probably come up with a completely different review :0) Will post under here when she finishes it.
Overall a good read and i would definately read any sequels to discover what next lies in store for Brian and his family
The writing style is descriptive and flows nicely to allow you to read easily and concentrate on the Who is it? whats coming next? questions that inevitably arrise in a story like this. There is an exception to this though i found the baddies name (deevilmon - not a spoiler as it is clear from the start he is a baddy and not a baddy you have to guess)disrupted the reading flow.
The storyline is good and i just absolutely L-O-V-E the way they travel in this story...i cant go into more detail without giving a spoiler to the first few chapters so i will leave it as that. The baddies are well thought out and definately bad which i like in childrens books....i have found some childrens books they make the baddies too complex and it puts children (mainly my child off).
What i would like to see from the next book - hmmm i'd like there to be more of a rollercoaster. Good books have you laughing one minute and crying the next, fear for a character to falling in love with one etc. I felt this book didn't really hit many emotions but then it is written for children and i am shall we just say past that age lol. My 7 year old daughter is now going to read it and she will most probably come up with a completely different review :0) Will post under here when she finishes it.
Overall a good read and i would definately read any sequels to discover what next lies in store for Brian and his family
February 13, 2017
Definitely a book I have enjoyed if I can read a book in a few days with two small children then that is the same as when someone else may say they read in one sitting!!!! I loved the way the author was descriptive so much so that the whole story was brought to life; even someone without any imagination could picture this story as it was brought to life in the way that it was written. It is a magical fantasy that is well worth reading and that I hope will have much more to come in the future.
The rest of this review could be considered a spoiler so read with caution if you have not yet read the book........
I have to agree with some other reviewers that there were times it made me think of Harry Potter but in fairness to the author I think most good fantasy magical themed books where there is a good versus evil magical battle theme will for the foreseeable future be compared to Harry Potter after all we have had ten years of Mr Potter and many of us are trying desperately to fill a void that has left us with.
I recall one reviewer commenting on the characters being picked for political correctness I am assuming their reference was to a mixture of races and levels of disabilities amongst the character descriptions but in all the descriptions of magical beings both human and otherwise I felt the mix of main characters was a nice blend that worked well in the storyline.
I would easily have given this 5 stars up until the final battle where I am afraid I felt a bit let down after such a great descriptive story throughout after that I feel it all felt a bit rushed and closed down trying to leave loose ends to follow up on in the sequel. That said I would still recommend and intend to look out for follow up story which I hope continues with the original descriptive narrative style that we found through most of this book and that felt far more magical to read.
The rest of this review could be considered a spoiler so read with caution if you have not yet read the book........
I have to agree with some other reviewers that there were times it made me think of Harry Potter but in fairness to the author I think most good fantasy magical themed books where there is a good versus evil magical battle theme will for the foreseeable future be compared to Harry Potter after all we have had ten years of Mr Potter and many of us are trying desperately to fill a void that has left us with.
I recall one reviewer commenting on the characters being picked for political correctness I am assuming their reference was to a mixture of races and levels of disabilities amongst the character descriptions but in all the descriptions of magical beings both human and otherwise I felt the mix of main characters was a nice blend that worked well in the storyline.
I would easily have given this 5 stars up until the final battle where I am afraid I felt a bit let down after such a great descriptive story throughout after that I feel it all felt a bit rushed and closed down trying to leave loose ends to follow up on in the sequel. That said I would still recommend and intend to look out for follow up story which I hope continues with the original descriptive narrative style that we found through most of this book and that felt far more magical to read.
July 9, 2013
First I want to say thank you to the author for allowing me to recieve a free copy. In return I will now give my honest review.
I had a hard time with this book from the beginning. Within a few pages all I could think was this is TOO much like Harry Potter. As I continued to read the similarities just continued. For example, main character Brian has no idea about magic or monsters. He ends up becoming friends with 2 other characters- 1 female, 1 male...who argue all the time for what appears to be for no reason. Brian defeats the Diefromen (fire demon), he has no idea how he did it. The hotel they stay in reminds me of the Hoghead in the Potter books. Okay enough of that, I think you get the idea.
