ABOUT THE BOOK: From beloved, bestselling author Cornelia Funke comes a bright and bold introduction to the world’s extraordinary creatures—perfect for the youngest readers.
Dragons, unicorns, and thunderbirds are only a few of the fabulous creatures young children will meet in this book!
In this bright and bold introduction to fantastical and magical animals from around the globe, bestselling and celebrated fantasy author Cornelia Funke and illustrator Ruby Warnecke invite children into the fabulous world of myth and legend.
------- 🕮------- BOOK REVIEW I don't spend time on plot summary, so please read the book synopsis above.
HALL WAYS REVIEW: I loved this
book so much that as soon as I finished reading the digital ARC, I pre-ordered
the hardcover copy...and am considering ordering it in French, too, just
because I can! (It's also available in German, the original language in which
it was written, and Spanish. Cool!)
“They fly and gallop
through our dreams and remind us that there is so much more to the world beyond
our human creations.” – author Cornelia Funke
The cover of Fabulous
Creatures entices with original artwork (HOORAY!), and the illustrations
within the book are out of this world. The illustrator has even drawn
delightful borders around the edges to draw the eyes in to the vibrant drawings.
Each creature feature consumes every inch of the two-page spreads, making this
book absolutely mesmerizing. Even the youngest readers will be kept engaged and
enjoying this selection of mythical beasts from around the world.
Author Cornelia
Funke’s accompanying text (which was wonderfully translated by the author’s
daughter into English) is well-written, informative, and full of fascinating
tidbits. It’s interesting that the author inserts herself and opinions in the story,
even countering one legend with, “But I think that’s a lie!” (Otso)
“I hope Tumu-Rai’I
Fenua keeps on trying.”
As an adult
reader, I am aware of many of the critters featured in the book, but I learned
more about them (Phoenixes are Egyptian!). I loved seeing the sweet and gentle Qilin
get a mention. I remember that critter from one of the Fantastic Beasts movies.
Wouldn’t it be handy to have a few of those around to judge the purity of our
souls? There were just as many creatures I’d never heard of, like Tumu-Rai’I Fenua,
a giant kraken, who “is said to have once had the task of teaching us humans
how to live in peace and harmony.” But we quit listening…siiigh.
My only gripe
is the print font size. I read an eBook ARC, but I read it on my very large computer
screen, and the font was still very small; like 10pt small, and some pages are
word-heavy for a picture book. Young eyes won’t have trouble with the print size,
but the author uses a robust and somewhat advanced vocabulary for the audience,
so a new reader might struggle with sounding out words and comprehension (and
an older reader might need a magnifying glass). Being a glass-half-full kinda reader,
the plus side is that the text is unobtrusive and allows the illustrations to
take center stage.
There’s a bit
of an abrupt ending, and I’d expected that there’d be some concluding page
showing all the creatures and to sum up things before going right into the
about the author/book info (which has no heading to offset it). But my quibbles
are minor, and this is a book I must have in hardcover to share with my
grandkids. Can’t wait for pub day!
Thanks to the publisher for reaching out for a review.
------- 🕮-------
About the author
Cornelia Funke is one of today’s most beloved writers of magical stories for children. She is the author of The Thief Lord, Dragon Rider, Inkheart, Inkspell, the Ghosthunters series, When Santa Fell to Earth, and Igraine the Brave. She lives with her family in Los Angeles, California, in a house full of books.
How did Albert Einstein come up with his wondrous theories of light and time?
In Einstein's Compass: A YA Time Traveler Adventure, a young Albert is gifted a supernatural compass that allows him to travel through time and space. He finds wisdom in other dimensions, like the lost city of Atlantis, but evil forces seek the power of the compass, including a monstrous, shape-shifting dragon from a different age.
Can the compass protect Albert from such villainy?
HALL WAYS REVIEW: Audio Book Review: Einstein’s Compass is a
HIGHLY imaginative mix of historical fact, biblical and mythological references,
and spiritual mysticism that will keep readers’ brains whirling and fully
engaged.
“He held his breath as the
stink of foul, stale blood
and dark purpose filled the air.”
Figurative language coupled
with rich, detailed descriptions make it easy to imagine the fantastic, but it also makes it easy to get bogged down in it. Though the narrator is spectacular,
I think it would have been easier for me to absorb the more technical or
spiritual elements of the book by reading with my eyes or better -- enjoying the book through a
combination of print and audio so I could re-read passages and see spellings of
words and names.
I very much enjoy how Einstein’s
Compass offers readers a full fantasy experience but also ties it into characters
based in history – namely Albert Einstein, but also in religious history, like
Moses and Ezekiel, for example, and how there is a whole team of otherworldly beings
at work behind the scenes influencing the direction of the world. These actors
exist in history, in parallel worlds, and even in limbo as they transition from
death to after-life. The bottom line of the book implies that there is much divine
and/or otherworldly guidance and intervention in the lives of some – like
Albert Einstein – whose paths are meant for greatness.
