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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
"Nothing You Love is Lost",
By
This review is from: Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher (Paperback)
For kids that are too young for the complex "Harry Potter" series, and yet interested in fantasy stories, then Bruce Coville's Magic Shop books might be the thing to hook them up with. Each book is based on a basic premise: a young child with the usual kid problems (home trouble, bullies, crushes, angry teachers, etc) stumble across Mr Elives' Magic Shop, and leave with an unusual purchase that creates more trouble for them, but ultimately teaches them important lessons.In this case, Jeremy Thatcher escapes two bullies, the resentful nature of his art teacher and the unwanted affections of Mary Lou by ducking into the Magic Shop, where Mr Elives gruffly allows him to take home a strange glistening sphere with a sheet of mysterious instructions - it would seem Jeremy is about to hatch a dragon's egg! With the tiny dragonlet Tiamat born, but growing steadily by the day, Jeremy gains more confidence against the problems in his life, as well as more creative flair with the inspiration that Tiamat magically places in his mind's eye. Obviously, a baby dragon in the house is not as easy as it sounds, and even though only Jeremy can see her, Tiamat is still able to manipulate circumstances around her with her fiery breath. But Tiamat must eventually return home to her own world, and along with the mysterious, beautiful Miss Priest and Mr Elives, Jeremy participates in the ritual to send her to the "dragon-world". Despite the loss however, Jeremy has found a new outlook on life, had old friendships tested and new ones forged, and come to understand a spiteful teacher better. With little dashes of real dragon lore mingled in with his own creative liberties, Coville makes the world natural enough for belief to be suspended, although as an older reader, I would dearly like to know more about the Shop, its owner and its associate Miss Priest. Who are they really? How do they pick the children they give gifts to? How does the Shop move around? If he wished, Coville could make these short but sweet stories into something much more deep and interesting. As I said, the Magic Shop books are great for younger readers, with enough of the every-day troubles to relate to, and enough of the fantasy elements to fire their own imaginations. Its also worth mentioning that if you're a part of a country that recieves the Great Britain copies of these books, there are some wonderful new covers to behold by the artist Tony Diterlizzi, best know for his illustrations in the "Spiderwick Chronicles", that beautifully capture the children's personalities and their magical companions.
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great family reading,
This review is from: Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher (Paperback)
I read this book aloud with my 9 year old daughter, and she gave it the ultimate compliment: 'I wished it would never end'. I must admit, I did too. A very heartfelt and magical book about friendship. I would recommend it to any parent who likes to read with their kids.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Old Favorite,
By
This review is from: Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher (Paperback)
"Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" was undoubtedly my favorite book as a child...and now, thirteen years after I first read it, it still occupies a special place in my heart. I honestly think that it is one of the best written children's books of the last fifty years; I still read it from time to time, and my old copy is so beat up (the cover fell off long ago) that I'm thinking of buying a new one--hardback this time. It's that good. I'm excited to think that one day I'll be able to read this to my own children. The characters are so well-drawn and believable, and the plot moves along so well, that I'm pretty sure even most adults (though they might not admit it) would be sucked in. This book is perfect for kids who have been introduced to fantasy through Harry Potter; it is, in fact, the book that first introduced me to fantasy all those years ago. I read "The Hobbit" in third grade because Bruce Coville makes a passing reference to it in "Jeremy Thatcher."This isn't just a story about a boy and his dragon--though, if it were, and told by Coville, it would still be appealing enough for children. It also deals, very effectively, with the issues that Jeremy faces as he enters adolescence--a girl with a crush on him, an inexplicably hostile teacher. Jeremy grows up quite a bit over the course of the story--and Coville is never preachy, as he sometimes (much as I love him) is in other books ("My Teacher Flunked the Planet," anyone?). This is a fantastic story told by a fantastic writer working at the top of his game. I highly recommend it to anyone.
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