Adventure

this was a fun little series. Fantasy, traveling between real world and fantasy world. ( )

A boy with a serious heart condition goes on vacation to Costa Rica where he wants to see the continental divide. While there he passes out, as his condition causes him to do often, but when he awakens he finds himself in a different world where unicorns, elves and magic are real and humans and science are the things of myth. This was a fun book. It was well suited for the young side of the young adult spectrum. I love the idea of the world and all of the mythical creatures. It was a fun twist to have humans be the mythical creature. The social commentary was a little obvious but well suited for the age group it targets. It brought up issues of medical ethics, the power and responsibility of the press, and making your own destiny that would be good discussions to continue with kids that have read the book. I would recommend this to young teens or tweens that enjoy magical worlds. ( )

Felix is 13, but looks younger as he has a heart condition -- and he's in Costa Rica because he wanted to go somewhere exciting "before he died". As he stands on the divide -- between the Atlantic and Pacific -- he passes out -- and at the moment he passes into an alternate world, a world where he is a mythical creature and all the mythical creatures of our world exist -- with funny names. Griffins are called Brazzles there, Unicorns are called Brittlehorns, Elves are called Tangle-people, etc. Felix meets up with a brazzle called Ironclaw and a Tangle-person called Betony -- and together they rescue that world from an unscrupulous merchant foisted untried pharmaceuticals on the public -- and manage to find a cure for Felix's heart problems. Modern lessons in a pre-technological, mythical society. (e.g., that world doesn't know what printing is -- unless someone reads a book Felix brought across with him). Sequels....

The theme of the sickly child who is cured by entering an alternate world is similar Stravaganza by Mary Hoffman. ( )

Felix's days are very numbered. He has a disease thet's not supposed to keep him living for very much longer. On a vacation to Coasta Rica, Felix looks onto the Contenental Divide, and accidently get transported to a universe where everything mythical is real and everything real is mythical, including humans. And now Felix has just days to live, unless he can get help from a tangle-child (elf) and a brazzle (gryphon).

In this world, besides anything magical, all technology is primative. In fact, the Divide is starting to get more technology and at least some science instead of using magic all the time. And almost all the tangle-people and other creatures. have all intellegence and emotions of humans, and unfortunately, all the greed and corruptness. A business leader named Snakeweed is selling untested potions that turn out to be poisonous in hope to get rich and rule the Divide. And now Felix is now commited to stop Snakeweed too.

This is a book for young readers, but there is some delight in the book. The concept is pretty good and if there is anybody 12 or 13-ish who loves Mythology, then I can guarantee they would love this book by Elizabeth Kay. ( )