Saturday, January 16, 2010

Book Review, Book of a Thousand Days

Book of a Thousand Days Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I loved this book. Having it broken up into days instead of chapters made it a really fast read. I couldn't put it down when I got to the middle of the book.

I love Shannon Hale's writing style here. This is the first of her books that I've read, so I don't know if she carries this style through with the rest of them. I've been wanting to read her books for a long time and just hadn't done it until Tuesday when I saw one at the library and decided to pick it up. The story is a retelling of an old Asian folk tale, so it is one that most of us here in the U.S. haven't heard before and according to her author's note in the back, she took a lot of liberty with it.

Her writing is beautiful and deliciously descriptive. The story is not one that I would recommend to small children. Even though it is a "fairy-tale" there is some violence that I couldn't imagine reading to Megan (5). Megan is pretty mature for her age and can handle some books that are maybe considered too old for her, but this one I would wait until she's at least 8 or 9. Maybe I'm too overprotective, any comments from people who have read it that would read it to their kids or let their young kids read it on their own?

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3 comments:

Wade, Jenny, and Girls said...

I love the Shannon Hale books. Goose girl series is WONDERFUL, and she does carry the samebeautiful style throughout all her ya fiction novels. And, I agree, I would wait til my girls are older. Especially Enna Burning (but it's my fav).

JerieH said...

Oh! I listened to this book on the way to Oklahoma a few months back! I really liked it too, but I agree that a few years are a good I idea... I does get pretty guesome at points - I even cried over the cat "Prince"

Melanie said...

I completely agree with you on your review. Not all of Shannon's books are as intense as this one and this is definitely one for slightly older kids, but it's my favorite of all her stories. I loved the voice, the conflicts, and the resolutions. That being said, I am an avid reader of anything Shannon Hale and I have yet to be disappointed - especially when it comes to her children's books.