This Dark Endeavor

This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


My husband and I listened to this book on a road trip. I think he thoroughly agreed with me that the book had all of the elements of a great book for boys: plenty of action, a little bit of a love interest from a boy's point of view, and then more action. The story is of twin boys, Victor, and Konrad who are sons of a wealthy family in the late 1700's. In this exciting adventure, Oppel creates the back story for Mary Shelley’s Dr. Frankenstein. The young Victor Frankenstein is a headstrong, arrogant, passionate young man who is determined to save his twin brother, Konrad, when he becomes seriously ill. To do so, he must venture into the hidden and forbidden Dark Library, a secret room in their home. Here he finds, with his cousin Elizabeth and his friend Henry, a recipe for an Elixir of Life, which he feels certain will save his brother’s life. The problem is translating the text of the ancient volume containing the recipe, and then finding the ingredients. In order to do this he has to enlist the help of Polidori, a banished alchemist. The ingredients for the Elixir are not easily obtained, but Victor, Elizabeth and Henry are up for the task. The quest leads them into some exciting situations that will engage even the most reluctant reader. Truly a great story.





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Thirteenth Child

Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The Thirteenth Child is a unique story told from the point of view of Eff, a thirteenth child, who is supposed to be bad luck because of her birth order as number 13. She is the twin sister of Lan, who conversely has special powers because he is the 7th son of a 7th son, so she always feels less than. She receives a reprieve from the extended family ridicule when her father, a professor of magic, takes a position at a college out west, but her feelings about being an unlucky 13th child travel with her. This alternate version of American history where there are magic steam dragons and other monsters to deal with as part of the settlement of the west is kind of a fun read. We follow Eff from age 5 to age 18 as she learns magic and has to determine if what she has always believed about herself is true.



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