Chantel's Quest: The Golden Sword
has all the right pieces in place for a frolicking fantasy ride. The story begins as Chantel awakens on her twelfth birthday quickly to be told that she is the Princess of Freedom. It seems Chantel must vanquish an evil spirit bent on destruction. She will have to unearth four ancient relics, the first being a golden sword. She’ll have lots of help along the way as readers uncover a new fantastical world.Although all the pieces seem to be in place, I felt something was missing with Chantel's Quest: The Golden Sword.
It’s always hard for me, not well versed in writing technique, to put my finger on exactly what it is that leaves me with that missing feeling. This time, I think it was a combination of two things: character investment and didactic tone.We jump immediately into Chantel’s quest without having time to invest in her personality. Further in, her character still seems a bit flat and the creatures she meets seem too uncomplicated. The tone is direct, with little use of the stylistic elements of figurative language. This caused the tale to be a bit didactic or prescribed for this reader.
However, with all that being said, I do think some fantasy readers will enjoy Chantel's Quest: The Golden Sword
and see implications for reluctant readers with short chapters and thinned details. There is a good action-packed story with opportunities for sequels and fantasy world development that so many fantasy readers crave.
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Genre: Fantasy. Age: 9-12. Pages: 224.
Themes: Hero Quest, Coming of Age, Courage.
Thank you to The Picnic Basket. Publisher: Simply Read Books. Date: May 2008. ISBN-10: 1894965817 / ISBN-13: 978-1894965811Buy Chantel's Quest: The Golden Sword Here
Author Oliver Neubert is working on the sequel to Chantel's Quest. He is available for school visits. You can contact him through his website. ____________________________________________________________
© 2007-2009 Cheryl Vanatti for www.ReadingRumpus.com 