I understand that this book is meant for young readers, but here's my thing. I had trouble keeping up with the plot line and everything that was going on. I felt like the characters were not described well enough in the beginning of the book to give the reader the connection with the characters. Also, the "made up" words were terrible!! They threw me off everytime one would pop up, I got to where I was replacing certains words with my own so that it would make sense to me. With that being said I had my 11 year old son read the first chapter because I felt like maybe I was being to harsh....He read about a chapter and a half and asked me who ripped off Harry Potter??
I don't like to give too much info on the book as to cause spoilers. Don't want to ruin for those who plan to read it
I usually stop reading a book within the first 100 pages if I'm not into it, but since I promised a review I finished it. As I continued reading I still had hope that maybe I would like it by the end. That was not the case.
I had a hard time with this book from the beginning. Within a few pages all I could think was this is TOO much like Harry Potter. As I continued to read the similarities just continued. For example, main character Brian has no idea about magic or monsters. He ends up becoming friends with 2 other characters- 1 female, 1 male...who argue all the time for what appears to be for no reason. Brian defeats the Diefromen (fire demon), he has no idea how he did it. The hotel they stay in reminds me of the Hoghead in the Potter books. Okay enough of that, I think you get the idea.
I understand that this book is meant for young readers, but here's my thing. I had trouble keeping up with the plot line and everything that was going on. I felt like the characters were not described well enough in the beginning of the book to give the reader the connection with the characters. Also, the "made up" words were terrible!! They threw me off everytime one would pop up, I got to where I was replacing certains words with my own so that it would make sense to me. With that being said I had my 11 year old son read the first chapter because I felt like maybe I was being to harsh....He read about a chapter and a half and asked me who ripped off Harry Potter??
I don't like to give too much info on the book as to cause spoilers. Don't want to ruin for those who plan to read it
I usually stop reading a book within the first 100 pages if I'm not into it, but since I promised a review I finished it. As I continued reading I still had hope that maybe I would like it by the end. That was not the case.
October 14, 2013
Just because you're a grown-up doesn't mean you can't enjoy a great book written for kids.
You only have to look at the popularity of the Harry Potter phenomenon among adults to realise how true my first sentence is.
I mention "Harry Potter" because a couple of reviews I've read have compared P. J. Taylor's "Brian, His Granddad & the Cup of Ages" to J. K. Rowling's series.
For me, the comparison doesn't work. I never got past the first chapter of the first Harry Potter book - and neither did my son - it just didn't "grab" us.
I had no such problems with "Brian, His Granddad & the Cup of Ages". I found the writing to be smooth and flowing (something very important to me), the story engaging with plenty of giggles along with some more serious stuff, with the characters delightful but not too complex for younger readers.
All the way through reading this book, I couldn't help wishing that my son was young enough to enjoy being read to again!
I am disappointed in one thing - I've finished reading it! I am, however, very much looking forward to "'Brian, the Alchemist & the Silver Dragon".
You only have to look at the popularity of the Harry Potter phenomenon among adults to realise how true my first sentence is.
I mention "Harry Potter" because a couple of reviews I've read have compared P. J. Taylor's "Brian, His Granddad & the Cup of Ages" to J. K. Rowling's series.
For me, the comparison doesn't work. I never got past the first chapter of the first Harry Potter book - and neither did my son - it just didn't "grab" us.
I had no such problems with "Brian, His Granddad & the Cup of Ages". I found the writing to be smooth and flowing (something very important to me), the story engaging with plenty of giggles along with some more serious stuff, with the characters delightful but not too complex for younger readers.
All the way through reading this book, I couldn't help wishing that my son was young enough to enjoy being read to again!
I am disappointed in one thing - I've finished reading it! I am, however, very much looking forward to "'Brian, the Alchemist & the Silver Dragon".
November 12, 2012
The story centers around a young boy named Brian who’s forced to move in with his Grandparents after his father leaves and his mother has to move away for a new job. No sooner than he arrives than strange things start happening.
