Customer Reviews

The Book Without Words: A Fable of Medieval Magic

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It was in the year 1046, on a cold winter's night, when a fog, thick as wool and dank as a dead man's hand, crept up from the River Scrogg into the ancient town of Fulworth.

So begins this fascinating fable. And a true fable it is, woven through with supernatural elements, talking animals, and illustrating a universal truth. The ever-present fog seems a metaphor for evil. It is everywhere in the tale: "It clung to the crumbling city walls . . . It muffled the sound of pealing church bells calling the weary faithful to apprehensive prayers."

Most of the action takes place at the bottom of Clutterbuck Lane in a dilapidated, two-story stone house. There lives Thorston, an old alchemist, who is trying to create "philosopher's stones" that would restore his youth and keep him forever young. The formula for the stones comes from the book without words-a book he had stolen some seventy-three years before when he was a young boy. The book contains other "dark magic," including a recipe for making gold. The pages in the book are blank and can only be read by a "green-eyed reader filled with great desire."

The recipe for the stones calls for, among other things, the breath of a young person and a black raven's feather. Odo, the talking raven, provides the feather. The breath is that of a young servant girl named Sybil whom Thorston recently took in.

Thorston must swallow one of the stones at a time, pausing for a time in between. During this "in between" time he appears to die and is buried. It is during this time that Sybil and Odo, with the help of a green-eyed child, try to unlock the secrets held in the book with no words. Unbeknownst to Sybil and the raven, when Thorston swallows the final stone they will die.

Thorston has spent the last seventy three years in preparation for this moment-and it has not been easy. To the raven he rants, "Have you any idea how difficult it has been to preserve myself for this moment? To avoid accidents, illness, and violence. Think how hard it is to keep oneself from death!" To which the raven replies, "Ah, Master . . . what good was that life, if, by avoiding death, you didn't live?"

Thorston is not the only person who desires the book without words. A monk named Brother Wilfrid has been trying for decades to find and obtain the book.

Making things even more difficult for Thorston is the town reeve Ambrose Bashcroft, "the man in charge of the city's law and order." Bashcroft's silent partner is Mistress Weebly, the town apothecary. It is through her that Bashcroft learns of Thorston's attempts to make gold, which, according to the law, is illegal.

At its heart The Book Without Words is a story of discovery: Who and what can be trusted? Is money the ultimate possession? What makes a life worth living?

The writing is superb; there is never a false moment. From the first page, the words of this richly atmospheric and suspenseful tale will pull readers into its medieval world.

Classroom Uses: We took a class set of the book into a sixth-grade classroom where we read it aloud. It was a tremendous hit and the students begged to make a "Reader's Theater" script out of it. When we asked one young boy (a reluctant reader) what he liked best about the book he replied, "Everything!" You can't get a better recommendation than that.

The Book Without Words has all the makings of a classic. Highly recommended. Suitable for district-wide purchase.

Reviewed by the Education Oasis Staff

When an old Thorston makes a potion to let him live longer he suddenly dies.When Sybil finds her master dead on the floor she has to find a green eyed child to read the book without words to find out how to make gold. Soon Master Bashcroft finds out about the secret he tries to storm the house to get the gold for himself. Now Sybil has to get rid of the book with the help of a talking bird named Odo.
Sybil is Thorston's apprentice she is a very strong and determined character. Thorston is an old man trying to find a way out of dying. Odo is an annoying talking bird who knows a little magic. Damian is the apothicary's apprentice who is really quite rude. Last but not least is Alfric, a young green eyed boy who helps Sybil along the way.
This was a very amazing book that all Avi fans should read. I loved the characters, the setting, and the whole plot was great. This book has many twists and turns that will not let you stop reading. No other book is like this.
My favorite part of the book is this:"God the mighty!" Damian screamed and leaped out of the bed. "it's him!" Sybil darted forward and clamped a hand over his mouth from behind. "Be still," she commanded. "Is that...your master?" Asked Damian. "Yes." "Is he...dead...or alive?"

