Once upon a time--for that is how all stories should begin--there was a boy who lost his mother.Opening to The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly.
The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly was a recipient of the 2007 Alex Award given to adult books that appeal to young adult readers ages 12-18, but I'm not so sure.
The story concerns David, age twelve, who is unhappy with his new step-mother and his new home outside London where his parents hope he'll be safe from the ravages of World War II. After a German bomber crashes behind his family garden, David finds himself in a fantasy world, pursued by both a pack of human like wolves and the mysterious Crooked Man. A friendly woodsman rescues him and sets him off on a journey to find the king who may be able to send David back home.
The adventure that follows pays tribute to many classic fairy tales and children's books. The woodsman inspired by Snow White, the human-wolves from Red-Riding Hood, the Seven Dwarfs appear as does Sleeping Beauty. The journey to see the king is right out of The Wizard of Oz as is the possibility that it all may be a dream meant to reveal David's confused emotional state. (This also references Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.) David is a reader with a library full of books just like these so the novel can naturally make his imagined world real. That the book's overall structure mimics The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe which had not been written yet as its characters are contemporaries of David is a nice touch.
It's a very good book. I enjoyed it. I recommend it. But I wouldn't recommend it to young adult ages 12-18. I think they are both too old and too young for it. The Book of Lost Things is a gentle story. There is some action, there are some dark elements to it, but it's a sweet tale about a little boy who has lost his mother in the end. I think readers in the 12-18 brackets will lose patience with it early on. I know this may seem crass to say, but The Book of Lost Things doesn't have the sex and violence this age group is used to. If you're looking for Twilight, or The Hunger Games, or even Harry Potter, you're not going to find it in The Book of Lost Things. The adventure aspects of the novel are more suited to an elementary age group say grades four to six, kids young enough to be excited when they recognize the seven dwarfs from Snow White and innocent enough to still enjoy being tucked into bed with happy ending. 12-18 is too old.
Paradoxically, 12-18-year-old readers are also too young for The Book of Lost Things. It's a very nostalgic book. The story is about a 12-year-old but the narrative voice is fully grown, adult, experienced and able to present an adult take on David's story. The narrator appears to be telling a children's story, but he's really telling a children's story to an adult audience, one with and adult perspective on the story's events and on the character of David. It's a children's story you have to be grown to fully appreciate.
I'm sure there are 12-18-year-old-readers out there who have read The Book of Lost Things and loved it. Recommending a book for a wide range of readers is a risky thing, something that can never be 100% accurate. There's always an exception, sometimes many. But my advice on reading The Book of Lost Things is to wait until you are older. Like me.
If you're interested in reading The Book of Lost Things let me know in a comment below. I have one, slightly used cope to give away. I'll have Dakota select a winner Saturday morning, so please enter by midnight on Friday, Feb. 19. I'm going to have to limit this one to mailing addresses withing the United States, but it is open to people of all ages. ;-)
15 comments:
this is a book i keep picking up in stores and meaning to read, knowing i should.would like it. so count me in
wheresmyrain at yahoo dot com
No need to enter me in the give away, as I recently found a copy of this book sitting on the clearance table at the local second hand bookstore. I have given it a home, and now, after reading your review, I am most anxious to read it myself. Personally, I am thrilled to hear that there are no graphic sex or violence scenes in the book.
I read this a few months ago and really enjoyed it. I would say that teens not into the Twilight craze (they do exist in numbers)but still fond of fairy tales would probably be drawn The Book of Lost Things. And I think older teens would appreciate what the book offers. Nice review though! ps. I have my own copy.
Loved this book! I agree, finding the right age group is tricky, and that the Twilight-lovers probably wouldn't go for it, but any child open to Alice, and fairy tales regardless of age, would probably enjoy it (and any adult who appreciates the Disney satire & Dr. Bettelheim). I have a copy, so no need for the giveaway. Just wanted to thank you for a great review!!
You know, I kind of feel the same way about Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan. I think I appreciated it more because I was older, in a way I wouldn't have as a teenager.
I got this book in the recent past and wasn't sure why. i was just drawn to it for some reason. I'm glad to hear it's good.
I loved this book too. It was both gentle and surprisingly dark.
It is a little twisted, I think, as I have bought this book for several people as gifts, but have never read it myself. I love your review, with the perspective of how it would be received by a kid. You have some pretty good experience, I would say, and I trust you. Please, put my name in the hat!
I really enjoyed this book. Part of what made this book unique and interesting was how morbid and different it was. Definitely not recommended for young readers. I am 21 but I found myself disturbed by the entire thing.
Great review. This is my book blog, if you are interested. Thanks so much. jillmrayearth.blogspot.com
Sounds great. Send it my way, Dakota!
Thanks.
I'm old enough. It sounds like a book I'd enjoy. Thanks for entering my name.
My 12 year old read this after seeing me read it and showing interest. He liked it, but we were told by school that it wasn't appropriate for a child, so I did think he was reading it out of principle! He doesn't like being told he can't read something. He just read it at home, rather than at school.
Wheresmyrain, You're in! ;-)
Molly, The book is very dark, but I thought the violence in it was pretty tame. Nothing like the kind of stuf kids 12-18 enjoy in movies etc.
Chelle, Thank you. I'm sure there are young readers who love it, but I wouldn't recommend it to a wide YA audience.
ds, You're welcome.
Amanda, I think book people like us are drawn to books with "book" in the title. ;=)
Nymeth, I suspect it has lots of adult fans. I did enjoy it.
Sandy, You're name's in the hat. ;-). You know you're Dakota's favorite, too.
Jill, Thank you. I do think the YA audience likes dark material, look at what they're reading, I just think this one is so innocent overall that they wouldn't go for it in large numbers.
Jim and Rob you are both entered.
Jo, I can't imagine taking the book away from a 12-year-old. There's nothing in it that they shoudn't be reading, I just don't think many of them would like it. Did your 12-year-old like it?
I'm only 18, but I'd like to see if I enjoy this novel. :)
I read this and I remember it being pretty violent and graphic in parts. It was a weird wild read, and I think you would need to be a little older to appreciate all the themes and to be able to handle the violence. It was a strange little book I thought ... but in a good way!
Great review! This one´s been on my list since I read his The Gates, which is quite fantastic and funny.
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