I was sent a copy of Story Thieves in exchange for an honest review. (Thanks, Aladdin!)
I read the description for Story Thieves and thought that it sounded different and that it could be a good book. That original thought pales in comparison to how great the book really was. This book is classified as a 3-7 grade book, and those are most certainly the prime ages. However, as a person in grade 10, I still really enjoyed reading it and didn't feel as if it talked down to the reader at all, which I consider to be a great feat.
The cover:
I read the description for Story Thieves and thought that it sounded different and that it could be a good book. That original thought pales in comparison to how great the book really was. This book is classified as a 3-7 grade book, and those are most certainly the prime ages. However, as a person in grade 10, I still really enjoyed reading it and didn't feel as if it talked down to the reader at all, which I consider to be a great feat.
The cover:
The cover:
The cover shows Bethany and Owen (or maybe Kyle?) jumping into/ out of a book. In the background, the universe from the book Kiel Gnomenfoot is seen.
Official Description:
Life is boring when you love in the real world, instead of starring in your own book series. Owen knows that better than anyone, what with the real world's homework and chores.
But everything changes the day Owen sees the impossible happen - his classmate Bethany climb out of a book in the library. It turns out Bethany's half-fictional and has been searching every book she can find for her missing father, a fictional character.
Bethany can't let anyone else learn her secret, so Owen makes her a deal: All she has to do is take him into a book in Owen's favorite Kiel Gnomenfoot series, and he'll never say a word. Besides, visiting the book might help Bethany find her father...
...Or it might just destroy the Kiel Gnomenfoot series, reveal Bethany's secret to the entire world, and force Owen to live out Kiel Gnomenfoot's final (very final) adventure.
Review:
I really enjoyed reading Story Thieves! It was a fresh and different, in a good way.
The characters were all complex with varying and relatable motives for all their actions. Even the fictional characters (the characters of the books within the book) were nicely developed and did not feel two demential at all. I found myself relating more than I expected with both Owen and Bethany. Bethany was overly worried about consequences and yet enjoyed herself when the going got tough, which I feel quite a few people understand. Also, Owen was so excited by the idea of jumping into books. I don't know a single reader who doesn't wish to jump inside another world, and Owen learned he could!
The plot line was super engaging. While the pace started off a little bit slow, once it started going, I loved it. Parts of the book were told from from both Bethany and Owen's alternating perspectives and I was interested in both story lines. (More often than not in books, one storyline is exciting while the other is just... there.) Nearing the end, especially, the pace increased so much that Story Thieves was impossible to put down.
Another positive, in my opinion, was the whole book-within-a-book concept. I love that. The characters would be talking about how one of them wasn't real because he was "fictional", and the reader is on the sidelines thinking "But you are fictional, too!" I think that whole situation is terribly ironic, whether you focus on it or not. It's definitely a plus if you like that type of thing.
I would recommend Story Thieves to anyone who likes reading. It was a good book, but I imagine it would be difficult to relate to if you don't enjoy books. Also, I would recommend it more to the middle grade readers than older audiences. While still enjoyable for all, it truly is aimed closer for the Lower/Middle School level of readers.
Story Thieves by James Riley comes out January 20, 2015.
Phrase:
Magic vs Science
The characters were all complex with varying and relatable motives for all their actions. Even the fictional characters (the characters of the books within the book) were nicely developed and did not feel two demential at all. I found myself relating more than I expected with both Owen and Bethany. Bethany was overly worried about consequences and yet enjoyed herself when the going got tough, which I feel quite a few people understand. Also, Owen was so excited by the idea of jumping into books. I don't know a single reader who doesn't wish to jump inside another world, and Owen learned he could!
The plot line was super engaging. While the pace started off a little bit slow, once it started going, I loved it. Parts of the book were told from from both Bethany and Owen's alternating perspectives and I was interested in both story lines. (More often than not in books, one storyline is exciting while the other is just... there.) Nearing the end, especially, the pace increased so much that Story Thieves was impossible to put down.
Another positive, in my opinion, was the whole book-within-a-book concept. I love that. The characters would be talking about how one of them wasn't real because he was "fictional", and the reader is on the sidelines thinking "But you are fictional, too!" I think that whole situation is terribly ironic, whether you focus on it or not. It's definitely a plus if you like that type of thing.
I would recommend Story Thieves to anyone who likes reading. It was a good book, but I imagine it would be difficult to relate to if you don't enjoy books. Also, I would recommend it more to the middle grade readers than older audiences. While still enjoyable for all, it truly is aimed closer for the Lower/Middle School level of readers.
Story Thieves by James Riley comes out January 20, 2015.
Phrase:
Magic vs Science
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