Reviewed by Olivia
Rating: High Three 1/2
Who I'd Recommend to: Fans of Peter and the Starcatcher, Doctor Doolittle, and other great classics.
Synopsis (from Amazon):
An ancient book is opened by the eccentric Professor Lidenbrock and his life – and the life of his nephew Axel – is changed for ever. An old piece of paper has tumbled from the book, a priceless parchment that will lead them on a terrifying journey to find what lies at the centre of the Earth.
(click the green Read More button at the bottom right hand corner of this post to see the full review)
Rating: High Three 1/2
Who I'd Recommend to: Fans of Peter and the Starcatcher, Doctor Doolittle, and other great classics.
Synopsis (from Amazon):
An ancient book is opened by the eccentric Professor Lidenbrock and his life – and the life of his nephew Axel – is changed for ever. An old piece of paper has tumbled from the book, a priceless parchment that will lead them on a terrifying journey to find what lies at the centre of the Earth.
(click the green Read More button at the bottom right hand corner of this post to see the full review)
Thoughts (as of now): I went through a stage when I was Oscar's age when I would only read the Warriors books or anything by the same author (or group of authors, in this case :). My parents tried to help me find something else I would like and eventually convinced me to (a bit grudgingly) begin Black Beauty. I then dove into a stage where I would only read classics, but that slowly began to die away. The next classic I picked up was Lord of the Flies, which I didn't particularly like. So finally, Oscar hits the "classics" stage, and begins reading King Arthur and Jules Verne and more amazing books I haven't read (yet). At almost the same time, my teacher tells my class that we have to read classics and do book reports, and I'm stuck. For years, I stopped liking classics, just because of one bad-ish apple. After a lot of thought, I agree to do Journey to the Center of the Earth and for some reason, as soon I start reading, immediately know that this book is different that any I've read before. The writing is rich and captivating, the characters witty and realistic, and the story is fascinating. There's a lot of great action that keeps the reader on their toes, unlike some other duller classics I've read. Thanks to this book (which I've not finished yet), I'm out of my "classics slump." :)
UPDATE: After completing this book, I have mixed opinions. Since I basically said all the positives in the previous section, I'm going to quickly skim through the negatives, the few that there were. There was a period in this book where I felt like I could not read on any longer. This was during the hundred or so pages before Axel and Professor Lidenbrock actually are beneath the surface of the earth. There was WAY less action, and too many little details that weren't needed, or didn't interest the reader. There were a couple other similar periods in the story, which I expected but had hoped not to encounter. I find that many classics are this way (overly wordy). That may just be because I gravitate towards more modern writing (The Young Elites, Divergent, the Lunar Chronicles, even books like Wings of Fire), but it still takes away from my reading experience, all the same.
UPDATE: After completing this book, I have mixed opinions. Since I basically said all the positives in the previous section, I'm going to quickly skim through the negatives, the few that there were. There was a period in this book where I felt like I could not read on any longer. This was during the hundred or so pages before Axel and Professor Lidenbrock actually are beneath the surface of the earth. There was WAY less action, and too many little details that weren't needed, or didn't interest the reader. There were a couple other similar periods in the story, which I expected but had hoped not to encounter. I find that many classics are this way (overly wordy). That may just be because I gravitate towards more modern writing (The Young Elites, Divergent, the Lunar Chronicles, even books like Wings of Fire), but it still takes away from my reading experience, all the same.
