Today I bring you to The Island of Dr. Libris, by Chris Grabenstein
Publisher's summary:
Billy's spending the summer in a lakeside cabin that belongs to the mysterious Dr. Libris. But something strange is going on. When Billy opens the books inside Dr. Libris's private bookcase, he can hear sounds coming from the island in the middle of the lake. The clash of swords. The twang of arrows. It's almost as if the stories he's reading are... coming to life?! Sometimes the real story starts after you close the book.
My Response:
Summary: Billy spends his summer on Lake Katrine while his mom is working on her dissertation and his dad is off shooting commercials. Their relationship is on the rocks. cooped up in a cabin with no electronics, Billy finds his way into the library of Dr. Libris. As he begins to read the adventures, the stories come to life on an island in the middle of the lake.
The book begins and contains several lab notes by Dr. Libris to tell us that we are reading about an experiment he's conducting with the island. It provides the reader with a mysterious element to the story. However, after the climax of the story, there are no further lab reports. Dr. Libris's part in the story seems a bit contrived and deus ex machina- but he only creates a bigger problem instead of saving the day. Interesting literary nods at every twist and turn keep the reader engaged. I really like it.
The book also brings up the whole "parent trap" issue of getting your folks back together. That kind of thing is pretty unrealistic. I think kids really shouldn't get involved in that kind of thing. Parent characters need to admit their faults and problems and own up to it by going to counseling or something. Also, the ending was just super weird. Dr. Libris just comes up out of nowhere and the book ends pretty abruptly. Grabenstein kind of left me wanting more, which is usually a good thing. But the pretty package at the end with all the strings tied up neatly kind of disappointed me.
Promote Virtue? Yes. Billy is a kind kid who befriends his awkward geek of a neighbor. They outsmart bullies and enemies by being clever.
Transcendentals? It does point us in the direction of the good (great books), the true (doing the right thing), and the beautiful (great description and great books).
Overcome human condition? Not a lot of temptation to do anything bad, even to bullies. Billy cares about others, doing what is right and good, and fights for the things worth fighting for, like his parents and their relationship.
Attitude toward Catholicism? neutral/not mentioned
Paganry?
Swearing? No. But one character says "Curses and foul language!!" instead. bahahahahaha!
Violence? Swashbuckling, sword fights, chases, escapes, monsters. The whole fairy tale deal. Nothing scary. Only adventure.
Appropriate age? 8-12
Writing Style: Typical Grabenstein awesomeness. Word-nerddom, puns, adventure, literary greatness, allusions, and all the things! He also included a great list at the back of the book of all the classic titles that were mentioned. Love it.
Notable Quoteables: "If Billy didn't figure out this, his brain might explodeth" (89).
Great words: "somnificate"- made up work meaning to make sleepy. Melancholy,portly.
Approval? You betcha by golly
No comments:
Post a Comment