Nice fantasy world and well-paced book

books:


	• Leven Thumps and the Whispered Secret (Leven Thumps) Obert Skye Aladdin, 2007 - 464 pages average customer review:based on 23 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Almost as good as the first.

I've been anticipating reading this book about half as much as the latest Harry Potter. This is a good thing considering that there are very few books that I anticipate reading before they have even come out. I read the first Leven Thumps last year after seeing it at Walmart for a few bucks. I thought "well, it will probably be one of those annoying Harry Potter rip-offs, but maybe I'll give it a shot". As SQT said, it was nothing like Harry Potter at all. In fact, it was so bizarre and entertaining that it got me dreaming about reading the second book.
So here I am with the wonderful opportunity to read the second book for this blog (thanks SQT).
The Whispered Secret takes place immediately after the end of the first book--the Gateway to Foo. Leven has found some of his real family in Amelia, Geth is still a toothpick, Winter is coming to terms with who she really is, and Clover is still giving out bizarre candies to his friends. And Sabine is defeated. Right?
Wrong. It turns out that Sabine was split into a million little liquid pieces, some of which made it to Foo and some of which remained back in Reality. And now a rant--a person who is half normal and half of whatever someone in Reality is dreaming-- named Jamoon has taken the lead in bringing the two realms together and destroying Leven, Winter, and Geth, and ultimately Foo.

This sequel continues some of the brilliant world building that made the first book so much fun. We learn about all sorts of things that make up the land of Foo, from the people that live there to the very landscape. Everything seems to have a life of its own, even the rocks and trees. This is one of the things I love about Skye's writing. He has a wonderful way of taking things that seem so normal and making them original. Bridges are actually alive and have to be flattered before crossing otherwise you end up falling to your...well, not our death because people can't really die in Foo unless it's an accident. See, even death has been fiddled with!
For the most part the book is pretty good. The characters are all enjoyable, and the writing is clearly for a younger audience and yet very entertaining. There are some points where the writing does seem to get in the way, but they are very seldom. Clover is my favorite character in the entire book. He is the comedic relief for the story, and hilarious. Especially the toothpick jokes. The characters are probably the strongest point of the novel. They are all so interesting and dynamic, even the secondary characters.
My biggest complaint with this installment in the series are the plotlines that don't seem to get closed. The book is called The Whispered Secret for a very specific reason, yet that plotline doesn't really get closed at the end, instead it is drawn out into the next book. Secondary characters that show up (Dennis, Ezra, Sabine in his other form, and Tim Tuttle) seem to play an important role, yet in this book they don't accomplish a whole lot. I think those secondary characters could have been left out in this book and brought in in the next installment. That might have to do with the fact that the multiple viewpoints needed to bring all these characters in seem to affect the flow of the story. This seems to be the major difference between this book and the first. Despite that, this book is still fantastic. I was still gripped much like in the first from start to finish. It's a wonderful book for kids of all ages. I could see myself reading it at a library.
And never trust anything a sycophaunt pulls out of his or her void and asks you to eat. It could mean bad things for your digestive system!

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Nice fantasy world and well-paced book

I picked this book up as a cheap summer read, and really enjoyed the world. It was a bit too into stereotypes (the parents were awful, nasty people who never cleaned up and treated children like slaves, while there were other adults who would go all over the world, just to find out what happened). The story was decent, and worth reading. It's a bit dark for really young readers, so I'd recommend either pre-reading the book or talking through it while it's being read.

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Pretty good

A fairly good book...most young adult novels I can't put down because the plot keeps moving...this one was a little dull for long periods and I didn't look forward to plowing through the slow parts when I did pick it up again. I think future books could be a lot more exciting.

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loved it!

Leven is a great kid with a bad life but with his new life its all good this lots action and mystery everywhere. Can't wait to read whats next.

Return to Foo

My goodness, but the mysterious Mr. Skye is certainly the master of the plot twist! This is a truly exhilerating story that picks right back up where the original book left off to give us a terrifying and wondrous blast into Foo (though maybe "blast" isn't the right way to describe it). The plot is properly complex and is full of a wild assortment of characters, both good and evil. And yet it is the twisting and turning wild plot that makes this book so fascinating. Foo is a very real world despite being a dream world and Obert Skye is not afraid to return to the real world at times to weave whatever crazy story he is weaving. Enchanting, original ideas make up for only decent writing in parts, but it is certainly worth it. This is fresh, wild fantasy that should capture quite a bit of attention.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

You must be ready to join Leven Thumps, Clover Ernest, and Winter Frore as they journey across Foo to free Geth from his existence as a toothpick and restore him as the rightful heir to the throne. It won't be easy. Foo is in chaos, and Leven must overcome several adversaries and survive the Swollen Forest to save his friends and keep hope alive. As fate would have it, bad goes to worse when Leven digs up a buried secret -- one that stalks him, determined to whisper a truth that could be deadly in the wrong hands. Will Leven master control of his power, or will Foo crumble under a dark, new enemy?

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