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The Dry Rebecca Nolen 9781939889126 Books

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The Dry Rebecca Nolen 9781939889126 Books

This middle-grade fantasy sends a determined 12-year-old into a coal mine to find his missing father. Instead, he finds a phantasmagoria deep inside the earth, where first appearances can't always be trusted. Heads-up to insectophobes: You’ll encounter plenty of creepies crawling through this spine-tingling adventure for middle graders.

It’s 1895 and years before child labor laws when Elliot Sweeney’s father fears for the town’s children, who are being sold to the company running the coal mine and never seen again. When his investigation swallows him up as well, Elliot, apprehensive but resolute, sets off to find him. Along the way, he picks up increasingly strange objects, companions, and stalkers: a watch that runs backward, a fierce girl named Lefty, a mysterious key, a blind burro named Beulah, a rat-faced mine recruiter. But that’s nothing compared to what Elliot and Lefty find once they enter the secret entrance to the boarded-up mine.

Like Tolkien’s Mines of Moria, this underground realm is palatial and studded with stone carvings and gems. And like Moria, within the cold beauty of this place called Penumbra is an ugly truth. Here Elliot and Lefty discover the lost children living in brutal conditions, mining gems for the cruel and vainglorious Wicked Prince of Every Place. Forced to work with their hands and without their shoes, the children’s blood gives power to the prince’s Water Moon, which absorbs all water, above and below ground. Hence, the title of the book, The Dry.

Elliot’s father is here too, weakened and powerless to defeat the vast army of insects and amphibians under the prince’s command: giant wasps, salamander servants, evil beetles, stinging caterpillars, and more.

And here is one of author Nolen’s greatest strengths: creating talking critters who not only possess unique personalities but suffer moments of existential crisis as well. Chief among these is Morrigan Wasp, Foundress of the United Vespid Kingdom, who imprisons Lefty but, after much soul-searching, realizes she is as enslaved by the prince as are the children. Morrigan helps Elliot escape to the other side of the mountain, where he finds the diminishing water queen Tosia, whose watery world is receding. Emboldened by his escape, Elliot rallies the creatures there—otters, dragonflies, horses—into the climatic, and inevitable war between good and evil.

Kids, teens, and fantasy-loving adults will find much to marvel over in this classic hero’s journey through a strange land that tests his courage at every turn. While the myriad of invertebrates may at times overwhelm the youngest readers, we encourage you not to fear; Elliot Sweeney is a bona-fide twelve-year-old hero, one who perseveres in spite of his fears and because of his unwavering love for his father, his new friend, and justice.


Tags : The Dry [Rebecca Nolen] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Dry is a children's historical fantasy that<span> combines the awful truths of the mining world in 1895 West Virginia with an adventure story about a boy who goes on a search for his father and discovers a world underground overrun with giant insects. Some insects are good,Rebecca Nolen,The Dry,SkipJack Publishing,193988912X,Children's BooksAll Ages,Fantasy & Magic,Juvenile Fiction Fantasy & Magic,Science fiction (Children's Teenage)

The Dry Rebecca Nolen 9781939889126 Books Reviews

The Dry is a brilliant, imaginative fantasy highlighting good versus evil in which the imagery is outstandingly detailed without distracting from the action, which begins on the first page and flows throughout the book with little to no hesitation. Various thought-provoking phrases, strategically placed throughout the book give the reader gentle pause to consider one's values without being dogmatic. I love the author's style of using staccato-like phrasing to express thoughts rather than trying to use perfectly formed sentences. This gives a direct, clear meaning without unnecessary verbiage. Having been highly interested in entomology during High School and College, I especially liked, and learned some new things from, the wasp facts at the beginning of each chapter. I look forward to this book being made into a hit movie with fantastic special effects along the lines of C.S. Lewis' "Chronicles of Narnia" and J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Everyone, young or old, can learn something and be encouraged by young Elliot's devotion and strength of character as he persists in his quest through numerous and very difficult circumstances.
Young Elliot Sweeney has a hard life. Grudgingly kept by his uncle, his world is a harsh one where the only thing more scarce than water is kindness.

Elliot makes a bold decision to take off on his own in search of his long absent father. Traveling to the town where his father was last seen, he meets Lefty, a young girl seeking her brother, sold into a life of child slavery working in the coal mines, the very issue Elliot's reporter father had been investigating when he disappeared.