After a number of intriguing number of events Brian is suddenly plunged into a world of magic when his Grandfather is kidnapped and Brian is attacked by a fire demon. But help is at hand when Brian is rescued by two friendly monsters, Sam & Hadley, who are rounding up other “at risk” children.
It’s among these other children that Brian meets Audrey and Norman who explain to Brian about the magical world he has now been exposed too and all three become firm friends and find out that a powerful demon is trying to gain immortality and has kidnapped their parents to achieve his aims.
From here the three young adventures work together to set about solving the mystery of the disappearing parents and how they can stop the demon. Along hey way they meet a cast of colourful characters and get involved in many exciting adventures.
A great read for young adults.
After a number of intriguing number of events Brian is suddenly plunged into a world of magic when his Grandfather is kidnapped and Brian is attacked by a fire demon. But help is at hand when Brian is rescued by two friendly monsters, Sam & Hadley, who are rounding up other “at risk” children.
It’s among these other children that Brian meets Audrey and Norman who explain to Brian about the magical world he has now been exposed too and all three become firm friends and find out that a powerful demon is trying to gain immortality and has kidnapped their parents to achieve his aims.
From here the three young adventures work together to set about solving the mystery of the disappearing parents and how they can stop the demon. Along hey way they meet a cast of colourful characters and get involved in many exciting adventures.
A great read for young adults.
August 10, 2014
OMG! I LOVED it!!! From the first page to the end! I am so glad I won this book from Goodreads. I would have bought it if I hadn't! I've been reading this book to my students, Ages 5-11, and they all "remind" me when they think I've forgotten to read. There's no better endorsement than kids wanting to sit and listen to a story than play in centers or do something else.
I hate when reviews give away parts of the book, but I do love the diversity in the characters and their abilities. One of the main characters is in a wheelchair, and another has to use an inhaler- nothing stops them. I will definitely recommend this book to my friends, adults and kids. I know some of my students have asked their parents to purchase it because they don't like when we have to stop reading and wait for the next day!!
LOVE IT!!!
I hate when reviews give away parts of the book, but I do love the diversity in the characters and their abilities. One of the main characters is in a wheelchair, and another has to use an inhaler- nothing stops them. I will definitely recommend this book to my friends, adults and kids. I know some of my students have asked their parents to purchase it because they don't like when we have to stop reading and wait for the next day!!
LOVE IT!!!
December 10, 2012
I received this for free through GoodReads First Reads however my 11 year old read this and absolutely loved it. He said the grandparents were interesting, Brian was very curious and smart for his age, the other characters were interesting (and I had to help him look up some of the words in the dictionary since Mom's definition just wouldn't do)- that the story moved along at a good pace, had a great story line and kept your interest throughout the entire story. I enjoyed my son's enthusiasm in reading and discussing this book as well as his willingness to promote the book at his school (where he has asked the library to please get this book for his friends to read). We are both looking forward to the next book.
August 31, 2013
I received a free copy of this book for my classroom. It took a little bit longer to read than expected as school was starting up and that is always a busy time of the year. The book itself was a pretty good book that would be enjoyed by any of my students that are Harry Potter Fans. Readers are just a curious about some of the things that happen in the books as Brian is. Because of this there were several times that I did not want to put the book down. With that said, there were a couple of times that the action seemed to move a little bit on the slow side. Overall, this is a great book for the middle school aged child. I am glad that I have it for my classroom library and will recommend it to my students.
October 19, 2012
I really enjoyed this story and certainly hope there will be a sequel, because I feel there were a couple of things that were left too open ended. And I would like to see Brian grow with his magic.
The characters were so fun, and I liked there silly names, George Newblaster, Gordon Grubshackle, Stanley Clutterbucket,etc. Hadley was my favorite, having a huge hairy kleptomaniac monster as a friend came in pretty handy.
It was a fun story and a pleasant read.
