Eragon is the first book in the Inheritance Cycle series, written, amazingly, by the author when he was just 15. Paolini was clearly a lover of fantasy, and his passion shows in the novel, with echoes of ‘Star Wars’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings’, with dragons thrown in for good measure!
Fellow fantasy lovers will enjoy the story of a poor farm boy who realises he is destined to do battle against the evil forces in his land when he discovers a dragon’s egg in the forboding forest near his home village. As well as epic quests and adventure, there is also violence and bloodshed – including the death of a baby impaled on a stake. Themes of good vs evil are prominent, and the ‘Shade’ and his minions – the urquals – are pretty scary, although no more so than characters from Tolkien’s works!
Recommended for teenage fans of fantasy worlds who are looking for a series to dig into.
The Colour of Magic was Pratchett’s first Discworld book. It came out when I was thirteen and I gobbled it, and then every other book he ever wrote. It was different from anything that had come before: sui generis, I think posh people call it. In a class of its own. Rubbish wizards, elderly barbarian heroes with false teeth, a flat planet carried on the back of a giant turtle … The Colour of Magic took tired ideas in fantasy writing and turned them on their head, creating something completely new and fresh. Also, did I mention funny? So, so funny. I still read the entire Discworld series from start to finish at least once a year and it always makes me think the world is a better place for having had Terry Pratchett in it.
review
Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:
Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:
Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?
Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?
Would you recommend the book for use in primary schools?
yes
Curriculum links (if relevant)
Curriculum links (if relevant)
Any other comments
Any other comments