Fourth Grade Journey

A Fourth Grade Teacher's Journey Through the World of Books

Monday, August 4, 2014

THE THICKETY: A PATH BEGINS by J.A. White...

How I Heard About It:  I believe it was during a Twitter discussion that I first heard about this title and the author.  I thought it was cool that the author was also a teacher so I made a point to find the book on my next visit to the book store.  This is going to be a series and now that I'm done with the first book, I'm excited to see what comes next.  

What It Is About:  The Thickety is a forest in another world.  Kara was a young girl when her mother was killed for being a witch in their "community".  Ever since then; Kara, her younger brother Taff, and their father have been considered outsiders and shunned by community members.  They are afraid that Kara is a witch just like her mother was.  After finding a "magic book" in the Thickety, Kara learns that she actually does have special powers.  Once in possession of the "book" she has to decide if she is going to use it for good or evil.  Grace is another young girl in the village.  She has it out for Kara and brings nothing but pain and hardship to Kara.  They both learn they have specials powers in the community and each has their own book of "magic".  Grace wants all the power and wants to destroy Kara in the process.  As the "creatures" from the Thickety, the powers of the magic book, and the powers of these two girls come together; lives will be changed forever.  All Kara wants to do is protect her mother's reputation, save her brother's life, and bring her father back to the way he was before her mother's death.  It comes down to who has more power, Kara or Grace, and what each will do with it.

What I Thought Of It:  First, I must say this is a beautiful book.  It is published in a slightly different size and has "tattered" edges to the pages.  It was "fun" to hold as I read it.  This isn't my typical type of story, but I actually loved it from the very first page to the very last page.  The story captured my attention and my heart.  Kara was a unique character to read about and I felt like I was with her on the entire journey.  The twists and turns of the plot kept me on the edge of my seat and guessing what was going to happen next.  The writing was strong and solid.  Even though it was a longer novel at 488 pages, I could not put it down and read it in a few days.

Who Should Read It:  This is a long novel, but I think it would make a great read aloud for a classroom.  Listeners in grades four through six would be perfect for this book.  If a young reader was going to read it, they should be a strong reader in grade four or above.  The book is a little smaller size, the font is a bit bigger, and spread out nicely on the page.  Adult readers that enjoy middle-grade novels will also appreciate this story, the mystery, and the magic of "The Thickety"  Happy Reading...

Rating:  4 STARS out of 5 Stars 


No comments:

Post a Comment