Today's read is the first in a trilogy and comes from a member of the MMGM group (Marvelous Middle Grade Monday here). While I have all three books on my reading pile, I could only get to the first on in the trilogy today, but I am looking forward to see what the pages hold. It's always fun to meet people first, and then, discover they're actually authors. It just adds a fun twist whenever I get my hands on books like these.
Anyway, I know very, very little about this one. It is a fantasy and involves orphans and a talking diamond...which does have me super curious how that works. But let's just pick this one up and take a peek...and then, we'll know more.
THE LUCKY DIAMOND
by Valinora Troy
Disresponsible Nodpots Publications
Middle Grade Fantasy
308 pages
ages 8 to 12
“The whirlclouds erupted on all sides, buffeting the boat first one way and then the next, sending Alan sprawling from one side of the deck to the other. He couldn’t stay on his feet long enough to reach the tiller. Yvonne and Susan clung to the mast. He couldn’t see Vicky or Cathy as waves washed over the side, drenching him.”
When 10 year old Cathy meets Lucky, a magical talking diamond, she and her orphaned siblings readily agree to help Lucky get home to the Rock of Diamonds, situated far from their home in the rundown town of Lowdar, in the furthest reaches of the country on the other side of the monster infested Great Forest.
What the five children don’t know is that Lucky’s enemy, the evil Queen Rose of Cassis, is hunting the Diamond princess and will do anything to stop her, and those helping her, from reaching the Rock of Diamonds.
With Lucky’s magic waning rapidly and Queen Rose determined to destroy her and the children, can five young orphans possibly succeed in their quest?
“Nivram, a place of unimaginable beauty and danger + five orphaned siblings trying to save a friend = the adventure of a lifetime that hurtles along at tremendous speed and is sure to keep readers on the edge of their seats.” Lindsay J Sedgwick, author of the Wulfie series
“The Lucky Diamond is a gem, fast-paced and convincing, with an unusual quest and characters you'll want to know. A great read.” Livi Michael, author of The Whispering Road, winner of Nestle Children’s Book Bronze Award
MY TIDBITS
Fast-paced adventure and wonderful characters make this a read to enjoy from beginning to end.
This is the first in a trilogy and circles around a group of orphans, who are determined to help a magical, talking diamond return to its home. This is, obviously, a very imaginative and fun read, which takes readers onto a fantastical adventure with all sorts of twists and turns. The characters not only catch sympathy thanks to their difficult situations but resilient attitude, but their personalities make the fun to follow and root for. They work well together (even when hiccups happen) and create a great bunch, especially since they are up against quite the evil foe. The tension mounts as the pacing increases and holds until the end. It's hard to guess what will happen next, and the plot promises so much more to come. Luckily, there are two more books, since several questions need to be answered as well.
This fits nicely to the intended age group and holds a nice mix of fun and tension. It flows well from one scene to the next and leaves very little room for boredom to slip in. The characters act a bit older than their age, but it's still easy to get lost in the tale and want to jump right into the adventure with them.
This is an exciting read, and it will be interesting to see where it heads next.
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