William Joyce does a lot of stuff but children's books are his true
bailiwick (The Guardians series, Dinosaur Bob series, George
Shrinks, and the #1 New York Times bestselling The
Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, which is also
his Academy Award-winning short film, to name a few). He lives in
Shreveport, Louisiana. Talk to William Joyce and see upcoming work
at @HeyBillJoyce on Twitter and Instagram.
Laura Geringer is the author of many highly acclaimed books for
children and young adults, including the celebrated A Three Hat
Day illustrated by Arnold Lobel; Myth Men, a popular series of
graphic novels based on the classic Greek myths; and Sign of the
Qin, Book l of the Outlaws of Moonshadow Marsh series, an ALA
Best Book for Young Adults; and Boom, Boom Go Away
illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. She serves on the National
Advisory Board of First Book, a charity that has distributed over
seventy million books to children in need. Laura lives in New York
City.
"Joyce's detailed illustrations capture the multitude of fantastical settings, weapons, and creatures populating this fast-paced tale."
--"BOOKLIST, "November 1, 2011
SLJ, January 2012
--"Library Media Connection, "March/April 2012
Gr 4-6-A meteor strikes Earth and from the giant crater it creates, a tree grows. Ombirc, a wise, ancient wizard, tends it and recognizes its magic. Soon the tree is large enough to house not only Ombirc, but a whole community of curious dreamers who live in harmony with nature and with one another. All is well in Ombirc's small, idyllic village until Pitch, the Nightmare King, is released from his prison to spread his evil across the land and infiltrate Santoff Claussen. Enter the heroes, Nicholas St. North, a wandering bandit-turned-good-guy, and Young Tsar Lunar, last member of the Lunanoffs and the protector of dreams. Together with Ombric and Katherine, a young resident of Santoff Claussen, these forces defeat The Nightmare King. This is an imaginative adventure with more than its share of fantastical beings and occurrences. In fact, there may be so many strange people, places, and things that struggling readers may find themselves distracted from the story. Some of the language is also a bit awkward. That being said, the authors do a great job of creating excitement and intrigue, and for those who love to wend their way through extraordinary tales, this novel will not disappoint. The illustrations are wonderful charcoal, graphite, and digital renderings that convey all the magic and fear contained within the story. Fans of Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson's Peter and the Starcatchers (Hyperion, 2004) may want to give this book a try.-Mary Beth Rassulo, Ridgefield Library, CT (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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