Igraine the Brave (review)
2008; Johns Hopkins University Press; Volume: 61; Issue: 6 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/bcc.2008.0099
ISSN1558-6766
Autores Tópico(s)Religious Studies and Spiritual Practices
ResumoReviewed by: The Shadow Speaker April Spisak Okorafor-Mbachu, Nnedi The Shadow Speaker. Jump at the Sun/Hyperion, 2007336p ISBN 978-1-4231-0033-1$16.99 R Gr. 7-9 This German import features the twelve-year-old daughter of two magicians, who wants nothing more than to be a dashing knight. Igraine soon has a chance to prove her mettle when a treacherous neighbor attempts to abscond with the family's singing magic books just as her parents have accidentally turned themselves into swine. Leaving her magically adept older brother in charge for a few days, Igraine sets out to retrieve the giant's hairs necessary to reverse the pig spell, and on the way she meets with a depressed but still gallant knight who agrees to show her the ropes. Of course, all ends well with parental figures restored to their human form, Igraine emerging as a fine knight-in-training, and the magic books remaining safely out of the hands of oafish villains, but there is enough genuine tension built in along the way to keep readers on edge. While the illustrated listing of characters is largely unnecessary given the relatively trim cast, it does provide additional context for the characters and their motivations, as do the interspersed black-and-white illustrations that primarily reflect key dramatic plot moments (although the moody and self-important singing books, dotted throughout the pages, offer a nice balance of comic relief). Middle-grade fans of Funke's Dragon Rider (BCCB 10/04) will be thrilled to see this new fantasy offering, as will readers seeking tough young heroines who can save the day and not give a second thought to dirt, moat water, and danger along the way. Copyright © 2008 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
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