The House on Falling Star Hill

by Michael Molloy

While spending the summer with his grandparents in an unusually quiet village in western England, Tim and his dog Josh find themselves involved in dangerous adventures when they are inadvertently transported to the strange and magical world of Tallis.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Adventure, Middle Grade, Novels, Magic

377 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2004

About the author

As a counterpart to his career as a writer of children's books, Michael Molloy is a regular contributor to the Guardian newspaper. He lives in London, England, with his wife, Sandy, their three daughters, Jane, Kate, and Alexandra, and their two dogs, Fred and Daisy.

Reviews

[Raemly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sinceramente me decepcionó un poco pero tengo varios supuestos del porqué no me agradó tanto y del porqué tardé tanto en leer un libro con una narración muy simple y fluida:

1. Tenía un previo de haber leído dos libros de fantasía y me quedé un poco "lleno" de ese tema a pesar de ser de mis temáticas preferidas.

2. No podía dejar de pensar en el parecido que tiene con otros libros que he leído y que por ende, se me hacía aburrido.

3. Tengo el defecto de no tomarle mucha atención a los libros que no son míos, es decir que me prestan. Este fue el caso.

Sin embargo este "cuento largo para niños" tiene lecciones muy padres como el resalte de valores y de las cosas positivas a través de personajes que el autor crea (o cambia de nombre de los ya existentes) además la forma de narrar los sucesos es muy divertida/sencilla.

Espero poder leerlo de nuevo (si es que lo llego a adquirir) pues siento que me gustará y lo disfrutaré más que en esta ocasión.

[Emily Vander Ark · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am going to exercise my right to the "Rule of 50" on this book. I remembered checking it out some time ago from the library and not reading it, so I decided to give it another chance, as the premise behind it is somewhat interesting. However, I now leave it at page 77, wishing I had found it eight to ten years ago when my fantasy addiction would have swallowed it whole despite the author's use of an overly simple sentence structure.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haven't read this book since i was around 11, yet i still vividly remember almost every detail, from the girls eyes changing colour to the giants and the duke, this was so much fun to read and I would read it again

[Samaira · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know this is a children's book but I am in my 30's and thoroughly enjoyed this story. The author writes in a way where you feel as though you are there and seeing the wonderful world he created. I highly recommend it for readers of all ages and I personally look forward to reading Tim and Sarre's next adventure!

[jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

i loved this book when i was younger it took me forever to find it 3

[Kyla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personally, i loved this book. I am now thirteen and I first read it at the age of seven (before hand having a distaste for reading) it is an amazing book and it made me the very confident reader I am I now.I live for reading and find pleasure in it.I cannot believe how much this book has changed my life, it has brought me into a world of fantasy and thrill.It is now, without a doubt now my favorite book out of the hundreds of books I've read and I'm sure!! No matter how old I get I will always treasure the moment of picking that book up. I loved it so much it made a connection with my old school librarian marriane Doby, she actually bought me this book, for me, with her own money and it makes me feel happy that even at the age of seven. I could recognize how books can bring people together.This book is a winner.For it's adventurous story line, the twists and turns.For it's amazing simplicity of pulling the words together and building a picture in your mInd.Thats the point, that even thou books are just words on paper, and this review is probably worthless to you reading it right now or just makes absoloutly no sense to you at all right now but books are amazing and should be treasured, unlike how some people just take them for granted. I have a few things more to say number one(always remember this) :words are everything. And also invert sorry for my poor writing skills, poor punctuation skills and for rambling on about things that have absoloutely no meaning. Thanx for reading all the way to the end of my boring review. XD xx

[Sol Garbini · Rating 2 out of 5]

Es una buena historia aunque me ha desilusionado un poco. No conocia el libro, ni al autor, y lo compre por su portada pensando que seria algo spooky. No fue asi. Pero la historia no es mala y es bastante original en algunos detalles. Es un middle-grade que nos cuenta la historia de Tim quien, junto a su perrito Josh, pasa el verano en casa de sus abuelos cuando un incidente los lleva al mundo de Tallis. Alli se encuentra con todo tipo de criaturas con las que se embarcara en muchas aventuras e ira descubriendo y resolviendo misterios. Obviamente hay romance, batallas y muerte, pero siento que hay cosas que estan demasiado suavizadas y que podrian haberse desarrollado con mayor profundidad. Y con respecto al final, me parecio muy apresurado en comparacion con un inicio bastante introductorio, las escenas no estan bien desarrolladas y se perdieron muchos detalles.
En conclusion, podria ser una buena historia porque creo que los personajes son solidos y aportan mucho a la trama pero la narracion deja mucho que desear, sobre todo al final.

