by Jason Joyner | Sep 20, 2011 | Andrew Peterson, Blog, books, CSFF, fiction, young adult
This is a great convergence.
Today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day (the favored holiday of this blog).
And today, the CSFF Tour features
The Monster In The Hollows, which features a peg-legged ex-pirate who uses his old leg bone as a weapon!
Andrew Peterson has recently come out with the third book in the Wingfeather Saga. It started with On The Edge Of The Dark Sea Of Darkness and followed with North! Or Be Eaten. Both books have delighted youth and adults with the whimsical, lyrical tales of the Igiby children.
Imagine if you will:
Twelve year old Janner, his younger and impulsive brother Kalmar, and his sweet but crippled sister Leeli. They are ordinary kids, loved by their mother Nia and their peg-legged ex-pirate grandpa Podo. Life for these kids is pretty normal.
Except for being chased from their home by the lizard-like Fangs of Dang. And except for surviving a harrowing journey across the land of Skree (toothy cows, bomnubbles, and the Fork Factory. Woe!) along with a daring escape across the Dark Sea of Darkness (and the dragons!).
But since they made it to the Green Hollows everything is dandy. Except the little episode Kalmar had. The one where he grew a tail. Grey fur. A muzzle and sharp teeth. And pointy little ears. It seems the Hollowfolk think Kalmar is a monster, and everyone hates them.
Oh, and Gnag the Nameless is still looking for some kids that he thinks are the Jewels of Anniera.
Janner is charged with watching over his brother, who by the way is the next High King of Anniera. As the Throne Warden, he has a duty to his country and his family. Who can blame him if he wants a different life?
I’ll have more to say about the book tomorrow, but here are some other fine folk who have more about this intriguing book:
Gillian Adams Red Bissell Jennifer Bogart Thomas Clayton Booher Beckie Burnham CSFF Blog Tour D. G. D. Davidson Cynthia Dyer Amber French Nikole Hahn Ryan Heart Timothy Hicks Julie Carol Keen Shannon McDermott Rebecca LuElla Miller Mirriam Neal Eve Nielsen Joan Nienhuis Donita K. Paul Sarah Sawyer Chawna Schroeder Tammy Shelnut Kathleen Smith Donna Swanson Rachel Starr Thomson Robert Treskillard Fred Warren Phyllis Wheeler Nicole White Rachel Wyant
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by Jason Joyner | Sep 20, 2011 | Andrew Peterson, Blog, books, CSFF, fiction, young adult
This is a great convergence.
Today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day (the favored holiday of this blog).
And today, the CSFF Tour features
The Monster In The Hollows, which features a peg-legged ex-pirate who uses his old leg bone as a weapon!
Andrew Peterson has recently come out with the third book in the Wingfeather Saga. It started with On The Edge Of The Dark Sea Of Darkness and followed with North! Or Be Eaten. Both books have delighted youth and adults with the whimsical, lyrical tales of the Igiby children.
Imagine if you will:
Twelve year old Janner, his younger and impulsive brother Kalmar, and his sweet but crippled sister Leeli. They are ordinary kids, loved by their mother Nia and their peg-legged ex-pirate grandpa Podo. Life for these kids is pretty normal.
Except for being chased from their home by the lizard-like Fangs of Dang. And except for surviving a harrowing journey across the land of Skree (toothy cows, bomnubbles, and the Fork Factory. Woe!) along with a daring escape across the Dark Sea of Darkness (and the dragons!).
But since they made it to the Green Hollows everything is dandy. Except the little episode Kalmar had. The one where he grew a tail. Grey fur. A muzzle and sharp teeth. And pointy little ears. It seems the Hollowfolk think Kalmar is a monster, and everyone hates them.
Oh, and Gnag the Nameless is still looking for some kids that he thinks are the Jewels of Anniera.
Janner is charged with watching over his brother, who by the way is the next High King of Anniera. As the Throne Warden, he has a duty to his country and his family. Who can blame him if he wants a different life?
I’ll have more to say about the book tomorrow, but here are some other fine folk who have more about this intriguing book:
Gillian Adams Red Bissell Jennifer Bogart Thomas Clayton Booher Beckie Burnham CSFF Blog Tour D. G. D. Davidson Cynthia Dyer Amber French Nikole Hahn Ryan Heart Timothy Hicks Julie Carol Keen Shannon McDermott Rebecca LuElla Miller Mirriam Neal Eve Nielsen Joan Nienhuis Donita K. Paul Sarah Sawyer Chawna Schroeder Tammy Shelnut Kathleen Smith Donna Swanson Rachel Starr Thomson Robert Treskillard Fred Warren Phyllis Wheeler Nicole White Rachel Wyant
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by Jason Joyner | Aug 24, 2010 | Andrew Peterson, Blog, CSFF, pirates, speculative fiction, top books
Greetings, wayward travelers. You have come upon the Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Tour for August. This month you are treated to a “free-for-all”, as we had no specific book or website to promote. Instead, you will find a wide variety of books discussed, from all-time favorites such as C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, to newer books by contemporary authors.
