Merlin's Dragon

 

 

Author: T. A. Barron

Basil is a dragon like no other. He is as small as a bird, green in colour and does not breathe fire. Born in Woodroot - one of the seven Realms that make up the roots of the Great Tree of Avalon - Basil longs to find out what and who he really is.

The novel is about Basil's journey of self-discovery, and by the end (or very near it) he discovers that (big) size does not matter - it's what you do that counts. In fact, his small size worked to his advantage at the most crucial moment.

While I liked the message that the story was trying deliver, the narrative disappointed me somewhat. Basil spends a long time whining and reflecting all by himself (in between being chased by various creatures), and it isn't until the middle of the novel that something really significant happens (i.e. he meets Merlin) - and then the pace slacks again. When he finally sets off on his journey across the realms, there is very little time and pages left, so Basil (and unfortunately his reader) is forced to rush through all the different places.

I also found the dialogue awkward - the author could not seem to decide which type of tone to use: modern 20th/21st century high school or Elizabethan middle ages/typical myth & legend. Granted, the book is targeted for children (age group 9-12) but that inconsistency is still jarring. All in all, this is one trilogy that I shall not finish - not in a hurry to find the related books.

Anne of Green Gables

Author: L. M. Montgomery

Book One of this year's reading challenge is an e-book that I downloaded onto my Samsung Galaxy S (Android smartphone). I read it mostly in bed, the first half within a few sporadic sessions and, after about a week's break, a single marathon session to finish the remaining half. By then it was 2 o'clock in the morning, and I began to worry that my eyes would appear puffy at work the next day from lack of sleep and excessive crying.

I do not quite know how to categorize this book - since it starts with Anne as a young girl it could very well be considered children's literature, although the series continues into Anne's adulthood. Of course, it is a classic like 'Little Women', which I have read as a young girl. And how I wish I had read this one as a young girl.

Anne is a red-haired chatterbox of an orphan girl. She is mistakenly delivered to live at Green Gables with the Cuthberts - Marilla and her brother Matthew - who originally wanted a boy to help them around the farm. With a wild imagination and an equally impressive vocabulary of big words, Anne would end up in scrapes and endear herself to the Cuthberts and their neighbours, making friends as well as envious enemies. Her imagination is not without virtue, though, as she has a big heart and is ambitious to do good. At the Avonlea school, she proves herself to be one of their brightest students and secures a place at Queen's Academy, where she wins an Avery scholarship to do a B.A. at Redmond College.

Just before she begins her studies at Redmond, Matthew dies of a heart attack and Anne finds out that Marilla's eyesight is failing. She decides to give up her scholarship and take up a teaching position in a nearby town, which allows her to visit Green Gables often. Knowing this, her previous schoolmate Gilbert Blythe - who earlier earned  Anne's wrath by calling her 'Carrots' - gives up his teaching position in Avonlea to Anne so she could stay with Marilla. The book ends with a promising 'bend in the road ahead'.

Montgomery writes very much the way I imagine Anne would write - her description of the places are full of verbal flourishes that paint a wonderful picture in your mind. What I loved the most, though, is Anne. The author clearly loves her protagonist, imbuing her with abundant energy and passionate feelings, along with a youthful optimism that makes the reader (i.e. me) long for those carefree days. It reminds me of the times when everything was possible and the big wide world was mine for the taking. When right and wrong was as clear as black and white. I think I cried as much for those days as I did for Matthew and Marilla.

The Magic Pudding

Author: Norman Lindsay

At last! I completed the 2010 Global Reading Challenge in the nick of time. and after searching high and low, I had to resort to an eBook on Project Gutenberg for my Australasian material. What I found was this delightful children's tale first published in 1918.

The story revolves around Bunyip Bluegum, a koala bear who decides to travel the world as a Gentleman of Leisure. Since all he took with him was a walking stick, by lunchtime he was feeling rather peckish and sorry for himself until he chanced upon Bill Barnacle and Sam Sawnoff having lunch. It turned out that their lunch was a steak-n-kidney pudding that, no matter how much of it you ate, always became whole again. With thin arms and legs and a basin for a hat, the pudding was a rude fellow who insisted on being eaten, and so Bunyip was invited to share the meal.