However, I was annoyed by the repeated references to the "rock cakes" so hopefully in the sequel grandma will figure out that no one likes them :-)
The characters were so fun, and I liked there silly names, George Newblaster, Gordon Grubshackle, Stanley Clutterbucket,etc. Hadley was my favorite, having a huge hairy kleptomaniac monster as a friend came in pretty handy.
It was a fun story and a pleasant read.
However, I was annoyed by the repeated references to the "rock cakes" so hopefully in the sequel grandma will figure out that no one likes them :-)
July 17, 2013
This book reminds me of Harry Potter which, in my opinion, is no bad thing. Yes, it has magic and wizards and every book that includes such individuals will always get compared to J.K. Rowling's books.
Myself and my daughter, who is 11, read this together. I thought the book was written well and we loved all the monsters and the magic rain and the talking statues! Our favourite monster was definitely Hadley! My daughter wants to read the next book but there doesn't appear to be another one which is rather a shame.
Myself and my daughter, who is 11, read this together. I thought the book was written well and we loved all the monsters and the magic rain and the talking statues! Our favourite monster was definitely Hadley! My daughter wants to read the next book but there doesn't appear to be another one which is rather a shame.
April 25, 2013
This is the fanciful tale of an eleven-year-old, Brian Pankhurst, who learns that monsters are real and not everything he thought about his parents and grandparents is true. His adventures begin when he moves with his granddad and grandma, and they don't end until he discovers a world of magic and the power of friendships to overcome evil. Will there be a sequel to answer lingering questions? A perfect read for tweens,teens, and adults who enjoy fantasy reads.
January 17, 2013
When eleven-year-old Brian Pankhurst has to stay with his grandparents he finds them a little strange.There are strange happenings going on.then one night he meets monsters in his room. Brian learns to travel through bookcases and that magic and monsters are very real. I highly recommend this book to young and old reader alike.
Want to read
October 11, 2012I'm on this list because I entered to win a copy of the book. The only other place I've seen it is on Amazon.com as a Kindle. I'm hoping to purchase it for my great-nephew for Christmas and I usually enjoy reading a book for the kids before I give away the books. So, I'm sorry but I'll still have to keep you waiting a little while.
January 21, 2013
I also won a copy of this book and dare say I'm glad I did. I'm only about on page 47 but it's REALLY good. Very detailed but not to the point where you want to rip your hair out. It actually makes you picture the things around the story.
Brian is a VERY curious boy. And I'm left here wondering when's the next surprise is at. :) I'll update again when I get farther up the story.
Brian is a VERY curious boy. And I'm left here wondering when's the next surprise is at. :) I'll update again when I get farther up the story.
July 26, 2013
Anyone looking to fill the whole that was left when the Harry Potter books finished? Well I have found it! This book is a lovely read, the characters are likable (I particularly like the banter between the children) and the storyline is intriguing. I found this book easy to read and have recommended it to all my friends and family. Is there a sequal?
Want to read
January 1, 2013"*** I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads ***
** The Giveaway was Listed By Phillip **
* I received my copy on Wed Oct 31st, 2012 *
THANK YOU GOODREADS FIRST READS AND Phillip! "
** The Giveaway was Listed By Phillip **
* I received my copy on Wed Oct 31st, 2012 *
THANK YOU GOODREADS FIRST READS AND Phillip! "
March 7, 2013
Wow just finished the book. Please tell me there's another on the way as want to see loose ends tied up. Really enjoyed the way the characters conversed with one another, felt current and real. Great job!!!
March 25, 2014
My son and I read this book together and whilst it's similar to Harry Potter in many respects my son enjoyed this as it's a slightly easier read. Anybody who likes wizards and monsters would enjoy this book.
June 14, 2017
I really liked this book. It seemed to hold elements of different series that I hold among my favorites. I can't wait for the next one, if there is one.
September 25, 2013
I am looking forward to book 2 to finish the story!
December 19, 2024
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
I started out really enjoying this, but by the second half I'm afraid I lost interest. I'm aware this book is written for children, but I am mother to a 7-year-old and I do like my children's books, and I had hoped perhaps this would be a good one to read with him. Unfortunately, I don't think he would be very interested in it.
