Wednesday, March 9, 2011

The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic by Jennifer Trafton

Trafton, Jennifer The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic, 339 pgs. Dial Book for Young Readers, 2010. $16.99. 

Content - G

EL – ADVISABLE

10yo Persimmony Smudge longs to be a hero. When she discovers that the huge hill in the center of their island is not a hill at all but a giant who could wake up at any minute, she rushes to alert the king. Too bad the king – a temperamental 12yo – is shallow and flaky and doesn’t want to hear about any problems bigger than he is. Persimmony then sets out to save the islanders from the sleeping giant. 

This was a fun book, filled with suspense, humor, and a colorful cast of characters. I especially enjoyed the whimsical illustrations sprinkled throughout, as well as Trafton’s imaginative wording. It was a little difficult to get into, however, and many elementary school children will find the wording in the first few chapters a bit complex. I was also disappointed that Persimmony was not the actual hero of the tale, but just smoothed things over while others (all male) solved most of the problems. 

Reviewer: Caryn

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