The Goose Girl (Books of Bayern, Bk 1)
Author:
Genres: Children's Books, Literature & Fiction
Book Type: Paperback
Author:
Genres: Children's Books, Literature & Fiction
Book Type: Paperback
I preread this book for my 14 and 10 year old daughters. Overall, I was drawn in to the characters, setting, and plot. The author does a great job of using imagery and writing decorations to bring her work to life for the reader. Some sentences were so beautifully lyrical that they reminded me of a poetic work.
That said, I have the following concerns for young readers;
*the relationship between Ani and her mother, left me with an empty "upset" feeling. It may be exactly what the author was going for, but I would not want a young teen, not yet mature in her handling of her own relationship with her mother, to identify with the brokenness of this fictitous pair. Real life mother-daughter relationships can be strained too, but it doesn't mean the mother is "the villian" as it felt in this story.
*the violent scenes could be disturbing to young readers whose parents have appropriately shielded their minds from violent media, programming, and literature.
The above critique is based on personal preferences about content. However, a more objective critique can be made of the end of the book, which, I feel, fails the reader after being captivated by such an enchanting tale throughout the story, leading us through a really great climax with an unexpected twist (regarding the prince), only to have the resolution be poorly developed and too loosely resolved. I was left with a feeling of, "That's it? Really, that's it?" Too tidy.
That said, I have the following concerns for young readers;
*the relationship between Ani and her mother, left me with an empty "upset" feeling. It may be exactly what the author was going for, but I would not want a young teen, not yet mature in her handling of her own relationship with her mother, to identify with the brokenness of this fictitous pair. Real life mother-daughter relationships can be strained too, but it doesn't mean the mother is "the villian" as it felt in this story.
*the violent scenes could be disturbing to young readers whose parents have appropriately shielded their minds from violent media, programming, and literature.
The above critique is based on personal preferences about content. However, a more objective critique can be made of the end of the book, which, I feel, fails the reader after being captivated by such an enchanting tale throughout the story, leading us through a really great climax with an unexpected twist (regarding the prince), only to have the resolution be poorly developed and too loosely resolved. I was left with a feeling of, "That's it? Really, that's it?" Too tidy.