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

The synopsis sounded promising, and I gave it a good shot. Unfortunately, this book is extremely poorly written.

As I am not the target age-group for this book, I cannot say what a child would think of it. However, as an adult studying a children's literature MA, I found this book badly phrased, the plot-line barely functioning, and the characters 2D. By the time I gave up, I had no interest in any of the characters. The dog was perhaps the most plausible character in there...

I would say avoid this book, however it seems to have got rave reviews on GoodReads... I honestly have no idea why.

[Marlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

When a young man finds himself drawn to the odd house on the hill, he gets far more than just a summer job of planting flowers. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this story. Pure medieval fantasy with a bit of Steampunk thrown in. The author wrapped things up nicely in the end yet there are several opportunities for a second, I hope so.

[Mia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Immediately forgot I read this on after I finished. It had some interesting world-building but awful writing, flat characters and a mundane plot. Another case of ugly=bad/pretty=good too.

[Stephen Hayes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read an earlier book by Michael Molloy, The witch trade, and was not at all impressed. The blurb made this one sound a bit more interesting, and as I had nothing to lose I took it out of the library anyway. I could alwasys dump it after a couple of chapters if it didn't look interesting.

I was therefore pleasantly surprised tom find that it was a considerable improvement on The witch trade. The characters are more interesting, if somewhat stereotyped.

A boy, Tim Swift, meets a girl, Sarre, from another world, called Tallis. According to the Chronology of the story they are both about 11 years old, Tim and his dog Josh get unexpectedly dragged into Tallis where Tim discovers that Sarra is a Chanter, with special powers. Tallis has some similarities with Earth, and some differences. Jewels are plentiful but flowers are scarce, which makes a lucrative trade for some. There are also power struggles between the king and a would-be usurper., which makes for interesting adventures and excitement, in which Tim and Sarre, as somewhat precocious brats, play a significant part.

There are also hints of a romantic interest, especially on the part of Sarre, which at some points looked as though it might turn it into a rerun of His Dark Materials , but fortunately it didn't.

[Doncella Oceánica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Este libro lo conseguí en oferta el año pasado si no me equivoco y no tenía altas expectativas, pero una vez que terminé la historia llegué a la conclusión de que estuvo buena.

Al inicio se me hacía denso, pero no porque la escritura fuera dificil, todo lo contrario, pero es que me aburría o sentía que era algo que podía haber sido visto en otro libro (vi reseñas donde las personas decían que les había recordado a Oz, Owl House o Corazón de tinta) sin embargo, las cosas turbias (solo diré: castigo y globos) me hacían querer seguir. Es una pena que no se hayan profundizado, pero entiendo que no desde que es una lectura para un público más joven. Considero que es una muy buena opción para adentrarse en la fantasía. Encima la edición que yo tengo es bastante bonita. Tiene dibujos encima de cada capítulo que van cambiando a medida que se avanza en la historia.

En las cosas positivas, me encantó que Tallis no fuera un mundo super denso. Es un mapa muy sencillo que no te hace perderte. Y algunos giros son inesperados, cosas que yo pensaba que eran obvias al final no lo fueron, una callada de boca a mí que lo subestimé (?) Aunque ojalá hubieran profundizado más en los personajes, todo quedó muy en la superficie. Pero tiene potencial, muchísimo! Siempre anda pasando algo en los capítulos. Es una hermosa historia, como dije, para iniciarse en la fantasía y aprender de ser valiente ♡

Y no me esperaba PARA NADA esa revelación sobre Sarre, y la amé totalmente.

En realidad sería 3.5 estrellas pero ya saben como es Goodreads. A ver cuando implementan las estrellas intermedias 🙄

[Sarah Mock · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for the first time when I was in middle school, then promptly forgot about it. However, the imagery of fossilized trees that are miles high, giant pigs, and fighting bird mounts stayed with me, and for years I tried to remember what book those things came from. I finally rediscovered the book by going through the wikipedia page "childrens/young adults fantasy novels" and re-read it. tbh it holds up in my opinion. The writing is simplistic, but the world and the story are unforgettable. I enjoyed reading it again immensely, and it scratched an itch in my brain that was very satisfying. I would love for an adaptation or even some fanfiction to elevate the story and maybe provide more perspectives and imagery. Overall an easy, fun read.

