Customer Reviews

The Ever Breath

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This tale begins with a quote: "The universe is made of stories, not atoms." This statement is certainly true. From the first page, Baggott takes the reader on a magical journey through both the Breath World and the Fixed World. It is written with such vivid description. It seems as if you actually are creeping through the tunnel with Truman or flying in the vulture's claws. The Everbreath is a smiliar genre as her other book The Slippery Map. The are both comprised of similar story elements. A boy travels to an alternate world and meets many magical creatures, such as fire-breathers, dragons, and mewlers which are half-human cats. Truman embarks on a quest to restore balance to the worlds and save a parent from demise. Truman's twin, Camille, reminds me of Grace O'Hara from Cryptid Hunters by Roland smith. All in all, I really enjoyed reading thie book and I hope other people who have read The Anybodies four times think so, too. (I mean it!) Katherine age 10


The Ever Breath is a great fantasy book! It is the best children's book that I have ever read! The Ever Breath teaches us a very important lesson- Don't ever give up! When things are hard, no one ever gives up. No matter what, they keep trying. I like The Ever Breath because it is exciting You never know what is going to happen next. I just could not put it down. It's like a thrill ride! It has action, adventure, magic, and most important friendship. Even if you are not big on fairies and creatures, you'll want to read this book! It has something for everyone! Angeline age 10


The Ever Breath is one of the best fantasy adventures I've ever read! It is not only a fantasy book, but it teaches you something. I learned that family is alwys with you and will love you forever no matter what. I liked The Ever Breath because it is filled with action and adventure. It is suspenseful at the end of every chapter. It is so descriptive that I felt like I was part of the story. I would recommend this book for kids ages 9-12. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! Vicky age 10


The Ever Breath may sound like it may be boring, but you are wrong! It is very exciting! If you like science fiction, then this book is for you! The book also teaches us that even in the midst of evil, good things can happen! I liked it becuase it contained scary creatures and exciting adventures. almost every chapter made me want to read more. Baggott describes the characters extremely well. I felt like I was on the mission, too! The Everbreath is a great book! It's your turn to read it! Hannah age 10

The Ever Breath was an absolutely amazing book! After I read the first chapter, I couldn't put the book down! Baggott put so much description and detail in this. I could see a perfect image in my head! It was absolutely incredible! Now Baggott has gotten me excited about fantasy, dark magic, and has even inspired me to write my own story! I am dying to read her next book that comes out in the fall 2010. If I had to rate this book from 0-10, I would give it a 9.7. Overall, the book was astounding and I give it two thumbs way up! Libby age 10

Truman Cragmeal and his twin sister, Camille, go to stay with their odd Grandma Swelda over the holidays. Things haven't been right at home after their father disappeared a month ago. Their mother needs to work extra hours, and leaving the twins with their grandmother --- even though they haven't seen her since they were very young --- seems like a natural choice. What Truman and Camille would never guess is that their grandmother is more than just odd. She holds the secrets to a magical world --- and now, more than ever, she needs their help.

Grandma Swelda is strange. She's shorter than short and wears a lumpy, poorly knit woolen hat. "But the most striking thing about their grandmother was her glasses; one of the lenses was completely normal but the other was covered by a shiny black plastic cap." And that's only the start. Her house contains oddities that she calls "imports from distant lands." There's an actual tree growing through the floorboards and books on shelves titled DENDROLOGY: A Gramarye's Dictionary of Terms and Best Practices and THE BREATH WORLD: A Complete History.

The twins learn from their grandma that she, too, is a twin, but her sister stayed behind in their homeland. She also tells them a strange story while they feast on all sorts of exotic and delicious foods --- none of which miraculously bother Truman's long list of allergies. She calls it a "tasting tale" and says, "This is the Fixed World. The world we live in now. And the other world was named the Breath World. Those in the Breath World felt cast out...so a stone to control the balance and flow between the two worlds was placed in their world. A stone called the Ever Breath --- an amber orb with a breath embedded in the very center." If the Ever Breath is removed from where it belongs, the two worlds will close up the passageway between them.

