3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
great read!, September 27, 2011
This review is from: School of the Ages: Level Three's Dream (School of the Ages Series) (Kindle Edition)
I really enjoyed the writing style - nice and neat, easy to follow - I liked all the different young characters - there is someone for everyone to relate to (and I like that one of the primaries is autistic! - a needed addition in today's literature)!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A new look at Wonderland, February 20, 2012
This review is from: School of the Ages: Level Three's Dream (School of the Ages Series) (Kindle Edition)
Simon, the fourteen year old narrator, and his friends at the School of the Ages start a new year and are asked to help a new student known as Level Three. Level Three is both autistic and a very powerful magician, but there is more to his background that makes him seriously dangerous. The friends don't find the answer until they travel through the Wonderland world inside Level Three's head. I recommend this book for both the 12+ young adult and adult audiences
The writing style of the story seems so true to how a fourteen year old would think as Simon and friends make those initial steps on their way to adulthood, making decisions about life, friendship, values and sexuality. Simon is also tormented by his own traumatic experiences -- the death of someone dear and being a witness to a destructive event. That is one of the unique characteristics of this book -- it's grounding in reality. The magic the students are learning at the School of the Ages, set outside New York City, comes from Kabbalah, tarot, astrology, medium-ship and divination as used throughout the centuries. Students also must practice meditation and visualization and develop their own techniques. Without it being too heavily laid on, the reader can learn much about magic and history from the facts that pepper this story. For example, that Isaac Newton was an alchemist.
As in real life, there is no clear division in this story between good and evil, no vanquishing the ultimate evil to prevent the destruction of all things good. The characters all seem to have their positive qualities as well as their flaws which is very satisfying to me. Even battling Level Three is done for the purpose of helping him and former foes join together for the task. I loved the diversity of the characters in terms of personalities and backgrounds. This is definitely a multicultural setting and not in a stereotypical way.
Traveling through Level Three's version of Lewis Carroll's classics was fun and not as I expected. Yes, all the characters from "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass" are there, but twisted by Level Three's perception and his own psychological issues. I particularly enjoyed the parodies of the songs and poems. Posner's ability to not just parody Lewis Carroll, but to do it to fit the personality and motives of Level Three is amazing. I particularly enjoyed "The Walrus and the Carpenter".
It all comes to a satisfying conclusion with promises of more adventures to come. As Alice said, "Curiouser and curiouser!"
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Blend of Substance and Relevance, November 26, 2011
This review is from: School of the Ages: Level Three's Dream (School of the Ages Series) (Kindle Edition)
I think the concept of linking up Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland world to the (very dangerous) imagination of Level Three (the autistic character) is superb!
As a reader, I love crisp and clean dialogue (it's one of the fundamentals of a good story for me). This was something that featured throughout Level Three's Dream (all of the dialogue reflected the personalities of each character, so that none of them were cliched or "tired one-dimensional flat cardboard characters").
I found the multicultural cast to be engaging and refreshing (in terms of individuality / expression / action / motivation), and certain serious themes were handled in an insightful way (without ever getting too long-winded, draggy, or heavy). These themes include friendship, love, death, and the family (to name a few). Simon's internal struggle with his feelings over Leah's death were some of the best portions of the text (for me), and how these feelings were presented naturally and sensitively/compassionately from the POV of a fourteen-year-old boy.
Sexuality is also handled realistically (in a way that isn't lewd or explicit) -- I think this is also something that is so important (I for one am very tired of the same old hypersexualized scenes in the mainstream mass media). This also adds an element of depth and realism to Simon and the story on the whole. I particularly enjoyed the scene where he "loses his innocence" -- while the scene was in no way graphic, it made me reflect on my own experiences [and how it must be like to feel; in my case, I don't recall any exact moment/s where I felt I had lost my childhood innocence (hmm!)...but still, it made me think about the shame/guilt involved, and how different I might feel before and after the event, were I in a similar situation as the character relating it]. Sex and sexuality are a part of human life; just because it's not thought or talked about doesn't mean it can be conveniently swept under the rug. This is precisely why I always enjoy work that doesn't commoditize and/or trivialize sex + love + relationships.
The magic in the School of the Ages series is also unique in the sense it's more cerebral than orthodoxically fantastical. The characters in this series don't rely on an array of magic wands, potions, and flying broomsticks -- not that there's anything wrong with those elements per se, but presenting magic in this form adds a new dimension to the concept of magic itself (and makes it all the more believable where we question the real world we're in, and what's real and what isn't).
There are some chapters just before the end that closely reflect the bizarre and wonderfully strange/illogical world of "Alice in Wonderland" -- I greatly enjoyed these chapters (and the poetry -- while some were slightly lengthy, they were well-written and incredibly fun! There's a play on a classic Nirvana song too *hint hint*). I felt these chapters balanced out the earlier chapters, some of which contain select passages from Lewis Caroll's "Alice in Wonderland," which contribute to the "puzzles" feel and structure of the story.
One final note about the pencil drawings included throughout the text of the various different characters. I thought this was a little unusual at first, but I think it kind of gave a personal and realistic touch to the story (visually).
A lot of hyped products today are based on "sensationalism" (because of the actual lack of meaning in the actual product?) -- Matt Posner's writing is very different and unique in that aspect. This is not to say that Mr. Posner's writing is boring or lackluster -- it means that Matt Posner handles universal themes within the context of a tale that's imaginative, yet grounded in reality. I think this is one of the strongest aspects of his writing(s), and something he should be lauded for being dedicated to with his work that's accessible to a wider audience, which includes younger readers.
Perhaps it is partly due to this trend of "sensationalism" that a lot of teen books today have a shallow appeal, so it's nice to see one that talks about serious themes in a thoughtful way that can make a difference for readers in the long term (i.e. compare this with the lusty paranormal romances packaged to tweens/teens as "fate" and "true love" -- which contributes more value to society?).
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