Hollow Earth [Hardcover]

John Barrowman (Author), Carole E. Barrowman (Author)

Book Description

Release date: October 30, 2012 | Age Range: 8 and up | Series: Hollow Earth | Lexile Measure: 880L (What's this?)

Imagination matters most in a world where art can keep monsters trapped—or set them free.

Lots of twins have a special connection, but twelve-year-old Matt and Emily Calder can do way more than finish each other’s sentences. Together, they are able to bring art to life and enter paintings at will. Their extraordinary abilities are highly sought after, particularly by a secret group who want to access the terrors called Hollow Earth. All the demons, devils, and evil creatures ever imagined are trapped for eternity in the world of Hollow Earth—trapped unless special powers release them.

The twins flee from London to a remote island off the west coast of Scotland in hopes of escaping their pursuers and gaining the protection of their grandfather, who has powers of his own. But the villains will stop at nothing to find Hollow Earth and harness the powers within. With so much at stake, nowhere is safe—and survival might be a fantasy.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 5-10-Em and Matt Calder, 12, inherited the attributes of their Guardian father, Malcolm, and their Animare mother, Sandie. This unprecedented combination puts them in danger from those who want to extinguish their powers and those who want to exploit them for evil ends. When the twins begin to reveal their Animare ability to turn their artistic imaginings into real-world manifestations, they flee with Sandie to an island off the Scottish coast. There their paternal grandfather, Renard, a powerful Guardian, can offer some protection and explanations of the Animare and Guardian attributes and responsibilities. However, no one explains what happened to Malcolm or what is in the satchel Sandie keeps with her. After she disappears and Renard is severely injured, the siblings use their powers to animate their way out of dangerous encounters. Aided by a deaf teenager with lip-reading ability and technological know-how, they thwart those who want to use the twins to open the door to Hollow Earth, a place where all evil creatures are trapped for eternity. A parallel story set in the Middle Ages reveals how an Animare monk illuminating manuscripts saved the island's inhabitants from Viking invaders. Both past and present victories over dark forces rely on the intervention of a peryton, a fantastical creature. At the conclusion, readers can pause for breath from the plot's heart-pounding pace. Added to the elements of history and myth are references to paintings by artists such as Van Gogh and descriptions of the island. These topics should supply readers with plenty to explore while they wait eagerly for the next installment.-Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankatoα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Review

a fine piece of storytelling Choice Magazine a captivating children's fantasy adventure S Magazine, The Sunday Express Gripping iVillage.co.uk a pacy adventure Book Witch nail-biting, exciting read Woman's Way The central conceit - that certain people, known as Animare, are able to bring to life any picture they draw - is interesting and explored well, and the main characters, Matt and Emily Calder and their hearing-impaired friend Zach, are appealing and given convincing dialogue. The plot, meanwhile, sees sinister forces aligning to exploit the children's powers to open up a netherworld full of demons and there's a good use of lesser-known beasts from myth and fable. Financial Times an exciting page-turner...awash with devils and demons, set against an atmospheric backdrop Scottish Sunday Post a superbly exciting story Newbury Weekly News a world that is sure to capture children's imaginations The Ulster Star a fascinating premise for a story... The potential is huge and there is plenty of scope for more gripping adventures Parents in Touch a sincerely, skillfully written adventure story with an old-school feel and page-turning energy Doctor Who News fantastically mysterious... Books which transcend age like Hollow Earth are rare - we highly recommend it! www.thebookclub.co.uk Hollow Earth isn't just any book. It may be the Next Big Thing in young adult literature Popmatters.com a brilliant read... keeps the reader on edge and hungry for the next page Millport.com --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Age Range: 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Aladdin (October 30, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9781442458529
• ISBN-13: 978-1442458529
• ASIN: 1442458526
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #120,414 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Children's book in ages May 19, 2012

By S. McEwen

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I loved this book. I admit to purchasing it because it had John Barrowman's name on the cover, but as soon as I started reading I was entranced by this book. It's a great read. I've read some of the other reviews saying it's the next Harry Potter... but I don't think there will be another Harry Potter. This instead is a great start to a new trilogy, and reminded me more of Under The Mountain by Maurice Gee than HP.
I read this book in one sitting, I couldn't put it down, and now that I've finished it I don't want to let it go, and wish there was more to read.
It's got everything, excitement, magic, fantasy, it's written so that boys and girls will read it. The setting is special, the characters are special.
I can't work out whether this is a totally mutually written book between Carole and John, or whether ideas are from one and writing from the other, but it's a partnership that really works.
This book does what all good books should do - it is a great story which kids should want to read. Best of all, it's a movie begging to be made.
I can't wait for the second book in the trilogy.
I highly recommend this book for children, but also for anyone who loves a good fantasy story.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved It! April 2, 2012

By Carol White

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought this book because John & Carole Barrowman were the authors, but it was a really good story. I can't wait to read the sequels. It may be aimed at young readers, but it's a fun read for any age in my opinion.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An Original and Entertaining Read July 2, 2012

By Sir Furboy

Format:Kindle Edition

John Barrowman is Captain Jack from Doctor Who/Torchwood. Luckily I did not realise this when I bought this book as I would have wrongly assumed it was a poor book being marketted on his fame as an actor. In fact this is a very well written and original tale, and the fact that Carole Barrowman is an English teacher must have something to do with the quality of the tale.

And what an interesting tale this is. The lead characters are twins Matt and Emily, not yet teenage but leaving childhood behind as they discover (or indeed, other people discover - they knew it for a while) that they have special powers.

Twins with special powers? Reminds me of Garth Nix's "Troubletwisters" and that is pretty much a perfect combination for a story for children and young adults (and indeed lots of adults, like myself!) In this case the main power is that of an "animare": the ability to bring works of art to life, and to enter the paintings themesleves.

This is almost an original idea. I have only ever seen anything quite like it once: when Will Stanton hides a magical item in "Silver on the Tree" in a painting of Caerleon amphitheatre.

I don't know whether the Barrowmans read that story - I would not be surprised. Nevertheless this is in no way stealing and recyling other ideas. Instead this book is highly original in concept.

It maybe slowed down a touch in the middle. Some books you cannot stop reading. This one I did manage to leave for a while before returning to it. Still it is a great story with some great characters. If they turn it into a movie I wonder if John Barrowman will act in it!