Grandma Swelda has more surprises for the twins: she gives them each a glass snow globe that reveals odd scenes within them. During his first night at his grandmother's, Truman can't sleep. He takes his snow globe with him and decides to explore the house. When he is accidentally locked outside the house by Swelda's pesky pet, Truman tries to find his way back inside, but instead he uncovers a secret passageway and a strange talking cat-like creature called a mewler. Thus, Truman's adventure in the Breath World has begun. And when Camille begins searching for her brother, she stumbles into the Breath World soon after.

In THE EVER BREATH, Truman and Camille learn that Grandma Swelda's odd tale isn't just a story --- it's real. The magical stone (the Ever Breath) that holds the balance between the two worlds has gone missing, and it's up to Truman and his sister to find it and save two worlds: the Breath World and the Fixed World. With the help of quirky, magical creatures and their snow globes --- which have more powers than they first realized --- do they have what it takes to save the day and find their father along the way?

Author Julianna Baggott has penned many books for both adults and young readers. THE EVER BREATH shows great imagination with a magical world and an adventurous tale with brave young heroes. A sequel is indicated at the end of the book, so hold on to your snow globes for another adventure!

--- Reviewed by Kristi Olson

Twins Truman and Camille are off to visit their grandmother who they haven't seen since they were babies. Turns out she's an odd little woman who lives in an old house in the middle of a golf course. Like most grandmothers, she turns out to be a bit magical and introduces her grandchildren to the breath world; a world filled with every magical creature ever conceived by our world - the "fixed world". Grandma is the guardian of the passage between the two worlds and it turns out our twins are the only two that can save the "ever breath" - the magical orb that has been stolen and which keeps the passage open between the two worlds.

There's lots of fantastic imagery here; there are a myriad of wonderful creatures that will enchant every reader, however I didn't find the story as compelling as it should have been. This is a classic quest tale, but I think the author just shoved so much in here that at times it became a bit confusing. I really appreciate a well developed character and I wish the author would have spent some more time with Truman and Camille. I know this is the first book in a series so I hope the author continues to do more with her characters - she has created such a lush environment for this tale, I fully expect the actual story will sharpen up a bit as the series moves along.

There's plenty here for fantasy loving kids to enjoy, so pass it along to your favorite 4 through 6 grader. I look forward to seeing where the next book goes since there's a deliciously evil character that we meet at the end of this one that I'm sure will liven up the next installment.

The Ever Breath Review Lyra Gills


I think you should read The Ever Breath because it is magical, exciting and sometimes scary at the same time. The two most important characters are a brother and sister who look for their father. The sister is named Camille and the Brother is named Truman. In ways Camille and Truman are a lot different. Truman is allergic to Strawberries, Nuts, Bee stings, Chocolate, and Pollen. In one pocket he carries his inhaler and in the other he carries an EpiPen and on his nose are really thick lense glasses (which he always had to push up). But Camille was a lot different. Before their father disappeared she wore pink "Girl Power!"
sweaters, wrote her homework in sparkly gel pens, and dotted her little "I's" with hearts. But now she is different. One day Truman and Camille's mom drives them to their Grandmother Swelda's (I love that
name) house to stay there for three weeks. While they are there, they discover a magic world. Inside the magic world there are strange animals that we don't have on this earth (but we do have a mouse in this world).
And Truman and Camille find their father and take him home. I read this whole book, cover to cover, while flying to Cabo San Lucas Mexico at Christmas. I live in Utah and I remember just last year my dad took me to Park City and I met the author Julianna Baggott who, like her books, is magical. I hope you read The Ever Breath.

-Lyra Gills, 12 yrs. old

I am an 8 year old girl who loves to read, and I am also a big fan of N.E. Bode/Julianna Baggott. I loved the Anybodies series and if you liked those books you will definitely love The Ever Breath. The story is about a boy named Truman (who has lots of bad allergies) and a girl named Camille (who is kind of dark in this story and likes to read stories of disasters, like floods and men falling off cliffs), and they go to visit their never-seen-since-they-were-babies Grandma. She was kind of weird. She was hiding something *really* private: she was hiding ... the Breath World. The twins have lots of amazing adventures there, although for some of the adventures the kids were not together. My favorite part was the tasting tale -- I thought that was weird, the way you're eating, but you're not eating! I do wonder what those foods were. There were lots of suspenseful and wonderful parts. I really like the way they find the Ever Breath, but I'm not telling you how they did it, because that's one of the best parts and I do NOT want to spoil it. I think you should read all of Julianna Baggott's/N.E. Bode's books, especially if you like the Ever Breath. Can't wait to read the sequel!

