Patricia Bow (1946–2017)

Reviewed by Marta Morrison for TeensReadToo.com

Amelia is very upset. Her parents have taken jobs in Peru and she has to live in the small town of Dunstone, Canada. She has to live with her grandmother, Celeste, and her cousin, Simon. Amelia believes her cousin is dull and boring, and to be stuck in a small town is the worse thing that has ever happened to her.

The first day in Dunstone she meets Simon's best bud, Ike. They go exploring and see something strange, a blue light, in the gorge by the town. That night, Amelia dreams about flying through the sky and ends up waking up in the attic of her grandmother's house. She goes out on the roof and meets Mara, a tall beautiful girl. Mara is strange but quickly becomes Amelia's best friend -- to the chagrin of Simon. But Mara is not who she seems and is being stalked by an assassin.

A lot of adventures happen over the span of about three days, bringing Amelia closer to her cousin and a lot happier in her own skin.

This story was a quick read and very interesting. I really liked the small town of Dunstone. It felt like a place I would like to live. It had town festivals, which seemed fun, and a lot of caring people. I loved the theme to this story about accepting one's self in life and that being strong is not just in physical attributes but in your character. Many teens try to be other people and put on disguises. It was refreshing to have the main character accept who she is. I'll be looking forward to book two by Patricia Bow, THE PRISM BLADE.… (més)

Reviewed by Marta Morrison for TeensReadToo.com

I enjoyed the first installment of the PASSAGE TO MYTHRIN series, THE RUBY KINGDOM, but I was fascinated with this second installment, THE PRISM BLADE.

Amelia, who came to live with her cousin and grandmother in Dunstone, Canada, in the first book, is about a week away from leaving to go live again with her parents in Vancouver. It is summer and hot. Amelia is excited to see her parents but doesn't want to move. She is still dreaming about being with Mara, the dragon she met in the previous book. Simon and Ike are practicing to compete in the Weird Games, a competition that is a big thing in the Dunstone community.

Amelia wakes up one morning convinced that Mara is in trouble. She tells Simon and his bud, Ike, and they go looking for another portal to take them to Mythrin. There they meet a race of humans who are being threatened by the dragons and vice-versa. They are both looking for a weapon that was lost eons ago that can defeat dragons. It is called the Prism Blade.

Amelia, Simon, and one of the Mythrin humans, Pier, come back to Dunstone and, low and behold, the blade is there. Then begins an adventure to compete in the Weird Games, find the weapon before the other side does, and to either destroy or use the weapon on Mythrin.

THE PRISM BLADE is a well-written book with well-defined characters. The Weird Games are interesting and funny. One of the dragons comes to Dunstone and takes the shape of a teenage punk kid, and he is very interesting. The lesson learned is that of home is where your heart is, and that it can also be in many different places. A truly wonderful lesson.

I enjoyed this episode of the series very much. Thank you, Ms. Bow.… (més)