|
 |
Children of the Lamp: The Akhenaten Adventure P.B. Kerr Orchard Books © 2004 |
It is an ordinary day in New York for the young identical twins John and Philippa Gaunt. Living in a luxurious house with their beautiful mother and more sophisticated father, John and Philippa are two very fortunate children who are dubbed “gifted” in school. However, when it comes time for another visit to the dentist, the two twins both miraculously have four wisdom teeth growing each! They are soon removed with surgery, but it is only the beginning of a series of peculiar events about to occur in the Gaunt family. Next, the children begin noticing weird and unusual details throughout their lives. First, John and Philippa have a vision of their odd uncle during their surgery, urging them to visit him in London; then, their housekeeper Mrs. Grump wins thirty-three million dollars in the New York Lottery. Other unexplainable events occur as well. On the way to London, an old couple mysteriously disappear from the plane and are found back in their home in Poughkeepsie. Soon, everything becomes more peculiar and the twins find that their lives will never be the same again.
In Children of the Lamp: The Akhenaten Adventure, many unusual, “magical” events occur. Many new words and mythical beings are created. This is what makes the novel appealing to younger readers, who adore heroic acts and enjoy make-believe myths. For these reasons, this novel is most appropriate for middle school aged readers, and the adventures and conflicts that have to be overcome ideally suit people in this age group. However, P.B. Kerr’s novel is still interesting for older readers as well, although maybe not as exciting. The book can be extremely predictable, however; every major event turned out the way I imagined it to be. The storyline was very basic for the majority of the book. Furthermore, the characters and interaction with their powers and surroundings was well thought out. The introduction of Djinn to the story made it much more fascinating. New creatures created new dilemmas and solutions to problems. Overall, the book and its plot can be compared to the famous Harry Potter series because of the classic theme of good vs. evil and similar concepts of magical powers used to overcome obstacles in the story. Both books mention a distinct supreme power in the main characters that they hold over regular human beings and incorporate this into the stories. Therefore, P.B. Kerr’s novel is an exciting adventure aimed toward a younger audience and filled with amazing events and puzzles that captivate the reader.
~ Rebecca Theophanous, 10th Grade, Boardman High School, Boardman, OH