HONEY MOUNTAIN
by Jane Taylor
Middle Grade Fantasy
400 pages
ages 9 to 12
In
a dimension that is invisible to humans and inhabited by magical beings, four
companions embark on a journey to free a friend and a large number of
pollinating insects from the clutches of a diabolical wizard who is himself
captivated by the most powerful Sorceress ever known.
They
are sustained in their quest by humour, affection and loyalty as they courageously battle the age-old evils of
cruel greed and unfettered ambition.
Honey Mountain is a story of light-hearted
magical realism with a dark edge in which traditional fairy tale creatures
tackle their own twenty-first century environmental problems. A strong female
character leads the cast and sees the struggle through to a dramatic conclusion
while two other antagonistic creatures come of age when they forge a friendship
out of adversity.
BOOK BLINK
* rich world building
* fairies
* friendship
* environmental issues
MY TIDBITS
This book heads into a rich fantasy world, where spunky fairies delight with their personalities while darker situations settle in.
I was surprised how well-developed this world is. The author allows each personality to unfold with depth, individuality, and fun quirks and attitudes. Details sprinkle in, which allow the scenes to come to life and place vivid settings, which feel as if they could be real. Fantasy fans will enjoy diving in and getting lost in this world.
This is a book about fairies, the type that live in nature and take their responsibilities along with a good dose of fun. The dialogue holds clever humor and lets each characters personality shine, making them to love or dislike. Because of this richness and the slightly higher vocabulary, I see this as a better fit for the upper end of the middle grade group.
The pacing in this one is steady the entire way through and adds wonderful bouts of tension. Friendship, courage, and determination are key, but this one also touches upon environmental issues, which offers a refreshing twist.
And here she is...
Jane
Taylor is a retired secondary school teacher of Chemistry and Science who now
lives near Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire.
She
spends a great deal of time writing fiction, biographical and autobiographical
stories, and some poetry but this is her first published work.
Honey
Mountain was inspired by her daughter Emily’s illustrations, some of which are
included in the book.
Jane set out to write a modern fairy story,
alluding as it does to some twenty-first century problems, but one that also
stays true to young people’s fondness
for humorous fantasy, for heroism and for action-packed adventure.
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