* * *
I'm
sure that many of you are familiar with the new movie Rise of the
Guardians. It is now a very popular children's movie, and
rightly so. After watching it I was so impressed that my sister
Aarathyn and I looked up the original book series off of which it was
based.
William
Joyce's The Guardians is a series of three books so far, but
the next book, Sandman and the War of Dreams, will be released
in September. Although written for young audiences, it is extremely
entertaining for even older teens, such as myself.
The
Guardians starts out telling the story of two main characters, a
little girl named Katherine who lives in a magical village under the
protection of the Wizard Omrbic, and Nicholas St. North, a dashing
young bandit from Russia.
When
North has a mysterious dream about a hidden village filled with
treasure beyond imagination, he immediately sets out with his men to
find it. However, at the same time, the dark and evil menace known
as Pitch (or the Boogeyman) has reawakened and is now threatening to
destroy that very village.
Faced
with a choice between gaining infinite riches, or defending the
innocent children from Pitch, Nicholas proves himself honorable and
makes the right decision. And, after he has temporarily warded off
Pitch, the people of Santoff Claussen (as the village is called)
welcome him to their community, where he does indeed find treasure-
but not the kind he had first imagined. He finds the treasure of
friendship with the girl Katherine and the Wizard Ombric. And, when
the world is once again threatened by Pitch, Nicholas St. North and
his new friends make a brave stand to defeat him.
The
next two books tell similar stories, but each time, Pitch has a new
plan, and each time, a new member is added to the original group of
friends. So far, we have Nicholas, Ombric, Katherine, E. Aster
Bunnymund, and Toothiana. In the next book, we expect to see not
only Sandman, but a particularly wayward young boy named Jackson
Overland Frost. ( XD )
The
Guardians series is an excellent series of books for children and
teens alike. There is almost no violence, and certainly nothing
graphic. The positive views of friendship, family, innocence and
wisdom are represented well, and the classic struggle between Good
and Evil plays out again and again.
While
they do not go into the story of the Creation of the universe, it is
implied that it either evolved, or that certain planets were
constructed by other finite beings. (As an example, Bunnymund claims
to not only have helped shape the Earth, but also made the continent
of Australia.)
The
latter example, of course, is perfectly ridiculous, and is mainly
meant for comedy. The implied evolution of the universe is certainly
not uncommon in today's society. We as Christians know the truth,
that God created the world in six days, and since this book series is
presented as a work of complete fiction, I don't think this is a
problem. I just thought I'd mention it for the sake of anyone who
would.
I
recommend this series to any and all readers out there. It doesn't
matter whether you like fantasy, or steampunk, or not, this series is
a great and entertaining piece of literature. If yo do read it, I
would also suggest reading the short children's storybooks that go
with it- including Sanderson Man Snoozie and The Man in the
Moon. These colorfully illustrated storybooks have surprising
depth for bed-time stories, and they provide interesting background
stories for the characters. The artwork is absolutely beautiful.
I
anxiously look forward to the publication of Sandman and the War
of Dreams, but until then, I'll content myself with writing this
book review... then re-reading the books I already have!
-Rayne
Speryl
