Customer Reviews

The Octave of Angels

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I read this story for a children's literature class. It was a thoughtful story with interesting characters. The summary on the book makes a bigger deal about the story's "mystery" than it actually is. Toward the end of the story, the mystery is not really that big of a deal...but that doesn't make the story disappointing in any way, as it does end well. The story is set in England, and there are some terms and situations that a younger reader, not familiar with England, might have questions about. There are several young characters, who are well-developed and easy to distinguish. In addition, there are several, less well-developed, adult characters. I found myself having to take longer to recall which adult was which and felt this could be somewhat confusing for younger readers. This would be a good leisure read for students in grades 3-6.

Young Calum moves to Beckerton, his family's ancestral town, and learns that the village is not so welcoming to newcomers. He becomes involved with an ancient tradition and a not-quite-as-ancient mystery, making friends along the way. I would classify this story as a "gentle" read, recommending it to children who don't want anything scary and/or to parents who don't want violence, occult, sexuality, or similar issues in their children's literature. Offered by Eerdmans, a Christian publisher, the religious element is very subtle in this title.