It's not terrible by any means. It's just that, for one thing, so much of it felt like it had been modeled right off Harry Potter. I found that very frustrating. For instance, Audrey is the brainy temperamental girl with all the bright ideas, who argues all the time with the boy she's no doubt going to fall for in a future installment. Except there was no explanation or evidence of why they argued; they just did. And their arguments seemed to go on forever, without saying much, and it just felt so unnecessary and distracting. Oh, and they eat strangely flavoured sweets, which are always a surprise and sometimes disgusting or bland - again, right out of Harry Potter. However, that said, there were some elements I really liked. For instance, the flyers were brilliant. I liked the talking statue.
My main issue was that the characters felt very flat and I formed no attachments to anyone. They all felt so stereotyped, and I couldn't help thinking of the way children's TV always has to fulfill its quota of the token black kid, the token white kid, the token disabled kid, etc. There was no reason behind it; you simply had Audrey described as 'a black girl' and Norman I think his name was? described as 'in a wheelchair'. There wasn't a lot else to go off. We also saw nothing of the plight of being in a wheelchair until randomly in the middle of a battle scene right at the book's climax, when suddenly there was a 3-page reflection on how difficult it is to be disabled. Why wasn't that mentioned 300 pages earlier? And Audrey's asthma didn't make sense to me, because I have asthma, and I have a friend with extreme asthma, and it doesn't work the way it did in the book.
I also found the plot very hard to follow by the ending, so I don't see how a child would understand it. Again, it was interesting as an idea, but I think this needs more care.
So all in all, this book was just 'okay' for me. Thank you, though, for allowing me to read it.
I started out really enjoying this, but by the second half I'm afraid I lost interest. I'm aware this book is written for children, but I am mother to a 7-year-old and I do like my children's books, and I had hoped perhaps this would be a good one to read with him. Unfortunately, I don't think he would be very interested in it.
It's not terrible by any means. It's just that, for one thing, so much of it felt like it had been modeled right off Harry Potter. I found that very frustrating. For instance, Audrey is the brainy temperamental girl with all the bright ideas, who argues all the time with the boy she's no doubt going to fall for in a future installment. Except there was no explanation or evidence of why they argued; they just did. And their arguments seemed to go on forever, without saying much, and it just felt so unnecessary and distracting. Oh, and they eat strangely flavoured sweets, which are always a surprise and sometimes disgusting or bland - again, right out of Harry Potter. However, that said, there were some elements I really liked. For instance, the flyers were brilliant. I liked the talking statue.
My main issue was that the characters felt very flat and I formed no attachments to anyone. They all felt so stereotyped, and I couldn't help thinking of the way children's TV always has to fulfill its quota of the token black kid, the token white kid, the token disabled kid, etc. There was no reason behind it; you simply had Audrey described as 'a black girl' and Norman I think his name was? described as 'in a wheelchair'. There wasn't a lot else to go off. We also saw nothing of the plight of being in a wheelchair until randomly in the middle of a battle scene right at the book's climax, when suddenly there was a 3-page reflection on how difficult it is to be disabled. Why wasn't that mentioned 300 pages earlier? And Audrey's asthma didn't make sense to me, because I have asthma, and I have a friend with extreme asthma, and it doesn't work the way it did in the book.
I also found the plot very hard to follow by the ending, so I don't see how a child would understand it. Again, it was interesting as an idea, but I think this needs more care.
So all in all, this book was just 'okay' for me. Thank you, though, for allowing me to read it.
July 16, 2013
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
Overall this book was alright. For me, there were a number of issues which prevent me from giving it a higher rating.
Number one on the top of the list which I think the author should seriously consider doing something about, is the physical description of the characters. I say this because I appreciate that I think the author is trying to be inclusive and PC by including characters of different ethnicities, but he does not do them justice in the way they are described.
To be blunt, the white characters do not have their skin colour mentioned at all, but are treated to detailed descriptions about their frame, their height, their hair, their mannerisms etc. I guess their ethnicity is just assumed – because of course they’d be white right?