There is a magic book, a book without words, and it can do great evil. It had been protected by Monks for hundreds of years at an isolated island monastary from falling into the wrong hands. 76 years ago it fell into the hands of a cruel boy named Thurston who is now an old and a powerful alchemist and wizard. He has spent his whole life learning how to unlock the books secrets, but they may unleash a power far worse. From his dusty tower-like residence he is attempting an evil spell that will allow him to regain his youth but keep all of his magic, in fact stronger magic than before. The very life of his talking raven Odo and his young servant Sybil is in danger, for he needs the essence of their lives to complete his spell. Will they find out in time to stop him. And what about the town law enforcer, the Reeve, who wishes to take the alchemists secret for making gold for himself? He plans to hang everyone in Thurstons house to get what he wants. The only one that can help is a mysterious monk, so old he appears to be almost skeletal. And why do the words in the book only appear to a person with green eyes that has an earthly desire? Each time magic is used, it seems to come undone later or come with a dark price, the result of greed.

The story takes place long ago in medievel times, in the year 1046. It uses a lot of actual tidbits from history to strengthen the story.A very atmospheric story, it feels old and features saints that appear as apparitions, a talking painting in an old church, old graveyards, treachery and betrayal, endless greed, alchemy and dark magics, even the weather and the ever present fog seem to be alive in a way. In the midst of this a young courageous girl befriends the one she has least reason to trust. The cover of the hardcover version of this book is beautiful, it has a picture on the dustcover that makes it look like a very old book with gold gilt and a picture of the alchemists workshop. The only down point is that it is a short book, a quicker read than most Avi books. Overall it is highly suspenseful and I could not put it down, and I highly reccommend!

The Book Without Words. This is a fable of medieval magic by Avi. I could invision everything as I read about the stores, town, and people. I guess I should just say I pictured everything. Avi is a fantastic author.
All of you out there reading this review probably think the book has nothing but blank pages, well they're wrong. This book is a fantasy genre. There are objects that turn into water, levitating rocks, skulls, and more.
The Book Without Words is about a girl who was taken in only to kill. This man is an alchemist, but can only make false gold. The plot to this book is that the alchemist is old and he doesn't want to ever die. So he needed a bunch of ingretients, and one was the breath of a child. It goes in a pot and cooks and after a long time it makes four little crystal balls, each smaller than the next. He has to eat the crystals and every time he eats one he becomes unconscious for a long time. Once he eats the last one, the girl will die.
I didn't like this book, I loved it. It was fun for me to read (even though I don't like to read a lot) because rhe characters were fun. The dialogue in the book was good. For example, "Forgive me," said Alfric, with a yawn. "I've not slept indoors for so long, the closeness makes me sleepy." Or, "It's not my death I fear." I felt like I knew the picture of what the place looked like.
I guess since I liked the wording, it wan't too hard to read. I read it in about two days. I suppose I should rate this now...hm...hmm... Aha! One is worst and five is deserves fireworks. I pick 7!!!

What defines a life? How can you know that you've really lived your life? These are questions that Sybil has never thought about, until now. Now that her master, Thorston, has died, and she and Odo, his talking bird, are likely to end up on the street. Unless they can figure out Thorston's secret for making gold.

Thorston was a magician. Not just an ordinary magician, but an alchemist, concerned with finding eternal life above all else. Now he's dead, and the few people who knew of his existence are left to define their own.

Odo thinks Sybil is dumb and useless, but he needs her to perform human functions like opening things and talking to people. Sybil thinks Odo is cruel and evil, but she needs him to help with the magic since he was with Thorston much longer than she was. A shaky alliance is born. The two acquire questionable aid from Alfric, a young beggar, and Damian, an herbal apprentice. Alfric has been sent by two different people who both want the same thing, though he doesn't now why or how. All he knows is that Sybil is the first person that has been kind to him since his parents died. Damian is out for his own share of the gold, and nothing else. They are all stuck inside Thorston's house, under constant watch of Bashcroft, the man in charge of law and order, who wants the secret of never-ending life. No one knows who to trust, or who holds the most knowledge. The only true key is Thorston, and he's not planning on sharing.