“My only god is
mathematics.”
The story provides a good
window into the likely frustration that a young, brilliant Einstein had with
classmates and adults who didn’t understand and/or felt intimidated by his
intelligence. Also, it is interesting to view young Einstein in context of his
being a Jew when already the anti-Semitism is building up and he and others are
being singled-out and persecuted.
At special times in human
evolution, a traveler is given the keys to soul transcendence: The practices
that awaken the awareness of oneself as a soul and as more than that, knowing
their oneness with God. This is not a theoretical understanding, but the actual
experience of that living reality.
The story gets a little deep at
times and includes challenging vocabulary, which could lose some readers. There
are astral planes and light travelers (Jesus being the first of the latter), plus
there is seduction and references to arousal in the story, so it’s probably
more geared for mature, advanced young adult readers. I recommend the book
for readers who can go in with open minds and seek new experiences and viewpoints
likely different from anything they’ve read before. Einstein’s Compass would
be an excellent book for reading clubs because it begs to be discussed.
ABOUT THE NARRATION: Narrator
Curt Bonnem does an outstanding job performing the voices of a huge cast of
characters, both male and female (and genderless), in a variety of accents, of those both good and evil. I especially liked
his voicing of Jehovah -- the ultimate good guy, and Raka – the ultimate bad
guy. There were no technical issues with
the recording, and I listened at regular speed and was never impatient with the
pace.
Thank you to the author for
providing me an audio book download in exchange for my honest opinion – the only
kind I give.
The tour is being sponsored by Grace Blair. The gifting of this audio book did not affect my opinion of it.
Grace Blair, Award-Winning Author. Throughout her adult life, Grace became a serious student of the spiritual. She found that, often, psychological principles and practices were incomplete, but could be filled out by adding the missing spiritual component. Her approach was always to see practical applications for what she uncovered in the mystical. It was through immersing herself in this field of study and experience that she came up with her idea for her book, Einstein’s Compass.
Versatile, authentic & engaging with a hint of wry edge. I am a professional, union (SAG-AFTRA/Actor’s Equity) multi-media performer with over 35 years of experience. I provide voiceover reads that range from conversational to enthusiastic, young, quirky and hip, to smooth, resonant and sexy. Ask me about my character voices and accents! Audiobooks have become a true passion, making excellent use of all of my acting skills developed over decades. I mean, what actor doesn’t love to play all the parts!? Hailing from the Windy City (neutral American accent included) I spent the past 30 years in sunny Los Angeles, developing my skills and working on stage, screen and in the booth. I’ve now ventured Southeast to Atlanta, where I’m settling in and re-adjusting to weather I haven’t had since I was a kid. And bugs. Happily, my newly built professional VO studio keeps me safe from both! Website
Penndorf, K.W. (2015). Freya and the Dragon Egg. Yardley, PA: Open Door Publications.
Middle Grade / Fantasy / Mythology
I gave this book 4 out of 5 Stars
Scroll Down to For Author Q&A Session!
Blurb: Freya’s family is wonderful. Just not to her. After all, her older sister loves to talk about “pulling a Freya” – a term for any mistake she makes, her younger sister publicly reads from Freya’s diary without being reprimanded, and her parents barely notice her. All that changes when her father, Denmark’s renowned Viking archeologist, asks her to hide a precious artifact where no one will ever find it – including himself. Freya jumps at the chance to prove her worth and ends up being transported to a magical land filled with real Vikings, a clan of sprites, and a Berserk. In search of a way home, Freya unearths a realm of adventure and a path to greatness she is sure her family will revere. Freya and the Dragon Egg is the first in this new series.
HALL WAYS REVIEW: In Freya and the Dragon Egg, author K.W. Penndorf gives readers a wonderfully spunky, smart, and ever-so-sassy protagonist, Freya, who is misunderstood and desperately wants to feel important within her family. As the middle child, Freya often feels overlooked or over-scrutinized, but rarely does she feel special. As the story unfolds, Freya's personality is also allowed to unfold, and her strengths and intelligence begin to shine. Penndorf does a great job of keeping Freya a realistic character, as she also allows Freya's inner dialogue to reveal Freya's fears and truths -- often humorously. There are times when Freya gets righteously indignant about something and says she would NEVER do such and such, but at the same time she is thinking to herself of all the exceptions of when she has actually done such and such after all.