Here at Spoiled for the Ordinary, I am focusing on books from the 4 years I’ve been doing the tour (o_O). My how time flies…
Coming in at number
I can’t think of a better series (other than Narnia) to recommend for kids other than the Wingfeather Saga. Andrew Peterson has created a fun fantasy series with peril, adventures, and toothy cows. Who can ask for more than that?
Peterson is an accomplished singer/songwriter, so his prose, as I’ve mentioned before, has a lyrical quality to it. He keeps a great pace, leaving my kids dying whenever we hit a cliffhanger as I read to them (which is pretty much every chapter!) It is probably most reminscent of
The Princess Bride, with whimsy and suspense. I mean, how great is it to have a bad guy who is a Nameless Evil, (named Gnag the Nameless, natch). This leader of the Fangs of Dang (dang Fangs!) is after the Lost Jewels of Anniera. He thinks the Igiby children have them in the first book, only to find out (spoilers) that the three kids ARE the lost jewels.
The world Peterson has created is a magical place, with a great literary history (Peterson often quotes from these imaginary works, the footnotes are worth reading in this book). There is a thoughfulness about this work, and the deep themes within it, that continue to resonate in me after several readings.
I have to also give a personal story. For a homeschool English assignment, I thought it would be a good exercise for my two older boys to write a letter to Peterson. They asked their own questions and offered their favorite parts of the book, as well as offering their artistic interpretations of key scenes (they each drew him a picture). My boys called me a couple weeks later at work so excited, because Andrew had written them each a personal handwritten letter, refering to their letters specifically, and commenting on their art. What a class act!
So for number 2 in CSFF Tours, I have to give a shout out to a good man, a great musician, and a thoughtful writer, Andrew Peterson! If you have missed these books, you have missed a treat. And bomnubbles. Don’t forget the bomnubbles.
See what else is going on for the CSFF Tour this month with the latest at Becky’s blog (the mother ship as we like to say…)
Oh, and a note from Becky: “Before I forget, we have just a little over a week left in the voting for the Clive Staples Award for Christian Speculative Fiction – Readers’ Choice. I hope you’re planning to vote.”
I voted for North! Or Be Eaten. What’s your vote?
—
by Jason Joyner | Aug 24, 2010 | Andrew Peterson, Blog, CSFF, pirates, speculative fiction, top books
Greetings, wayward travelers. You have come upon the Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Tour for August. This month you are treated to a “free-for-all”, as we had no specific book or website to promote. Instead, you will find a wide variety of books discussed, from all-time favorites such as C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, to newer books by contemporary authors.
Here at Spoiled for the Ordinary, I am focusing on books from the 4 years I’ve been doing the tour (o_O). My how time flies…
Coming in at number
I can’t think of a better series (other than Narnia) to recommend for kids other than the Wingfeather Saga. Andrew Peterson has created a fun fantasy series with peril, adventures, and toothy cows. Who can ask for more than that?
Peterson is an accomplished singer/songwriter, so his prose, as I’ve mentioned before, has a lyrical quality to it. He keeps a great pace, leaving my kids dying whenever we hit a cliffhanger as I read to them (which is pretty much every chapter!) It is probably most reminscent of
The Princess Bride, with whimsy and suspense. I mean, how great is it to have a bad guy who is a Nameless Evil, (named Gnag the Nameless, natch). This leader of the Fangs of Dang (dang Fangs!) is after the Lost Jewels of Anniera. He thinks the Igiby children have them in the first book, only to find out (spoilers) that the three kids ARE the lost jewels.
The world Peterson has created is a magical place, with a great literary history (Peterson often quotes from these imaginary works, the footnotes are worth reading in this book). There is a thoughfulness about this work, and the deep themes within it, that continue to resonate in me after several readings.
I have to also give a personal story. For a homeschool English assignment, I thought it would be a good exercise for my two older boys to write a letter to Peterson. They asked their own questions and offered their favorite parts of the book, as well as offering their artistic interpretations of key scenes (they each drew him a picture). My boys called me a couple weeks later at work so excited, because Andrew had written them each a personal handwritten letter, refering to their letters specifically, and commenting on their art. What a class act!
