Marvelous Middle Grade Monday (#MMGM) Book Review: The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens

Siblings Kate, Michael, and Emma, are whisked away one Christmas Eve when the oldest, Kate, was only four. Someone was after them, and for their protection they were given only the last name of P. They don’t know who they are and if they will ever see their parents again. Going from one orphanage to another and never being able to find a home was discouraging, but Kate as the oldest, did her best to make things okay for her younger brother and sister no matter where they were. When they were finally sent to the last orphanage, Cambridge Falls, it was far away and dismal. There they met Dr. Pym and his housekeeper. They lived in a large home and the siblings seemed to be the only orphans in the place, which they thought was odd. They do love the amazing food and the kind adults. It isn’t long before they discover a magical book. This book transports them back in time to when Cambridge Falls was ruled by the Countess, an evil, witchy woman who imprisoned the children of the town. The Countess wants the book and will stop at nothing to get her way. Can Kate Emma and Michael ever get back to the present time? What will happen if the Countess gets the book? What exactly can the book/atlas do? Take a journey through time and space to find out!

I have had The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens on my list of books to read for at least two years. I am thrilled that I finally got to it. I listened to the audio book version read by my favorite narrator, Jim Dale (narrator of the Harry Potter series). Kate, Emma, and Michael are siblings unified by their family bond, but they also have very different personalities. They fight, but they love each other. I felt bad for Kate because her life involves being so grown-up and responsible because their parents are gone and she’s the oldest. I love the fantasy aspects of the book because it was very exciting to learn about the magic and how it worked. The atlas intrigued me and I am very curious about the other two books in the set. I would recommend this book to kids and adults who like fantasy, magic, and time travel. Those are some of my favorite things! I enjoyed the fantastical characters, and the evil ones were done very well because I didn’t like them at all. I look forward to reading more books by this author and I already have the next book in the series.

Has anyone else read The Emerald Atlas? Or have you read another book by John Stephens? We’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy Reading!

~ L

For other MMGM posts, please visit Greg Pattridge's blog.