Fablehaven

Fablehaven
 By Brandon Mull

My son received the whole Fablehaven series for Easter this year and he has been nagging me to read them. I finally decided I had better go ahead because he was doing his best to give me all kinds of spoiler hints. Now I have to slow down because he has yet to finish book three. In the meantime, I will give you my impression of the first book: Fablehaven, a modern-day fantasy novel.

Kendra, aged 14, and her brother, age 11,  must stay at their grandparents' for two weeks. Grandpa and Grandma Sorenson are not wellknown to their grandchildren and neither seemed to want the children to stay with them on their property located deep in the country.  Grandma is mysteriously absent (why haven't they seen her for some time?).  However, they have to make the best of the situation. There are only two rules: don't go into the woods and don't go into the barn. Guess how long it takes Kendra's brother to break rule #1?

I really liked this book! I have read Mull's Beyonder series (see my reviews here and here) but did not give them high marks. Fablehaven is truly a wonderful tween fantasy novel that really grabs your attention. I liked the main character, Kendra, her reluctance to break the rules, her sense of family and doing what is right. Her brother Seth was a handful just reading about him. Together they make the plot go and the story is just right. Great lessons for young teens can be found throughout the book and a great story unfolds as you read. I am looking forward to book two - Rise of the Evening Star - which I will read when my son gets beyond book four.

What did this book have to do with my faith? Do we have rules in Christianity and how well are we keeping them? Believe it or not, Christianity really does not have any rules. We have made lots of rules and tell church-goers to obey them but few came from Jesus Christ. Christ tells us to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves. Go into all the world and share the good news. Baptize followers. That about sums it up. No rules as much as very serious guidelines that we have to do our best to live up to. I think we would like to have rules -- look at all the Christians who want to follow the ten commandments. But Jesus has told us what is really important. Why can't we do as he says?

I highly recommend Fablehaven!

Happy reading!

Amelia