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Young adult book reviews for ages 12 and up - middle school and high school students




*The Other Book* by Philip Womack- young adult book review  
The Other Book
by Philip Womack
Grades 7-9 272 pages Bloomsbury USA February 2008 Hardcover    

Imagine that the ancient story of the wizard Merlin and the sorceress Viviane echoed into modern-day life. That in King Arthur's time, these two magical adepts formed a powerful Book, which was put under the protection of an old English family. But the family went bad, and the book went into hiding. Now, centuries later, Edward Pollock attends a boarding school that used to be an old family estate. His ordinary life becomes turned upside-down when he discovers the book in the library. Now a sinister woman has appeared at his school, and she seems to know that Edward has the book. His only help is a ghostly knight, somehow attached to the book, who explains that Edward must keep the book safe at all costs.

Imagine that the ancient story of the wizard Merlin and the sorceress Viviane echoed into modern-day life. That in King Arthur's time, these two magical adepts formed a powerful Book, which was put under the protection of an old English family. But the family went bad, and the book went into hiding. Now, centuries later, Edward Pollock attends a boarding school that used to be an old family estate. His ordinary life becomes turned upside-down when he discovers the book in the library. Now a sinister woman has appeared at his school, and she seems to know that Edward has the book. His only help is a ghostly knight, somehow attached to the book, who explains that Edward must keep the book safe at all costs.

Sounds like a great idea for a book, doesn't it? Unfortunately, in this novel aimed at readers 12 and up, the execution leaves a lot to be desired. Womack has issues with his plotting: the pace speeds and slows down so much it leaves the book with a rather frantic feeling, and many of the incidents feel like random loose ends instead of part of a cohesive story. The constant jarring will prevent readers from getting truly involved with the story. While the beginning of the book draws the reader in, things go downhill from there, and the ending is very disappointing. It appears to be a set-up to make this the first of a series, which means the reader is left with a less than satisfying pay-off that, while it explains some of the confusing aspects of the plot, leaves others as mysteries. This is incredibly frustrating. That being said, Womack does create a new adventure in every chapter, which might keep the reader going.

Also, Womack's characters are much stronger than their plot. Edward himself is a likeable enough everyboy sort who finds himself thrown into extraordinary situations and learns if he has the courage to do what must be done. Several of the peripheral characters, both the bad and good ones, are quite memorable: Lady Anne, the obvious and chilling villain (who brings to mind Mrs. Coulter from Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy); Ferdinand Lane Glover, a schoolmate's father whose residence in a mental hospital might not be as justified as it first appears; and Tristram de la Zouche, the chivalrous knight who helps Edward, will all affect the readers. Furthermore, several of the characters develop throughout the book, so while the plot's ending might be frustrating, at least the characters find themselves in a different place from when they started.

All in all, however, the best characters in the world can't save a book as muddled as this one. For readers used to Harry Potter-type fantasy, with its tight plotting and attention to the smallest detail, this one will be quite frustrating. The writing style, while not condescending, lacks any sophistication. Nevertheless, the romance of King Arthur and the interesting characters might make it worth reading for some all the same. There isn't any sexual content, but some rather scary scenes would make this inappropriate for most younger readers, so parents would do well to screen it first. If a sequel materializes, one can only hope that Womack will have learned how to plan his books better, so that his wonderful characters can go on the type of adventure that they deserve.

 
Young adult book reviews for ages 12 and up - middle school and high school students

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