Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Mistress of the Storm by ML Welsh -OPTIONAL

Welsh, M.L Mistress of the Storm, 320 pgs. David Fickling Books, 2011. $13.25. (Rating: G in all categories)
This story is about a 12yo girl named Verity whose life is changed by appearance of an evil grandmother. She now must learn more about her family’s dark history, in seafaring and smuggling, in order to save her family. Luckily she has a few allies –the mysterious librarian, her elderly friend Alice, and two misfit from school –Henry and Martha.
I am finding it hard to pinpoint exactly why this book was such a dreaded chore to read. It could be the dated time period without the charm to back it up, the boring characters, the stereotypical evil grandmother plotline, the overload of mysterious anticipation which fails to deliver, or simply the flow of the story. But the bottom line is that despite the magic and pirating, I found this book to be readable yet somehow tedious. I think students will find this a disappointing read.
EL – OPTIONAL Reviewer: Stephanie MLS graduate.

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