Wyrmreweald: Returner's Wealth by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell
Doubleday, 2010 ISBN: 9780385617345
Highly recommended for ages 11 and above. When Micah, the young
ploughboy, sets off for the high country in search of the wyrmes (the
name given to dragons in medieval times) and the Returner's wealth, he
cannot anticipate the events which will occur along the way. As he
meets various characters, Micah discovers that some people are not as
they appear at first sight and learns to question their motivations. He
follows his conscience and thus acts honourably, no matter what the
situation. With Eli Halfwinter as his mentor and guide, the young man
discovers truths about himself and begins to re-evaluate the things in
his life which truly hold the greatest importance.
This engrossing, entertaining adventure is written in a style easily
accessible to even the younger readers of fantasy, particularly due to
the double spaced print and black and white illustrations taking up
either full pages or adding interest in the margins on the first page
of each chapter. Due to the age of the main character, however, some of
the content would possibly make it better suited to upper primary
students and secondary students as it could fit the genre of the coming
of age novel as well as simply being a quest novel. Themes of loyalty,
trust, friendship, love, responsibility, acceptance and values are all
explored to various degrees in this title and I eagerly await the next
installment in the series.
Jo Schenkel