2: In Which a Good Premise Falls Flat
After Alex loses the pocket watch he inherited from his grandfather, he becomes obsessed with the loss of time. Seconds turn into minutes, which turn into hours, and so on. School assignments become pointless when one considers all the minutes and hours that are ticking by.
In the public library, Alex meets an old woman who speaks of the Blue Moon, where lost things can be found. Incredibly, Alex and his dog hitch a ride with a group of industrious rats. He begins his search little knowing what to expect.
Alex makes friends and discovers enemies on the Blue Moon, all while discovering an entire new world where lost or unfinished things make up a landscape populated by lost people.
Rupp's imaginative world of the Blue Moon is a promising concept. Where DO all our lost and unfinished things go? (Is my husband's lost PS2 DVD remote on the Blue Moon?) She builds on an interesting premise by introducing places such as The House of Records, the Inn of Abandoned Plans, and the Pointless Tower. The villains hold potential, as well. Unfortunately, these aspects only loosely gel together. It is a readable story with a well-formed beginning, middle, and end, but the entire package is somewhat flat.
JOURNEY is a passable read, but not up to the standards of classics like THE WIZARD OF OZ or even the Harry Potter series.
The publisher recommends this title for Age 10 / Grade 5 and up, but I think kids older than eleven or twelve are likely find this too young for their tastes.
Reviewed by Christina Wantz Fixemer
12/05/2006
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