THE EVER BREATH surprisingly and happily brought me back to memories of days when I devoured books by Eva Ibbotson, Roald Dahl, and the like. Young readers about to move past too-easy chapter books will eagerly swallow up this old-fashioned kid-versus-evil adventure tale.
Truman, Camille, and almost all of the characters are remarkably well developed. Truman, with his countless allergies and medical problems, manages to find his place in the Breath World, while his tough-exterior sister learns that she can be vulnerable and still be okay. They read like they could be your friends, or your classmates.
The world-building is fantastic, drawing us in quickly yet beautifully, with interesting but not overwhelming descriptions and happily paced narration. It is clear from her prose that Baggott knows how to write for late-elementary school kids. However, the ending seemed disproportionately swift and too easily wrapped up compared to the amount of detail and attention paid to introducing the characters, setting, and conflict.
In spite of that, THE EVER BREATH is still a worthwhile book to steer kids toward. It brings back all the magic of juvenile fantasy that I often reminisce about. I have a feeling that Baggott's books will go alongside Eva Ibbotson's as great reads for 8- to 12-year-olds.
Truman, Camille, and almost all of the characters are remarkably well developed. Truman, with his countless allergies and medical problems, manages to find his place in the Breath World, while his tough-exterior sister learns that she can be vulnerable and still be okay. They read like they could be your friends, or your classmates.
The world-building is fantastic, drawing us in quickly yet beautifully, with interesting but not overwhelming descriptions and happily paced narration. It is clear from her prose that Baggott knows how to write for late-elementary school kids. However, the ending seemed disproportionately swift and too easily wrapped up compared to the amount of detail and attention paid to introducing the characters, setting, and conflict.
In spite of that, THE EVER BREATH is still a worthwhile book to steer kids toward. It brings back all the magic of juvenile fantasy that I often reminisce about. I have a feeling that Baggott's books will go alongside Eva Ibbotson's as great reads for 8- to 12-year-olds.