The black characters are described like this: ‘a small black girl’, ‘a black woman whom he did not recognise’, ‘a tall black man’ – do you see what I’m seeing here? So the only defining feature here is that they’re black? Now, this is not the only book guilty of this – the Harry Potter books were littered with descriptions of characters like this (along with many others) and I find it interesting when authors feel the need to do this. I am pretty certain no offense is intended, but in the eagerness to be inclusive and not offend, that’s exactly what’s happened. Barnaby was the only black character who had other physical features mentioned like his hair and beard, but really, I just felt it jarring every time ‘black’ was mentioned. Fair enough if the author wants to make it clear that the character is black – I don’t have a problem with that, however, it is very noticeable if all the other characters are just implicitly white and it’s never mentioned. The solution? Well, I don’t think it’s necessarily appropriate to call out every white character, every black character, every brown character etc – that would be silly, but it’s better to describe someone’s complexion as part of their features e.g.:
‘Poppy had long, shiny hair, burnished like copper. It complimented her fair snowy skin perfectly, which was smattered lightly with brown freckles and otherwise unmarked ’
From the above description you can tell the character is white without actually just saying ‘Poppy was white’ – it’s, more artistic, more poetic… more 'literary'.
I really don’t mean to seem ‘ranty’ about this, but it really, really bothered me and I wish writers wouldn’t do it because it makes them come off as prejudiced when they’re probably not.
The other issue I had was sometimes the plotting, and the devices used to push it along. For example, the use of Madame Shinny’s Seeing Stone to freeze the village and all its inhabitants was not properly explained. I did not understand what was significant about a seeing stone – something used to tell the future/someone’s fortune – being used to somehow amplify a freezing potion. The connection just was not clear to me. I appreciate this is a fantasy novel and magical things and elements in the story don’t have to make scientific sense, but they should at least be logical within the world of the book and the mind of the reader. How exactly did Audrey figure it out? How did she see that the soothsaying properties of a Seeing Stone would amplify the powers of a potion? I don’t understand how it was so obvious to Audrey that this is what happened. It just seems that Audrey would jump to all these wild conclusions throughout the story and they would just turn out to be correct.
I did not like the way Norman’s disability was handled in the story. I don’t think it was handled sensitively enough and the whole backstory to it came at the most inopportune time in the middle of what was essentially ‘the battle scene’ towards the end. I feel it interrupted the tension and sense of peril that should’ve been building at that point, and it just appeared to be shoehorned in as an afterthought. If anything, that section should have appeared much earlier in the novel when we’re still getting to know who the characters are.
As an asthma sufferer, with family members who suffer from severe asthma and have been hospitalised many times with it, I did not like the way Audrey’s asthma was handled. It was unrealistic and almost became comical. If an asthma sufferer has to puff on their inhaler almost like a full stop on the end of every one of their sentences, then they need to see a doctor about taking a different form of medication – an inhaler just doesn’t work that way and isn’t meant to be used that way. It was funnier still that they are living in a magical world with alternative forms of medical treatment (e.g. slug slings), yet there isn’t some magical treatment for asthma in the book.
There were some parts of the plot itself that I feel could have been executed in a much more effective way. In the battle scene with Deevilmon, Violet reveals her secret, but when she finally shape-shifted for all to see, my immediate thought was ‘why didn’t she do this sooner?’ they were all in danger with this evil demon character threatening to kill them all, and she just stood at the side-lines watching until that point?
Despite all my criticisms, this was not an overly bad book. There were some parts I enjoyed, like the description of the magical village and the rain, the animated statues and gargoyles etc – I thought those were nice touches, but the things I mentioned above were very hard for me to overlook, so I have to give this three stars.
Overall this book was alright. For me, there were a number of issues which prevent me from giving it a higher rating.
Number one on the top of the list which I think the author should seriously consider doing something about, is the physical description of the characters. I say this because I appreciate that I think the author is trying to be inclusive and PC by including characters of different ethnicities, but he does not do them justice in the way they are described.