Afterwards the trio travelled together, when they were met by a couple of Pudding Thieves, a Possum and a Wombat. Bunyip kept the pudding from running away by sitting on it, while the Pudding Owners fought off the thieves. Having helped them save the pudding, Bunyip was invited to become a member of the Noble Society of Pudding Owners.

As the Pudding Owners continued on their travels, they were accosted several times by the Thieves, either in disguise or by some other form of trickery. They were also joined by an market gardener - a dog named Benjimen, from whom the Thieves stole a bag that they used to trick the Pudding Owners.

When they finally reached the town of Tooraloo, again they got into a fight with the Pudding Thieves (who were wearing top-hats and coat-tails), hence attracting the attention of the Mayor and the Constable. In an attempt to restore some order to the town, the Mayor declared to the Constable,

"It's very clear that somebody has to be arrested," said the Mayor. "I can't be put to the trouble of wearing my robes of office in public without somebody having to pay for it. I don't care whether you arrest the top-hat batterers, or the battered top-hatterers; all I say is, do your duty, whatever happens—

"So somebody, no matter who,
You must arrest or rue it;
As I'm the Mayor of Tooraloo,
And you've the painful job to do,
I call on you to do it."

upon which the Constable decided to arrest the pudding. They were all then marched off to court for a trial, only to find the Judge and the court Usher indulging in some port and playing cards. The Judge decides to have the pudding for lunch, so Bunyip suggested they try the case themselves, with Bill as prosecutor.

During the proceedings, Bunyip declared that the pudding had been poisoned, therefore astounding the Judge who had already taken seven slices.

"If," said the Usher, in a quavering voice—

"If you take a poisoned Puddin'
And that poisoned Puddin' chew,
The sensations that you suffer
I should rather say were due
To the poison in the Puddin'
In the act of Poisoning You.
And I think the fact suffices
Through this dreadfulest of crimes,
As you've eaten seven slices
You've been poisoned seven times."

"It was your idea having it up on the bench," said the Judge, angrily, to the Usher. "Now,

"If what you say is true,
That idea you'll sadly rue,
The poison I have eaten is entirely due to you.
It's by taking your advice
That I've had my seventh slice,
So I'll tell you what I'll do
You unmitigated Jew,
As a trifling satisfaction,
Why, I'll beat you black and blue,"

and with that he hit the Usher a smart crack on the head with a port bottle.

A commotion began, and in the midst of that melee our Bunyip, his friends and the pudding got away. Finally, as they were pretty close up to the end of the book, they decide to stop wandering and live in a tree house in Benjimen's garden.

This was a lovely, lighthearted book to read, interspersed with songs and rhymes, served in four slices instead of chapters. I can't help thinking, though, that you could look at it from a satirical point of view (especially the events in the town of Tooraloo) and wonder whether it is a reflection of greed and corruption in the administration and judiciary of a government.

Inkheart

Author: Cornelia Funke

I bought it almost a year ago, just after the movie came out. I really wanted to watch the movie, but wanted to read the book before catching the celluloid version. Anyhow, the book took much longer than expected - I stopped reading it halfway several months ago and only picked it up again several weeks later. By then movie was no more, and I had lost interest in it anyway.

It is, after all, a children's book. The beginning was eventful enough, almost like 'Lord of the Rings' with an apparent stranger suddenly showing up, and seemed to set the pace quickly enough. Halfway through, however, I realised that while it would have been terrifying enough for a 12-year-old, it did not have enough suspense to keep me hooked. The 'diabolical celebrations' seemed pretty tame for this mother of three.

What I like about the book, though, is the way it is structured.

This book was written by a book-lover, about book-lovers, for book-lovers.

'Inkheart' precedes each chapter with an excerpt from another book. The excerpt sets the tone for the story, such as the following before Meggie and her father start their journey 'Going South' with apprehension:

"Beyond the Wild Wood comes the Wild World," said the Rat. "And that's something that doesn't matter, either to you or to me. I've never been there, and I'm never going, nor you either, if you've got any sense at all."

Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows

And so, while the story itself may not make it one of your all-time favourites, you may be introduced to several that may.