Read Aloud Virginia - Book Store - Once Upon a Time in the North (David Fickling Books)

	List Price: $12.99 Our Price: $10.18 Your Save: $ 2.81 ( 22% ) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Manufacturer: Knopf Books for Young Readers
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Binding: Hardcover EAN: 9780375845109 ISBN: 0375845100 Label: Knopf Books for Young Readers Manufacturer: Knopf Books for Young Readers Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 112 Publication Date: 2008-04-08 Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers Reading Level: Young Adult Release Date: 2008-04-08 Studio: Knopf Books for Young Readers
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Editorial Reviews: In this new prequel episode from Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials universe, Lee Scoresby--Texan aeronaut and future friend to Lyra Belacqua--is just 24 years old, and he's recently won his hot-air balloon in a poker game. He finds himself floating North to the windswept Arctic island of Novy Odense, where he and his hare daemon Hester are quickly tangled in a deadly plot involving oil magnate Larsen Manganese, corrupt mayoral candidate Ivan Poliakov, and Lee's longtime nemesis from the Dakota Country: Pierre McConville, a hired killer with at least twenty murders to his name. It's only after Lee forms an alliance with one of the island's reviled armored bears that he can fight to break up the conspiracy in a gun-twirling classic western shoot out--and battle of wits. This exquisite clothbound volume features the illustrations of John Lawrence, a removable board game—Peril of the Pole—on the inside back cover, and a glimpse for Pullman fans into the first friendship of two of the most beloved characters in the His Dark Materials trilogy: Lee Scoresby and armored bear Iorek Byrnison.
Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: A gift Comment: Anything by Philip Pullman is a gift, but this beautifully made little book (along with its counterpart, Lyra's Oxford) is particularly wonderful. Not only well-written to provide detailed and fascinating "back story" for characters in Pullman's masterful trilogy, His Dark Materials, but also a pleasure to hold and read--a hard covered book with pages of high-quality paper that are a delight to turn, full of period maps and pictures and printed in an appealing font. Both the story and physical nature of the book will make you feel enriched. Customer Rating: Summary: I want more Comment: This book is great If your craving more from His Dark Materials. It's a must have. This book will allow you to see the bond between Iorek and Lee. Enjoy! Customer Rating: Summary: Once Upon a Time in the North Comment: This was a great book to include with the Golden Compass Trilogy, as it gave more insight into the armored bears. Customer Rating: Summary: Pullman Novella Comment: The two most recent novellas by PP are good, but not as engaging as the Dark Material series. This prequel sheds light on how Lee and Iorek met and more specifically Lee's character. I'd really like to see a prequel focused on Lyra's father. The audience for this book isn't as vast as the Dark Materials series. Customer Rating: Summary: Once Upon a Time in the North Comment: Once Upon a Time in the North by Philip Pullman: It's been some time since Philip Pullman has published anything set in the world of His Dark Materials; the last offering was a very short story called Lyra's Oxford. In Once Upon a Time in the North, Pullman returns with an original tale about Lee Scoresby the aeronaut, weighing in at just under a hundred pages - and while fans would wish for three times as much, it's certainly much better than nothing. In a poker game in his native Texas, twenty-four year old Lee Scoresby has just won his very own hot air balloon and half an instruction manual. His first voyage takes him across the world to the Arctic waters where he lands at Novy Odense. Looking for a place to stay and a way to make some money, Scoresby is immediately embroiled in the complex politics of the town. Mayoral candidate Ivan Poliakov hopes to take care of the bear problem, supported by the shady Larsen Manganese group. Taking no one's side, but not wanting the town to be exploited, Lee soon befriends a polar bear by the name of Iorek Byrnison - whom he mistakenly calls York - and finds himself in a fierce gun battle involving a hired killer with a familiar face on the other side. Once Upon a Time in the North is a great adventure tale with - at first glance - an entertaining and straightforward story. But in Pullman's usual style, there is a deeper and more complex subplot that is not fully explained or resolved here. So fans can hope that there is more to tell in the world of His Dark Materials. And if that were not enough, Pullman also created a special board game for the book, which is included as an insert to the inside back cover. For more reviews, and writings, or to buy yourself a copy, please visit www.alexctelander.com More Reviews