So for number 2 in CSFF Tours, I have to give a shout out to a good man, a great musician, and a thoughtful writer, Andrew Peterson! If you have missed these books, you have missed a treat. And bomnubbles. Don’t forget the bomnubbles.
See what else is going on for the CSFF Tour this month with the latest at Becky’s blog (the mother ship as we like to say…)
Oh, and a note from Becky: “Before I forget, we have just a little over a week left in the voting for the Clive Staples Award for Christian Speculative Fiction – Readers’ Choice. I hope you’re planning to vote.”
I voted for North! Or Be Eaten. What’s your vote?
—
by Jason Joyner | Jan 29, 2010 | Andrew Peterson, Blog, books, CSFF, fantasy, reviews, Wingfeather Saga, young adult
On the 600th post of this blog (whoa), I’m happy to finish off this CSFF Tour with my review of our feature book North! or Be Eaten by Andrew Peterson.
The last two days have been my take on a whimsical overview of North! and the previous book On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness. Whimsical, because that’s the tone that Peterson has used for this series. You can tell he has a lot of fun writing these books.
North! is actually a lot more intense than the first book. It is a little dark at times. In Dark Sea, he probably had fun setting up the fictional world of Aerwiar, while the second book takes on the tone of an Empire Strikes Back. The Igibys are forever being chased, hiding, or escaping some impossible situation. The short, punchy chapters keep the action going, and the almost non-stop cliffhangers always leave my boys howling for more (as we have been reading it at night the last couple of months).
Peterson has a wonderful imagination, and it shows in his characters. They are deep characters for a young adult novel. Most of the viewpoint is from 12 year old Janner, who feels a burdening responsibility for his family, in the midst of all the peril. He is a noble young man who has faults, loses his temper, and makes mistakes.
Also, Peterson is a noted songwriter/singer, so there is a lyrical nature to his prose. You can tell he takes care with the words he uses. The result is a finely crafted book that is entertaining and offers some deep insight into the human nature, sin, forgiveness, and rising up to your potential.
As I said, I’m reading it to my boys, ages 9 and 8. My eight year-old thinks it’s the best book he’s ever read, and he’s a good reader. I think it is a great book for reading out loud, because it’s fun enough to really get dramatic with it. It is well-written enough for adults to really enjoy it as well.
If you’re wondering if there is quality Christian fiction out there for your children, then this would be the first place I would recommend. And if you want more information, go to the bottom of Becky Miller’s first post, where she has a list of all those who have posted for the tour.
—
by Jason Joyner | Jan 29, 2010 | Andrew Peterson, Blog, books, CSFF, fantasy, reviews, Wingfeather Saga, young adult
On the 600th post of this blog (whoa), I’m happy to finish off this CSFF Tour with my review of our feature book North! or Be Eaten by Andrew Peterson.
The last two days have been my take on a whimsical overview of North! and the previous book On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness. Whimsical, because that’s the tone that Peterson has used for this series. You can tell he has a lot of fun writing these books.
North! is actually a lot more intense than the first book. It is a little dark at times. In Dark Sea, he probably had fun setting up the fictional world of Aerwiar, while the second book takes on the tone of an Empire Strikes Back. The Igibys are forever being chased, hiding, or escaping some impossible situation. The short, punchy chapters keep the action going, and the almost non-stop cliffhangers always leave my boys howling for more (as we have been reading it at night the last couple of months).
Peterson has a wonderful imagination, and it shows in his characters. They are deep characters for a young adult novel. Most of the viewpoint is from 12 year old Janner, who feels a burdening responsibility for his family, in the midst of all the peril. He is a noble young man who has faults, loses his temper, and makes mistakes.
Also, Peterson is a noted songwriter/singer, so there is a lyrical nature to his prose. You can tell he takes care with the words he uses. The result is a finely crafted book that is entertaining and offers some deep insight into the human nature, sin, forgiveness, and rising up to your potential.
As I said, I’m reading it to my boys, ages 9 and 8. My eight year-old thinks it’s the best book he’s ever read, and he’s a good reader. I think it is a great book for reading out loud, because it’s fun enough to really get dramatic with it. It is well-written enough for adults to really enjoy it as well.
If you’re wondering if there is quality Christian fiction out there for your children, then this would be the first place I would recommend. And if you want more information, go to the bottom of Becky Miller’s first post, where she has a list of all those who have posted for the tour.
—
