Tag: Adventure

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Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper: Book 1 of 5

Synopsis

Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper is a  middle grade fantasy novel and the first of five in The Dark Is Rising series. It features the Drew children: Simone, Jane, and Barney vacationing with their parents in the fictional village of Trewissick.

The  children find an old manuscript with a map of the Cornwall coast in the ttic of the mansion they’re renting for the summer. When Barney discovers the map is related to King Arthur, they turn to their Great-uncle Merry. He confirms that the map is a reproduction of a much older map to an ancient relic of Britain, the children decide  to withhold the information from the adults and set themselves to treasure hunting. Merry does warn the children that there adults looking for the artifact, especially and organization called The Dark. Soon the summer activity turns dangerous as they are pursued by agents of The Dark, bent on possessing the relic for themselves.

  • Pros:

The book will be enjoyed by boys and girls since the protagonists are a sister and her brothers. The book isn’t spooky, but it is thrilling and has a lot of action that utilizes the supernatural as the backdrop of story.

Susan Cooper is a wonderful writer and took advantage of all the English folklore from the Cornwall region and uses it as a backdrop for all five  books. Of all the books, Over Sea, Under Stone is probably the weakest of the stories, but it was also the first of the series. This means that if you like book one, the next four only get better.  If you don’t like book one, try the next one because it gets better.

  • Cons:

The series is a fantasy series and will get darker as the books progress on, though in defense of Ms. Cooper, you will never find her books without hope or dreary. Some children might not enjoy the darker aspects of the story.

While the whole series takes advantage of the Arthur legend, the first book utilizes the Holy Grail legend as a backdrop.  While I don’t believe they are antithetical to Christian, or any other belief system (with the exception of Atheism), the Arthur legend does run parallel with Christian beliefs: so be warned, or encouraged.

  • Final Word

Susan Cooper is the reason I fell in love with reading fantasy as an eight year-old. Though I didn’t start with book one in the series, I still found this book fun to read. Two of her books in the series won Newberry Awards, which in the sixties and seventies, was unheard of because of the general disdain for fantasy.  Having said that, her work has continued to win acclaim and readers across the genres, which speaks volumes to the quality of her writing.

 

 

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Doll Bones by Holly Black

Doll Bones by Holly Black is a dark Middle Grade mystery most suited to fifth grade and up.  While Doll Bones won a Newberry Honor Award, it is creepy, deals with the occult, and therefore may not be suitable for all children.

Synopsis

Zach, Poppy and Alice have been friends for ever. They love playing with their action figure toys, imagining a magical world of adventure and heroism. But disaster strikes when, without warning, Zach’s father throws out all his toys, declaring he’s too old for them. Zach is furious, confused and embarrassed, deciding that the only way to cope is to stop playing . . . and stop being friends with Poppy and Alice. But one night the girls pay Zach a visit, and tell him about a series of mysterious occurrences. Poppy swears that she is now being haunted by a china doll – who claims that it is made from the ground-up bones of a murdered girl. They must return the doll to where the girl lived, and bury it. Otherwise the three children will be cursed for eternity . . .

Pros:

  • Ultimately, the story is about friendship and trying to do the right thing, despite the foolishness of adults.
  • The book is well-written and entertaining, and I like the cast of characters.

Cons:

  • The story is creepy. Ultimately it deals with a girl who was murdered and her bones were ground up to make a porcelain doll in her image. (See, creepy!)
  • In the story, Poppy manipulates her friends into going on an adventure to get the doll back to her grave. The doll speaks to Poppy and directs her actions, not always in a truthful or trustworthy way.

Final Word

Ultimately, my concern with the novel is its tendency to normalize and/or promote the occult. That doesn’t mean that kids shouldn’t read it, but if they DO read it, please discuss the dangers of dabbling in the occult with them. (See discussion questions).

Discussion Questions

  1. Zach enjoyed playing “dolls” with the girls, although it was really more like role playing. Have you ever enjoyed doing something that you’d be embarrassed for your friends to find out about?
  2. Was Zach’s father right to throw out his son’s action figure? Was he wrong to force him to play sports even though Zach wasn’t interested? Why?
  3. What was Poppy’s motivation for removing the Queen from her case? Was Poppy’s interest in the Queen healthy or unhealthy?
  4. What did you think of Poppy’s actions — the way she got her friends to do what she wanted them to do? Do you have any friends who act that way?
  5. Do you think ghosts exist? Do you think people from beyond the grave can communicate with the living? If so, should they?