To be blunt, the white characters do not have their skin colour mentioned at all, but are treated to detailed descriptions about their frame, their height, their hair, their mannerisms etc. I guess their ethnicity is just assumed – because of course they’d be white right?
The black characters are described like this: ‘a small black girl’, ‘a black woman whom he did not recognise’, ‘a tall black man’ – do you see what I’m seeing here? So the only defining feature here is that they’re black? Now, this is not the only book guilty of this – the Harry Potter books were littered with descriptions of characters like this (along with many others) and I find it interesting when authors feel the need to do this. I am pretty certain no offense is intended, but in the eagerness to be inclusive and not offend, that’s exactly what’s happened. Barnaby was the only black character who had other physical features mentioned like his hair and beard, but really, I just felt it jarring every time ‘black’ was mentioned. Fair enough if the author wants to make it clear that the character is black – I don’t have a problem with that, however, it is very noticeable if all the other characters are just implicitly white and it’s never mentioned. The solution? Well, I don’t think it’s necessarily appropriate to call out every white character, every black character, every brown character etc – that would be silly, but it’s better to describe someone’s complexion as part of their features e.g.:
‘Poppy had long, shiny hair, burnished like copper. It complimented her fair snowy skin perfectly, which was smattered lightly with brown freckles and otherwise unmarked ’
From the above description you can tell the character is white without actually just saying ‘Poppy was white’ – it’s, more artistic, more poetic… more 'literary'.
I really don’t mean to seem ‘ranty’ about this, but it really, really bothered me and I wish writers wouldn’t do it because it makes them come off as prejudiced when they’re probably not.
The other issue I had was sometimes the plotting, and the devices used to push it along. For example, the use of Madame Shinny’s Seeing Stone to freeze the village and all its inhabitants was not properly explained. I did not understand what was significant about a seeing stone – something used to tell the future/someone’s fortune – being used to somehow amplify a freezing potion. The connection just was not clear to me. I appreciate this is a fantasy novel and magical things and elements in the story don’t have to make scientific sense, but they should at least be logical within the world of the book and the mind of the reader. How exactly did Audrey figure it out? How did she see that the soothsaying properties of a Seeing Stone would amplify the powers of a potion? I don’t understand how it was so obvious to Audrey that this is what happened. It just seems that Audrey would jump to all these wild conclusions throughout the story and they would just turn out to be correct.
I did not like the way Norman’s disability was handled in the story. I don’t think it was handled sensitively enough and the whole backstory to it came at the most inopportune time in the middle of what was essentially ‘the battle scene’ towards the end. I feel it interrupted the tension and sense of peril that should’ve been building at that point, and it just appeared to be shoehorned in as an afterthought. If anything, that section should have appeared much earlier in the novel when we’re still getting to know who the characters are.
As an asthma sufferer, with family members who suffer from severe asthma and have been hospitalised many times with it, I did not like the way Audrey’s asthma was handled. It was unrealistic and almost became comical. If an asthma sufferer has to puff on their inhaler almost like a full stop on the end of every one of their sentences, then they need to see a doctor about taking a different form of medication – an inhaler just doesn’t work that way and isn’t meant to be used that way. It was funnier still that they are living in a magical world with alternative forms of medical treatment (e.g. slug slings), yet there isn’t some magical treatment for asthma in the book.
There were some parts of the plot itself that I feel could have been executed in a much more effective way. In the battle scene with Deevilmon, Violet reveals her secret, but when she finally shape-shifted for all to see, my immediate thought was ‘why didn’t she do this sooner?’ they were all in danger with this evil demon character threatening to kill them all, and she just stood at the side-lines watching until that point?
Despite all my criticisms, this was not an overly bad book. There were some parts I enjoyed, like the description of the magical village and the rain, the animated statues and gargoyles etc – I thought those were nice touches, but the things I mentioned above were very hard for me to overlook, so I have to give this three stars.
August 13, 2022
I enjoyed this book as I like books in the magical/fantasy books especially if set in the "real" world. This novel reminded me of the Harry Potter series in a way.