From what appeared to be a dystopian world, Elliot finds himself in a world of fantasy and magic where an evil prince is out to destroy and enslave the world.

The author, Rebecca Nolan, has a gift for description which leaves vivid images of both the world and the characters in it. The characters are believable and sympathetic. I was struck by her ability to describe the intense physical experiences of her characters such that you feel like you are experiencing everything with them. Burning heat, intense thirst, fearsome creatures, unending blackness and more. Even non-human creatures take on memorable personalities. Stories with child heroes can be difficult, especially when challenged by formidable villains. This is not a problem for Elliot, whose determination to save his father and his new friend drive him on. And, everything is told with a gripping intensity that keeps you turning pages.

Well done, Rebecca Nolan. Well done. Five shiny stars for Elliot and his great adventure.
If you enjoy fantasy adventures like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and The Golden Compass, you will enjoy Rebecca Nolen’s The Dry. The story will engage young readers and adults alike.

Crisp dialog moves along smoothly making it a pleasure to read aloud. Chapters are short, so the book is well suited for very busy schedules. As the plot thickens, a colorful cast-of-characters offer up much to discuss about courage, fear, loyalty, ethics, love, and the cycle-of-life.

Throughout the book, clever use of literary techniques paint vivid visual images and plant seeds of wisdom to ponder. Such as,

“The stone yielded a bit, like old bread dough”
“The revelation left him in an angry, disbelieving, fugue of shock”
“Along the banks, the snow gleamed with the barely-there lilac of twilight”
Elliott to Lefty “….we’d be spotted like two flies in a sugar bowl”
Tosia to Elliott “…It isn’t the instrument that makes the music, Elliott. It is the musician”

Little facts about wasp entomology that introduce each chapter, collectively create a tutorial to enlighten the reader to the nature of an often-misunderstood creature.

Being entertained while learning is a magical combination. The Dry achieves both!
This middle-grade fantasy sends a determined 12-year-old into a coal mine to find his missing father. Instead, he finds a phantasmagoria deep inside the earth, where first appearances can't always be trusted. Heads-up to insectophobes You’ll encounter plenty of creepies crawling through this spine-tingling adventure for middle graders.

It’s 1895 and years before child labor laws when Elliot Sweeney’s father fears for the town’s children, who are being sold to the company running the coal mine and never seen again. When his investigation swallows him up as well, Elliot, apprehensive but resolute, sets off to find him. Along the way, he picks up increasingly strange objects, companions, and stalkers a watch that runs backward, a fierce girl named Lefty, a mysterious key, a blind burro named Beulah, a rat-faced mine recruiter. But that’s nothing compared to what Elliot and Lefty find once they enter the secret entrance to the boarded-up mine.

Like Tolkien’s Mines of Moria, this underground realm is palatial and studded with stone carvings and gems. And like Moria, within the cold beauty of this place called Penumbra is an ugly truth. Here Elliot and Lefty discover the lost children living in brutal conditions, mining gems for the cruel and vainglorious Wicked Prince of Every Place. Forced to work with their hands and without their shoes, the children’s blood gives power to the prince’s Water Moon, which absorbs all water, above and below ground. Hence, the title of the book, The Dry.

Elliot’s father is here too, weakened and powerless to defeat the vast army of insects and amphibians under the prince’s command giant wasps, salamander servants, evil beetles, stinging caterpillars, and more.

And here is one of author Nolen’s greatest strengths creating talking critters who not only possess unique personalities but suffer moments of existential crisis as well. Chief among these is Morrigan Wasp, Foundress of the United Vespid Kingdom, who imprisons Lefty but, after much soul-searching, realizes she is as enslaved by the prince as are the children. Morrigan helps Elliot escape to the other side of the mountain, where he finds the diminishing water queen Tosia, whose watery world is receding. Emboldened by his escape, Elliot rallies the creatures there—otters, dragonflies, horses—into the climatic, and inevitable war between good and evil.

Kids, teens, and fantasy-loving adults will find much to marvel over in this classic hero’s journey through a strange land that tests his courage at every turn. While the myriad of invertebrates may at times overwhelm the youngest readers, we encourage you not to fear; Elliot Sweeney is a bona-fide twelve-year-old hero, one who perseveres in spite of his fears and because of his unwavering love for his father, his new friend, and justice.