The Emerald Atlas
John Stevens
Genre: Fantasy
Audience: Childrens 10+
Rating: 3/5
This book, the first in a trilogy, gained a lot of exposure at the Bologna Children's Book Fair. And understandably, there are high hopes for it. In truth, the novel is not exceptional. Described as having a fantastical, Narnia-like setting, I felt it rather lacked the enchantment of Narnia. Indeed, the whole plot plodded along at a reasonable pace, with few surprises. Possibly it is the inclusion of a Prophecy which made me balk from the start. Prophecy, evil "queen", kidnapped children. Nothing particularly amazing.
Kate, Michael and Emma have grown up in a succession of Orphanages, after being abandoned by their parents - parents only Kate - the eldest, can remember. Considered difficult to foster, they finally find themselves in an old, mysterious mansion in a small town. A town with a secret. After they discover a strange book, hidden in a secret room, they are catapulted into the past and into a struggle for their life - and the survival of the town's children is at stake.
There is humour, and the characters are well developed, but overall it failed to live up to expectations.
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