Peter W. Hassinger

The Book of Alfar is about Alfar, a dwarf who seems to be failing the dark side of his family. The blurb on the back of the book makes it sound like the story is about Sander, a young boy, who does many things with the help of Alfar and Mini, a Native American girl but Alfar is the center of the action.

All his life Alfar has been under the influence of his grandfather the Lord of the Dunderburg. The Lord makes rude remarks about Alfar's intellectual pursuits and care for creatures he should feel are beneath him. The Lord uses the circumstances of the deaths of Alfar's parents to inflame anger and fear. Alfar seems to be trying but he becomes friends with humans and cannot sustain rage at those who have not hurt him.

Alfar's grandfather takes drastic measures and Sander helps Alfar make the decision to be who he is and not who others wish him to be. Along the way Alfar AND Sander learn much about themselves as well as the truth about the past.

Cool book. The suggested reading age is 9+. I recommended it to a 14 year old boy, a 12 year old girl, two 11 year old boys, and a 10 year old girl. The 10 year old girl did not care for the book.… (mehr)