Gleaming Bright [Hardcover]

Josepha Sherman (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 11 and up

To avoid being married to a cruel king, and to save her father's kingdom from ruin, a resourceful young princess goes in search of the magic box that was stolen from her grandfather by an evil wizard.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-9-Finola, only child of the king of Irwain, has run away to avoid a political marriage. She plans to recover Gleaming Bright, a magic golden box given to her grandfather by Cathbad, a wizard, and then stolen by Rhegeth, Cathbad's evil student. Wandering through forests and blasted landscapes, Finola finds Rhegeth's keep, takes the box, uses its magic to dispose of the Dark Druid, and returns home-all without any overwhelming difficulty. There is very little tension created, and therefore no believable heroic achievement. While some of Finola's problems (e.g., a threatened rape) assume a certain sophistication on the part of readers, the plot is shallow and the heroine's voice preadolescent. Sherman writes well enough to pull readers into her stories- as in the more successful and original Child of Faerie, Child of Earth (Walker, 1992)-but this book will fail to satisfy buffs of this genre. Finola's quest is half-heartedly conceived, and an air of modern awareness is never far from the surface of the narrative. Thanks to writers such as Robin McKinley, Jane Yolen, and Patricia Wrede, readers have come to expect strength in fantasy heroines, and Finola's passivity and simpering thoughts are discouraging. A white stag with human speech who becomes the girl's protector has appeal, but flounders for a lack of context. This novel has too much that is derivative and too little to create the magic of good fantasy.
Sally Margolis, Deerfield Public Library, IL
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 5-8. This fast-paced fantasy features a princess who flees an arranged marriage and goes in search of a magical box, named Gleaming Bright, which she can use to save her kingdom. As she ventures through forests to find the castle where Gleaming Bright lies, Finola befriends a talking stag, challenges an evil wizard, and learns about her strengths and her weaknesses. At times the plot seems predictable, but Sherman portrays even minor characters so deftly that readers will quickly become involved and, before they know it, will be caught up in the swift flow of the story. Though simple in basic design, the novel's richness comes in its expression of the complexities of human motives, actions, and emotions. An intriguing fantasy/adventure with a strong heroine. Carolyn Phelan

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 11 and up
  
• Hardcover: 170 pages
• Publisher: Walker & Co; First Printing edition (March 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802782965
• ISBN-13: 978-0802782960
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,889,277 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars ok...., April 9, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Gleaming Bright (Hardcover)

i'll get the good stuff out of the way first. The book never got bogged down with descriptions, and the description of the evil wizards fortress was cool. I also liked the very start.

I also have some problems with this book. First of all, it was too short for the story it told. Fifty more pages would have been a better length.

Secondly, I thought the whole thing about the robber was stupid. He was a creep, and her whole attraction to him seemed fake.

Thirdly, the whole plot wasn't especially original. There are plenty of better written fantasy books with similar plots and more original characters than this one. Read one of them.

5.0 out of 5 stars I had to Buy It, January 20, 2012

By 

Michi - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Gleaming Bright (Hardcover)

I read this book for the first time in the 6th grade (about ten years ago) and I never forgot the name of the book or the author. It was one of the first fantasy books I have ever and it blew me away. Maybe when I get this in the mail and read it as an adult I won't be so impressed but the impact wont have changed. My family was poor so I never had many book, they were mostly old ones bought at yard sales that were below my reading level. So, I rented this from the school library which was rare since I always owed the school money so I didn't ever get to rent any most of the time. I am grateful to have read this book as it introduced me to how wonderful books can be and how magical the world of fantasy is, wish I never gave it back to the library! I remember trying to track this book down at books stores. I also read her other book, Child of Fairy, Child of Earth, also amazing. Anyone who loves simple fantasy will love this book, deff a read for older kids. I'm so excited to own a copy of it.

4.0 out of 5 stars a good story but not great, August 13, 2008

By 

Dawn Cline "fantasy book lover32" (creve coeur,IL, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gleaming Bright (Hardcover)

this is the story of a princess when being forced to marry a not nice prince. She runs away to find a magically item given to her grandfather by a nice wizard and stolen from him by an evil wizard! The other reviwer is right it would not have been bad for more character building and a little more adventure,but I also think this was a good book! Now don't get me wrong this is not the best book I have ever read but I found it enjoyable! I did not think it a waste of time ! So pick it up at a library or anywhere you can find it you might like it you might not but you will never know until you check it out!