[Alexandria DiGregorio · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this read was wonderfully whimsical. I loved all the different types of characters and most especially, Tallis. Tallis seem to be the kind of place that draws you in and never lets you go, but in the best of ways. The Starways are so clever and I honestly felt I had slipped into one myself while reading the story! Molloy created such a wonderful fantasy so I feel this should not be the last of Tim and Sarre. I’m glad I decided to finally read this book. (It’s been sitting on my shelf amongst many others since middle school)

[Micaela Christmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excelente libro para leer durante la pre-adolescencia y el transcurso de la misma, el libro narra desde una forma sencilla, y de rápida lectura. La aventura de Tim comienza cuando llega al pueblo en el que viven sus abuelos y se encuentra con la impresionante pregunta de ¿Por qué en este pueblo nadie planta flores?, desde allí el escritor relata todas las preguntas y las cosas que suceden desde la perspectiva y con la sencillez para que no solo no queden dudas en lo que pasa por la cabeza de Tim sino de que no te pierdas nada de lo que esta pasando alrededor del personaje. Una historia que te renueva la imaginación y que te hace ver de nueva manera el mundo que nos rodea.

[Hannah Toft · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating: 2/5

Just.. eh. The plot had a lot of potential, but I think there was so much squeezed in that the prose was simplified when it could have in fact been a duology which would have served the story much better. I was saddened getting to the end and having about twenty pages to wrap everything up in, making it feel rushed and unplanned.

The conversations between characters were painstakingly ‘tell not show’, over explaining every detail and leaving little room for flourish.

A shame really!

[Fefi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Non ci siamo per niente.Ci sono storie per giovanissimi che spesso mi piacciono, ma non è questo il caso. Il libro parte bene, ma nel momento in cui Tim passa nel regno fantasy dove sono spariti tutti i fiori, l'avventura diventa noiosetta. Due stelline perché comunque la scrittura è scorrevole e poi mi è piaciuto il modo in cui i personaggi passano dalla Terra a Tallis. attraverso una via formatasi in seguito alla caduta di una stella

[Bronwen Low · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. I read it when I was in elementary/middle school, so cant comment on the writing structure. But It’s one of the most unique world building I’ve ever read. The characters are all very different and I love how the story unfolds, I feel like it’s different than most fantasy novels I’ve read.
It’s a story for kids but I’d recommend this book to adults as well just because of how unique it is.

[Twyla · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite part was when the prisoners of the mine were rescued and it was closed, preventing the killing wind from ever coming again. My least favorite part was when the king and princess were about to be executed and to be replaced with automatons only long enough for the Duke to become the new High King of Tallis.

[Ivy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite book I have read it 3 times

[María · Rating 4 out of 5]

por la nostalgia

[Olivia Graves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another book I read in middle school that I picked up again as an adult. This one I did enjoy more as a child but it was still wonderfully fantastical.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t know why it took me so long to finish this. The story is lovely. A perfect middle grade fantasy book!

[rebecca johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

adding to my list of comfort books xx

[Jenna Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An old favorite.

[Sarah B · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[Auryn Maxwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this book as much as I did when I read it the first time. I had a bit of trouble reading through the beginning and the end parts. This time that I read it, it reminded me a bit of the Wizard of Oz; just the fact that the main character and a dog travel to a different land that is completely different from their own and go on a quest there. I like how Tallis is so different from Earth that they use pigs and birds in place of horses and probably oxen, and that even though the setting is similar to medieval times, it is much more advanced (they have a sewer system). I am not sure if I will read this book a third time.

[Germen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tierno

[Keaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think that the book that I read was amazing. The book had a lot of action in the story and adventure. Story was about this person named Tim who was visiting his grandparents and notice why there are not any flowers at the place were his grandparents lived. Then he saw a flower that has grown and then it disappears. He notice this creature with the flower and then Tim followed the creature into a different world In the story Tim goes on an adventure to a different world with this girl named Sarre. The different world is named Talis and there are a bunch kings that live in Talis. One of the kings is trying to take over all of the rims. This book was interesting, and I would recommend this book the people that love to read about action and adventure.

[Ruth Tamariz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book came to me as a gift from a cousin on the day of my 6th birthday; at first I couldn´t read it, the beginning was so slow that disenchanted me as soon as I tried to read it, the years passed and when I turned 12 I tried again and that time I couldn´t stop reading it! As I remembered from sweet childhood, the first chapters were if fact a little slow, but once you and Tim (the main character) find the way into the adventure it becomes more and more exciting and grabs your hand to go all the way down to the fantastic and adorable ending. My favorite book of my entire life!
This book made me fall in love with lecture, 100% recommend to every person, specially to the young ones that need just a little push to learn that books can be their best friends.