A kids book with enough adventure and tension to make anyone enjoy it. Cecilia Undergarment grew up in a balloon house. Not an actual balloon, but a house shaped like a balloon. She also had a secret; she can talk to animals. (Very Eliza Thornberry, I know). One day she was playing in the attic when she heard a dog barking wildly. She couldn't tell what the dog was saying (she has to be able to look at the face of the animals she talks to in order to understand them), but she could tell this dog was upset. The dog belonged to Mr. Procter her next door neighbor. Mr. Procter used to be super nice, but then he opened up Proctermart and become a mean selfish man. The dog, Rocky, was telling Cecilia that he hadn't been fed properly. See, Rocky belong to Mr. Procter's wife but she had disappeared along with their daughter a while ago. Mr. Procter never really cared for the dog, so he wasn't taking the time to feed him. Cecilia was very upset by this and came up with a plan to save Rocky which only angered Mr. Procter into attacking her house with a bulldozer. Cecilia had taken Rocky and the two of them were playing in the attic while this was going on. The attic was built to mimic a balloon and had special compartments both on the inside and the outside that would inflate to save the attic from crumbling into the house if the house was ever damaged. Only, the designer of the house had assumed that if anyone were in the attic when this occurred, they would be the size of adults and not a small girl and an emaciated dog. So Cecilia and Rocky were swept away by the wind while trapped in the attic/balloon. The wind continued to blow them all across the neighborhood until finally setting them down in the most feared area nearby. The Northwood forest. The book tells the story of Cecilia and Rocky as they navigate the Northwood forest and discover its secrets. A quick read that I really enjoyed and highly recommend! Northwood was a beautiful, beautiful book!I debated between four and five stars only because of this: I teach 7th grade, and it is a bit more of a challenge for me to rate a book that falls on the younger end of the spectrum. But after thinking of myself when I was younger, and some of my students who I'd recommend this to, I went for five stars.Here were some of my favorite things about Northwood:- The language. Falkner's vocabulary is so lovely. His word choices are precise (unless it is Evan speaking, of course, in which case, it's funny!) and he doesn't shy away from words that, on their own, may be unfamiliar. The beauty of Falkner's vocabulary is that much of the meaning can be determined by context clues. If I were doing this as a read aloud, I'd try to find a vocabulary lesson as a companion to the text because it lends itself so well to such instruction.- The setting. Both Northwood and Cecelia Undergarment's neighborhood are portrayed in vivid detail. You see, Cecelia lives in a house built together in a series of balloons. One awful day, Cecelia's attic balloon pops free, and she and Rocky the Samoyed float into the dark, foggy Northwood forest. Falkner's descriptions of Northwood bring the reader right into this imagined forest - and he even offers up 'logical' explanations of the illogical. There are many mysteries to Northwood, and he illuminates them - but it doesn't make them less magical. The black lions, the constant fog, the impossibly hard tarblood trees... Falkner provides entertaining reasons for their being.- The characters. Cecelia is an engaging character, and much of the story revolves around her. When Cecelia overhears a dog's cries that it is hungry, she moves into action. Yes - she hears the dog's complaints, because Cecelia can communicate with animals. One thing I found admirable about Cecelia's character is that she always tried the honest, direct route first - and would come up with creative solutions later. She's willing to tackle adventure, yes, though she's also willing to be truthful, before anything else. Then, we've got the constantly bickering twins, who bring humor to Northwood. Their sibling rivalry is funny, and Falkner gives these twins distinct personalities. Of course, Evan is my personal favorite because he tries to use interesting words... and he uses them ALMOST right. The King is a bit of an over the top kind of character, but is entertaining, and despite his faults, so fun.This book is done just right. It's a beautiful combination of lovely language, setting, characters, and plot. I'll be sure to recommend it to some of my readers!
What do You think about Northwood (2011)?
A definite "two thumbs up" for middle school readers!
—dawn
black lions AWESOME! talking to animals AWESOME!
—harshini
