The Book of Dust – by Philip Pullman
I still remember the absolute joy I felt when I read Philip Pullman’s trilogy, “His Dark Materials”. My regret is that I didn’t have an opportunity to read it as a child. It would have fed my imagination games for months.
When I found out that Pullman had written another trilogy set 12 years before Lyra’s adventures I was really excited. I wasn’t disappointed. Pullman manages to appeal to adults and young people effortlessly.
In ‘The Book of Dust’ Lyra’s a baby and the hero of the story is Malcolm, a 12 year old boy. Malcolm lives with his parents in a pub by the river. His world is very similar to our world – but in his world humans have a daemon, an animal representation of their soul. Life is ordinary for Malcolm until he spots a spy-drop gone wrong. He finds a little box, which eventually leads him on a thrilling and dangerous adventure to save baby Lyra from her wicked and frightening mother.
The Secret Keeper – Kate Morton
This is the story of Laurel who, when she is 16, witnesses her mother killing a man. She says nothing, but always wonders why her mother did such a thing – and who the man was.
Years later Laurel’s mother is dying and Laurel and her siblings are looking after her. What her mother did is still on Laurel’s mind and she does her best to find out what happened. The story flips between the present and World War 2, following Laurel’s mother’s story.
I really enjoyed this book. I liked the characters and especially the fact that sometimes they weren’t completely reliable. Sometimes the way people view the world isn’t realistic and that’s an important lesson.
Pixie Chronicles 