I can honestly say that this book has become one of my favorite books. As I was reading it, I could not put down! Funke uses so much strong imagery to make the reader feel as if he or she is actually there. I really got an amazing picture of Venice in my head while reading this book. I also felt really connected to the characters. I was truly concerned for them during some parts of the book and at other times, I wanted to lecture them. She also does great job of including the literary element of intriguing, unexpected passages and plot-twists. There were quite a few of those! One passage that I found to be the most unexpected was when the children discovered Scipio was not an orphan, but a wealthy child. Another unexpected event was when the Prosper and Scipio went back to the Isola Segretta and found that the merry-go-round really did work. I was very excited while reading the book as an adult, I know that children would be just as or even more excited.
Comments (1)
Melanie,
I too was surprised to find out that the merry-go-round actually worked. I almost felt like that part of the story didn't really flow with the rest of the story because it was less realistic and the novel did not have much of a "supernatural" quality to it until that point. But, in hindsight, I think that it added to the intrigue in the book because it was a plot twist that the reader is not expecting. I think that the idea of fast forwarding or rewinding your life is a concept that probably caught the attention of many readers. It would also be an excellent discussion or journaling topic if we were reading this book with our future students, because we could ask them what they would do if they were Scipio, and how that decision would affect the rest of their lives.
-Taylor :-)
Posted by Taylor Cairns | September 4, 2007 3:15 PM
Posted on September 4, 2007 15:15