I received a free copy of this book from the author as part of the Goodreads Giveaways program.
I received a free copy of this book from the author as part of the Goodreads Giveaways program.
January 3, 2021
A great read, very imaginative with a lively trickle of humour.. Would recommend to ages 10 to 110! 😁
October 7, 2016
https://ravenandbeez.wordpress.com/20...
[Note: I received a free e-copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review]
First, off lemme just say that in my opinion I think that this book is a bit too big for average middle grade students. I mean, when I was 11 I don’t think I’d have read this book because it’s just so big.
But if I did read it or if someone read it to me I think I’d have liked it a lot. It’s all about wizards and magical creatures. The story revolves around Brian and how he gets thrown into the magical world when his mom leaves him at his grandparents. And yes it did remind me of Harry Potter in a lot of places because of the characters but plot-wise it is pretty unique in its own way albeit similar.
I did like the book but it was very slow at many points, lots of descriptions that would get a bit boring at times and the fact that we didn’t really know what everything in the story was working up to. I mean, we kind of did but it felt lost at times.
I read this book to my 13 year old sister and she started losing focus on the story because she said, “The descriptions are endless and the made up words feel too made up and don’t seem to fit in with the magical world that’s described.”
And the characters didn’t shine on their own. I mean, yeah sure Audrey and Norman would keep bickering and Violet is the one with the bruises but if they were to be separated from their physical body, it would be difficult to differentiate them. They didn’t have their own voice is what I’m trying to say. Except Sam and Hadley, the minute they would start speaking I knew it was them and that is what I wanted with all the characters.
I know I sound too harsh but it’s just what I felt about the book. And that is all I have to say!
Lots of love,
Raven
[Note: I received a free e-copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review]
First, off lemme just say that in my opinion I think that this book is a bit too big for average middle grade students. I mean, when I was 11 I don’t think I’d have read this book because it’s just so big.
But if I did read it or if someone read it to me I think I’d have liked it a lot. It’s all about wizards and magical creatures. The story revolves around Brian and how he gets thrown into the magical world when his mom leaves him at his grandparents. And yes it did remind me of Harry Potter in a lot of places because of the characters but plot-wise it is pretty unique in its own way albeit similar.
I did like the book but it was very slow at many points, lots of descriptions that would get a bit boring at times and the fact that we didn’t really know what everything in the story was working up to. I mean, we kind of did but it felt lost at times.
I read this book to my 13 year old sister and she started losing focus on the story because she said, “The descriptions are endless and the made up words feel too made up and don’t seem to fit in with the magical world that’s described.”
And the characters didn’t shine on their own. I mean, yeah sure Audrey and Norman would keep bickering and Violet is the one with the bruises but if they were to be separated from their physical body, it would be difficult to differentiate them. They didn’t have their own voice is what I’m trying to say. Except Sam and Hadley, the minute they would start speaking I knew it was them and that is what I wanted with all the characters.
I know I sound too harsh but it’s just what I felt about the book. And that is all I have to say!
Lots of love,
Raven
September 13, 2013
I got this book free in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed this book very much!
I will be reading this to my young grandchildren when they visit me.
I loved the characters and the plot. The two monsters were great and the three children were good role models for younger readers. I was impressed with the way the story was written, I feel that it was understandable for younger readers without speaking down to them.
I don't know if book two has been written, but I would be very interested in reading it if it has.
I enjoyed this book very much!
I will be reading this to my young grandchildren when they visit me.
I loved the characters and the plot. The two monsters were great and the three children were good role models for younger readers. I was impressed with the way the story was written, I feel that it was understandable for younger readers without speaking down to them.
I don't know if book two has been written, but I would be very interested in reading it if it has.
September 21, 2013
I can't really give this book a complete review rating. I only received the excerpt to read. The story line was good, however it started out with too many questions about the characters. This was too much like Harry Potter. Would liked to have known the secret thoughts of the adults. This would have made it different and possibly more interesting. It may have provided even a few twists for the author to explore. It does have lots of possibilities and I will try to read the whole book when I get the opportunity.
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