The Emerald Atlas

My son, who is in the fifth grade, is participating in a reading competition.  I decided that I was going to read some of the books with him.  Well, I read the first book and in the time it took me to finish the book, he had read six of the books!  So much for reading along with my kid!

Anyway, the first book was "The Emerald Atlas: The Book of Beginning" by John Stephens.   I really enjoyed the book.  I can't believe how enjoyable the reading experience proved to be.  I was totally engaged.  While I'm sure that one could read the reviews and the synopsis of the book, here is my stab.....

The book opens with the recollection of a long ago Christmas eve night by four year old Kate.  The child recalls how she and her siblings were taken from their parents for their protection.  I felt the angst of the mother saying goodbye to her children who had been tucked in bed Christmas eve night.  The young girl describes the smell of gingerbread on her mother, feeling her mother's tear fall on her face and the emotion of her mother fastening a locket on her daughter's neck.  A mother's emotion: the author had me from the opening. 

The children, for eight years, travel from orphanage to orphanage and learn quickly that they can only count on each other.  Even though Kate is only two years older than the middle sibling, she fully embraces the promise that she made to her mother, to take care of her siblings.  The reader will easily forget that Kate is only twelve and her siblings are ten and nine years of age.  During their struggles and longing for their parents, the reader learn of their personalities.  Twelve year old Kate is protective and carries the weight of the world on her shoulders.  Michael, at ten, is vulnerable, intelligent and fiercely interested in books and dwarfs.  Emma, at nine, is a fighter and is feisty.  The children will discover that they are chosen to find a magical book and will journey through time to possibly change the past and the future.  Their journey will allow the reader to witness the alliances they must build, the love that has been missing from their lives, their hurts and their dedication to each other.   This novel is part of a series and is a must read for both the youth and their parents.

So, reading this book has proved to be an opportunity for me to connect with my kid.  I enjoyed his daily question of what part of the book I was currently reading.  Of course, though, I want him to succeed in the competition, but don't want to take the joy out of the journey...... so here I go: I have put together some questions and answers to help my kid remember the book.  Don't read the chapter posts unless you don't care about spoilers.  Maybe,  this will be useful to other kids.  I, in no way, profess to have any analytical, literary nor education experience; this is all in fun.
Until next time....