Knock Three Times!

2 1/2 Stars

I do enjoy children’s fiction, and I must say that, given the choice, I will always pick a good classic children’s story over almost anything else. (Unless, of course, the new Odd Thomas is coming out…in which case I’m totally reading that. May 20th baby!).

I got this book on MP3 with my new MP3 player for Christmas, and have spent the last several weeks listening to it during my commute to work and school. It is the story of a brother and sister who receive a grey, pumpkin-shaped pin cushin for their birthday. During the full moon, the cushin comes to life and leads them on an adventure into the Possible World, through the large tree in their garden. There, they meet many intersting characters as they attempt to track the pumpkin down and end its reign of terror.

The story was quaint, and reminded me of The Phantom Toll Booth with its tendency to preach about life. However, it wasn’t nearly as good as Toll Booth, and had a hard times coming to terms with itself. Was it a cute teaching book meant to educate young ones about life’s problems? Or what it a fantasy meant to simply entertain? The story never quite chose a path, which left it wanting. There also seemed to be areas that could have done with more explination or description–it’s almost as if an editor went a little crazy, telling the author she couldn’t put too many descriptives in or she’d lose her target audience. I hate when adults underestimate children.

Overall, I enjoyed the story, and looked forward to my 8 minute commute everyday. If you’re looking for a quick read, or know someone who wants to get into fantasy-type literature, this is a good story to start with.

–Adrienne

The Knight in Rusty Armor

3 Stars

When I borrowed this book, I noticed a plethora of study materials related to it. Strange for what appeared to be a book geared towards 6th graders, but I understood after reading it through. The story is about a knight who chases adventure, leaving his family and kingdom to fend for themselves. He falls asleep in his armor and awakens to the unusual problem of being trapped in his metal protection due to rust. The knight embarks on a quest to remove his armor and ends up at a castle. Each room of the castle is designed to teach the knight something about himself, and each time he learns a lesson the door out appears and part of his armor disintegrates. The book does a nice job of illustrating how humans create virtual armor for themselves and gives methods to break the armor and therefore become a better person. The story got sappy at times, yet was still extremely enjoyable and recommended.

–Adrienne