Monday, January 1, 2018

The Amber Amulet by Craig Silvey

The Amber AmuletI am the Masked Avenger, and I protect the citizens in the homes along my street. I have knowledge about the power stored within different stones, and I use them to enhance my own personal characteristics. Recently, while on patrol in the middle of the night, I've been concerned about the woman living in the house at the end of the street. I heard yelling and screaming, and her husband stormed out of the house. I know she's sad, and it's up to me to change that. I know amber has the power to bring happiness, so I gave her an amulet I found in my mother's room. However, I didn't know the amulet belonged to my mother's grandmother, and now my mom is devastated. The Masked Avenger can't ask the woman to return the jewelry, so I must use my powers to think of another solution. 

The endearing part of the book was the way the author described Liam, the Masked Avenger. In the beginning, it was unclear if he actually had superpowers or only a vivid imagination. The boy had a creative mind. As I read the book, I tried to figure out if middle grade readers would enjoy it. Liam was a cute, young boy and will appeal to elementary-age readers. His alter-ego was only concerned with the happiness and well-being of his neighbors. On the other hand, the book had some serious thoughts about love and marriage, and I'm not sure young readers will be interested. Liam's father divorced his mother, and Liam feared his father had fallen out of love with him. Liam was able to get the woman at the end of the street to reflect on her own marriage. I also questioned a situation where a young boy was able to wander his neighborhood at night and would give away a valuable amulet from his mother. It would be different in a fantasy novel, but I had some problems with it in a realistic fiction. Overall, the book will be fine for the right audience; I'm just not sure it's right for followers of my blog. 

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