Children's Book Reviews
Page One of ThreeAbove the Veil (The Seventh Tower, #4) by Garth Nix
Scholastic (Lucas Books), April, 2001.Trade paperback, 248 pages
ISBN: 0439176859
Ages 9-12
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.
In this fourth installment of the popular Seventh Tower
series, Tal and Milla continue their quest to find out the
truth about the Castle, its inhabitants and their real
relationship with the spirit world of Aenir. Having
escaped from the evil Sushin, Tal and Milla
head deep into the castle, which is populated by
the Underfolk -- the servants to the Chosen.
There they are joined by Crow, one of the
rebel Underfolk. Crow can help lead them to
the top of the Towers in order to find the
Keeper of the Red Keystone who can tell them
how to free Tal's father. Milla and Tal part ways -- Milla heads
back to the ice to find the Crones, leaving Tal behind
to find a way into Aenir to warn the Empress of
the conspiracy that threatens the Castle, and the entire world.
In Above the Veil, we see the partnership of Tal and Milla split up, just when they had started to find some mutual respect in spite of their cultural differences. The scenes where Crow and Tal climb above the veil of darkness to rescue the Keeper of the Red Keystone are absolutely riveting, as are the ensuing action scenes. Things look grim indeed for the Castle inhabitants in Book 4, and readers will be on the edge of their seats waiting for Book 5. This is a fantastic series which just gets better and better with each book.
--Claire E. White
Dancing (Sesame Street: Elmo's World)
Random House, January, 2001.Board Book, 12 pages
ISBN: 0375811788
Ages Baby-Preschool
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.
One of Sesame Street's most beloved characters is
Elmo. Now Elmo shares the joys of dancing in this
oversized board book for the baby - preschool set.
Elmo does the Cha-cha, ballet, tap dancing, the limbo,
and even the flamingo. The bright white laminated
pages are covered with bright photos of Elmo dancing,
with colored text, and should hold up well under the
grip of sticky little hands. At the end, the book asks.
"Are you ready to dance with Elmo?" The tot can
then follow along with Elmo as he leaps up, shimmies down
and spins all the way around. Babies will enjoy the bright
colors, and the familiar face of Elmo as he
helps introduce the concepts of dance and movement.
Children's Book Reviews
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Return to the June 2001 issue of The IWJ.
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