As Freya and readers are taken into another realm, Penndorf builds incredible worlds around Viking lore, magic and magical creatures, and battles. The characters she puts into this world are fleshed-out and memorable, and readers will have clear feelings of loving or loathing them. The pace is steady and then the action really picks up about three fourths of the way into the book. For me, the story wrapped-up a little too quickly where more detail of the execution of Freya's plans and what happened in Ragnar's thorpe would have really enriched the story; in particular, I expected more dragon and hope to have more in the next book.
The writing was well-done and Penndorf uses high level vocabulary to tell the story. Penndorf wrote the dialogue realistically to show the contrast between how someone from the modern world and someone from Viking times would talk. Younger readers may struggle with some of the dialogue, but it was a good choice for the story. As an adult reading the story, I found that there were a lot of plot holes and unrealistic events and reactions which readers were expected to just accept and forget. However, I doubt that the target audience will notice these issues; nor is it likely they'll notice the typos and errors sprinkled throughout the book, all easily fixed by another editing sweep. I really like the cover of this book, but I wonder if anyone besides me wondered about the size of the egg on the cover versus what Freya does with the egg in the story.
I recommend this book for strong upper elementary readers and middle-graders, and sensitive readers should be warned that there is death in this book and some of the battle scenes get a little descriptive. Thank you to the author for providing me a print copy in exchange for my honest opinion -- the only kind I give. I look forward to reading the next installment of Freya's adventures!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Story time had always been KW Penndorf’s favorite
‘subject’ in school. But when her second grade teacher opted to read from a
tattered old diary, KW’s view on books changed forever. Books were now alive,
with adventures, dilemmas, far away locations, heroes, villains, drama, and
quite frankly, story. Everything was so real, well at least in her imagination
at any rate. She wanted to live in those stories… and she has.
In her senior year of high school KW interned at CBS
three days a week, making sure to keep her grades up or the gig would be off.
By sheer nature of the job, stories surrounded her there. In college, she spent
a semester abroad living with her sister and brother-in-law in Denmark – where,
yes, one can only imagine the crazy stories two sisters conjured up! Then after
college, she moved to Germany and at the age of 25 she opened her own company –
a language school, full of (you guessed it) stories abound. At 29 she moved
back to the States, bringing home with her the greatest story and souvenir ever
– her husband.
On a train ride into NYC, a vision came to KW’s sleepy
commuter mind: a girl finding a dragon egg in the middle of a Viking graveyard.
Presto! The premise for her debut novel was born. A story, which KW hopes, will
change a child’s view on books forever.
Where did your love of stories and storytelling come from?
This is a two part
answer for me: 1) I love reading books that come alive. That means I typically
read books which are fantasy, historical fiction, or biography/autobiography.
The reason for this is due to a second grade teacher I had who used to read
from her childhood diary. I loved knowing that people, in stories, could be
real. I loved learning that settings and stories can be influenced by culture,
authors, and events. 2) I’m the youngest of four, so I think I had a natural
talent for story telling just to stand out in the family crowd (hehehe).
What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
I absolutely love
doing the research. Granted my book is fantasy, but I like to weave historical
facts into my story where I can. The Viking era is proving to be quite
fascinating to me, so I’m enjoying the constant research.
What literary character is most like
you?
I have to laugh,
because while I was writing Grimhild – a very chatty, go-getter, leaps before
thinking, pre-teen – I thought “uh oh, I think I’m writing myself into the
story!” I’m no longer a pre-teen, but the rest of her totally fits my
personality!
What projects are you working on at the present?
I’m currently writing
book 2 of the Freya series. The book is plotted out, several chapters and
scenes have been written, and a title has been chosen: Freya and the Battle at
The Aal Thing.
Is there any significance to the names you used in the book?
I love names. For me,
the names in my book represent a lot of things from real persons I know, to
researched items, to places I’ve been. I think names can play homage to special
memories as well.
What book do you wish you could have written?
I wish I could have
written Anne of Green Gables. I ADORE that book. LM Montgomery simply brings
turn of the century life alive to me. I think the book is a real page turner
with characters who are so distinct and real.
Now, a few questions just for fun. . .
If you had a superpower, what would it
be?
Super
power or super knowledge? I’d love to be one who’s the top in her field and
knows absolutely everything there is to know about a subject. It’s this very
idea from which I’ve based Dr. Andersen, Freya’s dad – he’s the world’s most
renowned Viking archaeologist.
Where is one place you want to visit
that you haven't been before?
One
place that has been on my bucket list forever, and unfortunately has not yet
been taken off, is to visit the Irish countryside.
What’s something that most people don’t
know about you?
I
never daydreamed (or so I thought) of becoming an author. I remember wanting to
go into television or the movies and role playing or acting as if my future
career depended upon it. But then one day after my book came out, a cousin of
mine showed me a letter I had written to her some 12-15 years prior. In it, I
told her I wanted to be an author. Who knew??!!
