The Iron Ring by Lloyd Alexander

The Iron Ring by Lloyd Alexander

Adventure, Fantasy

age 11-14

grade 6-9

280 pages, hardcover

c. 1997

          Lloyd Alexander is one of my favorite authors. I have read and enjoyed many of his books and hope to blog on more of them in the future. I think The Iron Ring is one of his more complicated books due to it being rooted in the mythology of ancient India and the philosophical questions it raises.

            The Iron Ring is a tale of adventure, magic, romance and treachery, but mostly the journey of Tamar, the king of Sundari, in self-awareness and the understanding of honor. The story begins when a mysterious king arrives in Sundari in the middle of the night with his elephants and courtiers and demands an immediate audience with Tamar. The king, Jaya, insists they play a dice game of chance. Though Tamar is winning and wants to stop Jaya demands one more game in which Tamar loses and forfeits his life to Jaya. An iron ring immediately appears on Tamar’s finger. Tamar is now honor bound to travel to Jaya’s mysterious kingdom and accept the fate that awaits him there. In the morning no one in the palace remembers this night visit and they all encourage Tamar not to make the journey. However, according to his warrior’s code of honor Tamar feels he must go and sets out on the journey.

            Along the way Tamar will be accompanied with a great variety of interesting characters, some of them human and some talking animals. Among the more humorous of the animals are Hashkat, the thieving, lazy but amazingly loyal monkey king and Garada, the ugly, annoying and whiny eagle who has a soft spot for the beautiful, brave and cunning milkmaid Mirri. He also encounters the heroic and wise deposed king Ashwara, from whom he gains a more mature concept of honor, true justice and compassion. On the eve of a great battle against his brother who has usurped his throne Ashwara comments, “And yet… a throne, a kingdom, what are they worth in blood? Is it honor that demands such a price? Or arrogance? Is it truly dharma that compels me? Or wrath? Can a warrior’s virtue lead to evil ends? Have I misunderstood what I thought I knew?” In the end Tamar will confront a truly evil king but in a way that is a spiritual victory. The description of this great battle makes it clear that Alexander believes that killing is not the path to victory. Tamar’s final meeting with the mysterious king Jaya also challenges the reader to consider questions about reality and illusion.

            There is much to enjoy in this book from exciting adventure scenes to wise cracking conversations between the animals. There is magic and fantasy and cold realism in the way the lower caste people are viewed and treated and the evil cruelty of the treacherous king. Finally there is love, the loyalty and bravery of true friends and much real wisdom.

Time Traders by Andre Norton

Time Traders by Andre Norton

Science Fiction, Adventure

Age 11 and up

Grade 6 and up

219 pages, hardcover

c.1958

        

       Time Traders is a classic science fiction, adventure book. It was a favorite of my husband when he was in junior high. It was originally written in 1958 and that is the one I have just read. There is an updated version from 2000 which combines Time Traders with the second story in the series, Galactic Derelict. I plan on looking into that one soon.

Set during the time of the Cold War, American intelligence agents have discovered that the Russians have discovered a source for advanced technologies and weapons. It appears they have traveled back in time and found evidence of an advanced, possibly alien civilization. Operation Retrograde is the American’s effort to go back in time and find the Russian source of this technology without running into the Russians.

Ross Murdock, a young man in trouble too often with the law, is given the choice of “volunteering” for a secret mission, which he knowns nothing about, or going to a rehabilitation center feared by all convicts. He chooses the mission and finds himself going to Britain in the year 2000 BC as a Beaker Trader. The very traits that made it hard for Ross to function in his society help him survive in the Bronze Age in Britain. Soon he and his partner Ashe are drawn unto an action packed adventure involving Russian agents, superstitious prehistoric people, and the aliens of a lost galactic civilization.

This is classic space opera with lots of action. The plot, characters, and narration are pretty straightforward. The characters are not very complex but Ross does change as a result of his experiences. In the beginning he is pretty selfish but as time goes on he becomes friends with his two partners and does all he can to save them when things go very wrong. He also gains confidence in himself and an appreciation for his abilities in dealing successfully with a number of very challenging situations.
        Time Traders would make an exciting read aloud, even for adults who enjoy classic science fiction. My husband read it aloud to our son when he was in high school.

Full Ride by Margaret Peterson Haddix

                                  

                     Full Ride byMargaret Peterson Haddix

Realistic Fiction

Age – 12 and up

Grade – 9 and up

352 pages c. 2013

           Fourteen year old Becca's relatively uncomplicated life is suddenly turned upside down when her father is convicted of embezzling many people. The case gets national attention and the fact that her father doesn’t seem at all sorry for his crimes, “How else is a guy like me supposed to put his kid through college?”, makes life unbearable for Becca and her mom. The fact that Becca had always been closer to her father than her mother adds to her anguish. Encouraged by their lawyer they decide to leave their Home in Georgia by night and settle in a small town in Ohio with new identities.

            Finances are very tight and afraid that someone will recognize her; Becca spends the next three years trying not to attract attention, making few friends and keeping them at arm’s length, and studying more than is normal. As senior year approaches Becca and her competitive, nerdy friends are experiencing the anguish of college applications. The situation is compounded for Becca because her mother tells her she cannot apply for financial aid because that will reveal their true identities. She discovers a full-ride scholarship but while applying accidentally reveals the truth of her identity. This may have put her and her mother’s lives in danger. There are many plot twists and suspense mounts as the story continues.

            Becca’s character continues to develop through the story as she finds herself having to make a lot of hard decisions on her own. The story presents many thought-provoking ideas about friendship, communication and forgiveness. I found the ending satisfying and hopeful as Becca takes the risk of being truthful with her friends and continues to deal with her conflicting feelings about her father. As Becca continues to discover new facts about her father’s situation she comments on page 224, “What is grace? Being saved - and forgiven for everything, even when you don't deserve it, especially when you don't deserve it.”