The Book without Words

Avi. (2005). New York: Hyperion Books for Children. 078680829-2

PLOT SUMMARY

An orphan girl is taken in by an alchemist with evil on his mind. She is unaware of his intentions until a mysterious monk appears after the alchemist dies. She does not know whether to believe him, or the talking raven that is another prisoner of the alchemist. She knows that the secret to their release is in The Book Without Words that can only be read by a green eyed person. They enlist the help of two green eyed children, but meet with conflict from the Reeve of the city as well as the alchemist who apparently refused to remain dead. Even though they are suspicious of him, they must trust the monk in order to save themselves from the alchemist.

CRITICAL EVALUATION

Chapters are fast paced with lots of dialog to carry the action through. Readers can sympathize with the poor orphaned girl who is sorely mistreated by the alchemist and even the raven, both of whom consider her to be nothing of any value other than for the life that she is ultimately supposed to contribute for the alchemist's spell.

Each character is vividly described and the reader can easily despise the bad guys and root for the good ones. Sybil, the main character, shows growth throughout the chapters as she displays her wit, cunning, and strength of character even in the face of danger.

READER'S ANNOTATION

When Sybil becomes an orphan, she feels lucky to have landed in the service of an alchemist who although he is unkind, provides her shelter and food. Unfortunately, she has no idea of his plot to end her life for the purpose of his own gain. When he dies in the middle of one of his spells, she hopes to gain her freedom by finding a stash of gold or the instructions to make gold, but she needs to work with a raven, a green eyed orphan, and another green eyed orphan who is the assistant to another alchemist. Their personalities conflict as they try to solve the mysteries left by the alchemist.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Avi is the childhood nickname and pen name for Edward Irving Wortis. He writes prolifically for different age groups and genres with at least 70 of those books for children and young adults.

GENRE

Fantasy

CURRICULUM TIES

History

Research kids rights in times past

BOOKTALKING IDEAS

Would you ever considering burying a dead body? What about if that body came back to life, would you consider burying it again when it died again? How would you feel being treated like you were nothing, worthless, a waste of space?

READING LEVEL/INTEREST AGE

12-16

CHALLENGE ISSUES

Death. The characters deal with the death of the alchemist in a very humorous way, but it might be considered disrespectful.

CHALLENGE DEFENSE IDEAS

Know the policies of the library. Direct parents to resources on talking to children about death.

WHY INCLUDE THIS BOOK

Has a great protagonist who shows strength and growth that is admirable for a tween audience. Includes dark humor that tweens can find amusing and not too intense like Twilight.