Parents Reading Book Club discussion

Thought I'd start the discussion for our current read with the Author's answers to our groups questions. Right, let's get reading.

Linda
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Thank you for your email and for the questions from your reading group.

1. My youngest child is twelve and long past the age he will allow me to read to him! He still retains vivid memories of books we read together and particularly remembers enjoying a book about a polar bear looking for the Northern Lights. It was beautifully illustrated with sparkling backgrounds. Both my children enjoyed Winnie the Poo and both are huge Harry Potter fans. I read the first two Harry Potter books to Alex when he was younger but he read the last five on his own.

2. My favourite character is Rafe the rat. He is intelligent, kind and extremely loyal. Rats are looked down on in Calorean which saddens Rafe but it has never stopped him being helpful and compassionate to others. My son’s favourite character is Arnold the Mothman. Arnold is as different from Rafe as it is possible to be. He is vain and self-obsessed, always putting his needs above the needs of others. Alex thinks his character is so flawed, that it makes him funny.

3. My son inspired me to write the book. We are lucky to live in the country and we walk the dog together often. On one particular walk we passed the time imagining what kind of creatures could live on the outskirts of the wood. We imagined the world of Calorean into existence and each time we walked, we added more creatures and expanded the story. Then Alex asked if I could turn it into a book so I did. He was and continues to be, my inspiration. We have plotted another Beau Garnie story which is part written but I am currently editing an adult murder mystery so it will be some time before it is published.

4. Grunts are very tall, solidly built grey creatures with rabbit like overhanging teeth. They have the benefit of a third eye, usefully located on the back of their heads. Grunts have extremely large hands and pitifully small brains. Their blood is green. They are loyal to those who feed them and the dwarves use them for labouring and defence.

5. There are three messages that I hope the book delivers. The first is simply good versus bad; that kindness and goodness will always triumph evil. Secondly, that perseverance pays – all the important battles in Calorean are hard won. Skyle perseveres with her magic and improves; Beau perseveres as a warrior, even though he is terrified in battle; the Seeblings persevere with their quest to find Invisimin, even though the odds are stacked against them. Finally, Calorean is populated by different tribes of Seeblings, and different races of creatures. Each tribe of Seeblings has different skills and different colour skins. I hope the book shows that it is possible for all tribes and races to get along together despite their differences.

It has been a pleasure to answer your questions and I will be very happy to answer any more if they arise during the course of reading the book. I hope your members and their children enjoy it.

Very best regards

Jacqueline x

We've given this book 4*'s, by us I mean the school book club I run at lunch times.

The Kids on the whole enjoyed it, with comments generally that the story etc reminded them of the film Epic. Which we ended up watching at the end of the week.

The book did create a lot of questions about drugs and addiction from the older boys, due to the need for the characters to find and take Invisimin.

Not quite finished the book yet, but do have to say how much we're enjoying it. Think it is really well written, with some really interesting characters being introduced to us.

Hope everyone else is enjoying it too

Linda
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I agree Linda, me and my boys are still reading through this so not finished yet. But we are enjoying it, and the characters have really come to life to/for us!

Me and my daughter (11) read this together, on and off, over the last few weeks. We generally liked it, and felt it did start well firing up my daughters imagination! Found half way through though she'd/we'd started to lose a little interest, and feel harsh saying that as really wanted to like it due to the authors participation with our lovely group.

Slight spoiler alert, but my daughter commented that the introduction of certain characters at certain times always seemed a little to convenient for the lead characters to progress in their adventure (The introduction and meeting of the 'scientific' expert Rats for example). Anyone else agree, or are we being harsh?

Anyway. Overall, a nice ok book!

Hi Anne,

Thanks for joining in our discussion. I do understand what your saying, but found all characters introduced brought something to the story! I liked the Rats for example, and how the author put a positive slant on these normally beelined creatures, making them intelligent and how they liked to study science.

I also found Arnold a funny little character!

Linda wrote: "Hi Anne,

I also found Arnold a funny little character"

Oh no, ha ha, didn't like Arnold at all! ;P

This was a delightful story and a really interesting world the author Jacqueline has created with her son! I can really imagine them both walking through fields, having fun exploring and creating this new, exciting little universe of every day creatures, living alongside fairy tale creatures.

We really enjoyed it, and yes, we liked Arnold too :)

Hi group! Me and my two daughters read this together over the last week or two and we generally enjoyed it. Although the youngest fell out of interest quite soon and stopped paying attention :(

Me and my eldest daughter stuck with it, and we both enjoyed the created world created...with fairies, dwarfs and seedlings living alongside Hares etc and like Peter commented on, is very disney 'Epic' like, which isn't a bad thing.

So as we liked it, well me and the eldest, we give this three stars. Nature and fairy loving little one's should like this I think.

Hi everyone!

I'm so pleased with this book, I really wanted to like it with the author kindly answering our questions and explaining her thoughts etc behind the story.

And I did enjoy it! Really love stuff like this, with lovely fun characters involving fairy tales and nature!

I recommend this to everyone with ease