I've just finished reading the Ever Breath. It's a very good book: it's about the Cragmeal family and how they get the Ever Breath back to its rightful place. It's full of adventure! There is a lot of exploration, and fantasy, like dragons (fire breathers), ware wolves, (wolven men) and banshees.

Truman and his sister, Camille, get snow globes for gifts from their grandmother and use them along their way to see the past and the future. They go on an adventure to the Breath World where they meet friends long the way, like a mewler, half-cat and half-person, an ogre and a talking mouse.

It's a very good book. I liked it, and so will you. Janey, age 7

This was a great book. I started it and couldn't put it down. The character and setting descriptions throughout the book are amazing. You can picture everyone and everything with great ease. The story line was intriging. I know my 5th graders will love this book. This will be our next read aloud. I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel in 2010.

Sickly, nearsighted, uncoordinated Truman is the complete opposite of his twin sister Camille. Their mother brings them to stay with their paternal grandmother, Swelda, since their father has gone missing. Swelda gifts them each a snow globe which shows events of the past, present and future, although it cannot be determined which is what. The first night at Swelda's, Truman can't sleep, and clutching his snow globe he pads to the kitchen to find something to eat. Swelda's kitchen parrot dive bombs Truman, who scrambles out the front door to avoid the bird. He gets locked out and goes in through the root cellar, and ultimately through a tunnel which leads to the Breath World. The young lad steps up to the plate to thwart execrable circumstances, meeting new friends and threatening enemies, albeit in his pajamas. Camille soon follows suit. A wonderfully engaging, enchanting adventure! More, more!

I had high hopes for The Ever Breath, I was not dissappointed. Its a wonderful adventure story. Truman Cragmeal and his twin sister, Camille are going to meet their grandmother, Swelda for the first time. Their mother is driving them to Swelda's house. They thought the house had a great view of a golf course but its actually on the seventeenth hole. When house is located on a golf course, something strange is going on.

One of the things I loved about this tale, it got to the adventure quickly. Though first author establishes the personalities (read the first chapter) of Truman and Camille. They are both very likeable making it hard not to want to follow them on an adventure.

Swelda sit the twins down for a tasting tale, a family tradition. She telling them, the Cragmeal history, where their dad is, and what need to do to help save two worlds.

The Fixed World is the world they live in, The Breath World is other one. A stone called the Ever Breath is the balance between the two worlds and it was stolen. Without the Ever Breath there will be no more imagination and dreaming in the Fixed World. The Breath World would be overcome with too much magic. Evil magical beast would rise up and take over. Swelda gives Truman and Camille, each a family globe. The globes allow them to see the past, present or future in the Breath World.

In the Breath World the chapters alternate between the twins. A mouse named Binderbee Biggby gets a chapter all to himself. Baggott quickly establishes the politics and the animals of The Breath World, making it easy for readers to follow.

The Office of Official Affairs controls everything, with an Us vs Them mentality. Mice have always been looked downed on. Now, mice have been given a chance to prove themselves as spies. When Biggby reads an intercepted letter he begins to questions who is Us and who is them.

Biggby eventually meets up with the twins, with an Ogre who is also ready to help. The Twins with their small group of friends must go into the Dark heart of the Breath World, to retrieve the Ever Breath and save their dad.

The Ever Breath is a wonderful adventure story with scary cringe worthy moments. Baggott allows the reader to see the world she's created. For the most part its no more than six pages per chapter making it a great choice for young fantasy fans. 8up

This easy to read novel is full of twists and turns. It has everyone's favorite magical creatures including fairies and daring dragons. Its colorful pages bring to life every kid's dream world. But with every dream comes nightmares! Truman and Camille Cragmeal think they're normal twins, but they're wrong there. I give this book a 9 out of 10.