Review: Maddy West and the Tongue Taker

Maddy West and the Tongue Taker by Brian Falkner

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



BOOK DESCRIPTION :

Maddy West can speak every language in the world. When she is asked to translate some ancient scrolls, Maddy is excited. But the scrolls hide many secrets. Secrets that send Maddy on a wild adventure with a stowaway ninja, a mysterious monkey, a Bulgarian wrestler and a fiendish witch. And soon Maddy finds herself in deadly peril. Does Maddy have what it takes to save herself and her new friends?


REVIEW:

The beautiful cover illustration is what first drew my attention to this book.

This children's book was my first Brian Falkner book and I enjoyed it. Donovan Bixley's illustrations added so much humor and excitement to the story.

Maddy West is a normal girl, with a devoted friend / neighbor. Maddy discovers that she can speak in many languages or tongues. It seemed to me that her mother and others wanted to exploit her talent near immediately.

I was given this book free of charge before publication to provide an himst review.

i found the book pretty interesting for many reasons. Many children (heck even adults) would love to discover they can speak and understand different languages. It was exciting that a child could travel to many lands and meet many races of people. Most realistically a child can not travel the world without adequate adult supervision, but in a child's mind that would be excitement.

The characters she meets along the way are quite creative and entertaining. Mr. Chester was funny and added a light hearted feel. Her best friend from back home gave who was with her provided that true friend bond needed in so many children's books.

The pacing and writing kept the reader wanting to know what was coming next and provided plenty of action and entertainment as the story carried on.

I was bothered most by the fact that a mother would be so eager to send her child across the world into the hands of no telling who to be used because of her talent so easily and carelessly. Even Maddy's best friend, a child himself, didn't settle for that.

Great illustrations!






View all my reviews