They are left to figure out who they all truly are, and find the true value of a life.

Reviewed by: Carrie Spellman

Intriguing.
Although Amazon claims the book appropriate from grades 5-8, I recommend this book to adults as well. This book is interesting from the start. Set in 1046 England, in Fulworth, a dreary town where fog is present throughout the story, this book should engross almost anyone into reading more. Thorston, a cruel and selfish old man, is so enthralled with the notion of restoring his youth that he is willing to risk his servants' lives for himself. However, like always, there are the protagonists. Brother Wilfrid, Odo, Alfric, Damian, and more perfectly complement each other balancing the novel with humor as well as the darker truths of the story.
In the end, good triumphs over evil and the book teaches a powerful lesson as well as being quite entertaining.
A must-read for Avi fans.

Although I prefer first-person narratives that allow for a deeper understanding and connection to a character...this book made up for that in its poetic language filled with beautiful examples of the figurative language we try so hard to teach our students. If you are looking for a book to engage your students while "reading as a writer" this is it! It is a literary gem!

Have you ever wanted to find gold but you didn't know where to look?
Well that's what happened with Sybil in The Book without Words, a fantasy novel by Avi. With the help of Odo, a talking raven, Sybil searches all over her master's house in search of gold.
In the beginning of the book Odo tells Sybil that her master, Thorston, can make gold; however it is illegal in her town. While searching for the gold that Thorston made, Sybil and Odo come upon three green glowing stones which they later learn are magic stones which allow you to live forever. Soon after, Sybil runs into a monk named Brother Wilfrid, who gives her advice as the book goes on.
There are a few different features in the book which made me want to keep on reading. One interesting feature is that Avi puts sub chapters within the chapters so that the reader always knows when something new is going to be brought into action. Another remarkable feature is that the reader is always kept in suspense. Also, because the book takes place a long time ago, there are words which may be unknown to the reader, so there is a dictionary at the end of the book with the definitions of these words.
In conclusion, I think that The Book without Words is outstanding. Although it takes a few pages to get absorbed in the plot, I am sure that you will enjoy this book, especially if you are in sixth to eighth grade and like reading fantasy novels such as Harry Potter or Eragon. If you read this book, then you can also learn to read a magic book, without words.

Don't miss this book!

The Book Without Words by Avi is a wonderful magical tale that I would recommend to anybody who loves magic. Thortson practices dark magic. Sybil and Odo find someone actually cares for them when Thortson "dies" and no one can read the book. Before he dies he tells Sybil that only people with green eyes can read the book. She goes to the market and looks for green eyes. When she doesn't find them she asks around. Nobody answers her. Later on two boys with green eyes show upon her door step. Will they be able to read the book and tell sybil the secrets!?!
Sybil is Thortson's servant girl. In the book Sybil is described as big boned, skinny and has long tangled brown hair. She is very bossy ,yet highly caring. She feels lost, shy and sad. She is very thoughtful and scared. She will always take action. She was taken off the street by Thorson. Thorson was only concerned about her age , which is thirteen. Sybil is head strong. She hold herself true to what she says
and takes graet care for the boys when they show up.
This book is an amazing mythical story that leaves you content.

Master Thorston has final finshed his potion. The last ingerdent was Sybil his maid but as he hears vocies and knocks on the door he runs over to the caldron and reachs down and pulls out a large green stone and swallows it.
As he falls and stumbles around the room Odo the raven is woke from his sleep from all of the comtion. As he hops over to his master and asks him whats wrong over and over again as he realilzes that his mater is dead.But not every thing is what it seems...