OK, now we are entering the third week of school holidays. The Christmas toys are now boring, the pocket money is gone and there are still long weeks ahead before school goes back. Now what are you going to do with the kids? Hand them a book! Even better, make it this one. They will not only have great fun reading this story, but you could even use this to lead them into other classic children’s fantasy. A whole summer of reading could easily start with one book!
Fforde has made a career out of literary allusions, wordplay, and general fun. This is his second book for ‘young adults’ (I personally think that it will be enjoyed by anyone in the 10+ crowd). It features his heroine from The Last Dragonslayer, but this time she is simply the lynchpin around which the story evolves. Magic is in danger of privatisation and Kazam is out to keep it free for all to enjoy.
This is a fantasy, but no one should take it seriously. Fforde has much more in common with Pratchett and Adams than Feist and Tolkein or even Rowley. But he still clings to the traditions and pays them a great deal of respect. So just maybe once your youngster has finished this, they might be willing to give more traditional fantasy a go. Compare the troll scene – “Hagridd has two and he says their delightful” – with the frightening troll from HP. I suspect that you could launch a whole heap of reading about trolls.
This is a lovely light read for the fantasy novice and fantasy fan alike. But it is certainly not for the ‘serious’ fantasy reader. And by the way how many MegaShandars did you use today?
