Teresa FlavinRezensionen

SS
Chapter book about the life of Harriet Tubman

jB

The blurb states: "Recommended for lovers of mythology and monsters, mystery and magic." Totally not my style. In most cases I would have passed over it without a second though. I'm so glad I didn't.

This book was easy to fall right into, just as Dean and Sunni "fall" into a painting and get wrapped up in adventures there as they try to find their way back. The story is full of imagination and, yes, "mystery and magic", but it somehow manages to stay within the realms of realism as well. You almost expect that if you could find Blackhope Castle and the magic labyrinth you would be able to find Arcadia, the idealistic land within the painting, as well.

Score one for not following my reading instincts and going outside my usual genre interest!

Two teenagers walk through a seemingly painted door and land in the past.
It's just so far-fetched, and certainly not what I would typically be interested in. But author Teresa Flavin makes it work. Her descriptions of two modern teens trying to survive amid 1700s London sounds, dare I say it, rational. Just as in the first installment of this series (The Blackhope Enigma), Flavin writes so vividly that you think if you could just find that door, you could step through it as well. I think I have a new favorite author!

Summary
A fight for freedom is what this woman had to endure. Harriet Tubman she wanted the best for African Americans, she knew freedom was the only solution. The book talks about Harriet Tubman life a child born into slavery and all the hardship she had to endure. She was one of the leaders of helping people escape via the Underground Railroad. During her life time she help the Union Army as a spy to win the Civil war. She was known as Moses, she lead her people to the promise land.

Personal Reaction:

I love to read about history especially Black history. Kids of color need to know the struggle that their ancestor went through to have a better understanding of themselves. Freedom isn’t always free someone had to fight and die for you to earn that right. This book is an amazing book to read to young men and women of color.

Classroom Extension Ideas:

1.Have kids to write down what they believe what freedom is.

2.Ask the kids have they heard of Harriet Tubman and explain her accomplishments.

3.Have kids of different races to read an insert of the books together.

I was excited to receive this book for review, but what I didn't realize at the time was that it is not really a stand-alone but rather the final installment in a series. My rating would have been higher had I read the previous installments. That said, I did enjoy the book and fairly quickly adjusted myself to what may have gone before. In fact, I hope to purchase the two previous books. This series by Teresa Flavin, judging from this book, is a fascinating journey of magic and time travel that I'm sure juvenile readers will enjoy as I did.

There is some confusion in trying to read this single book without knowing exactly what went on before, although there are many references in this book to the previous ones, enough possibly to keep the momentum flowing from one book to another. Enough to clue the reader in to what went before, and how the situation came to be in this book. Not to say too much about what happened previously, there is plenty of excitement and especially so when it comes to Hallowe'en night and the school community party.

The main characters in the present are teens Sunni, Blaise, Maddy and Dean. Among the adults are the parents and Mr. Bell, who is mainly in charge of the party, Angus, a former art forger who is Mr. Bell's cousin, and the mysterious Munroe, who claims to capture spirits on film and is giving a performance of a magical projecting lantern with hand-painted glass slides, a strange shadow lantern. From the past, we have Fausto Corvo in 1582, a purported magician and artist who combines the two, Lady Ishbel once alive and now a spirit in the present and Soranzo who would like to get his hands on Corvo's paintings.

Enigma Night is being planned for Hallowe'en night at Blackhope Tower, the place where so much has (and will) happen. Sunni and Blaise have disappeared from that tower in the past and it has a great deal to do with a Corvo painting that is housed there. Why was there a labyrinth in the tower room, why did skeletons pop up on it from thin air, why and how did it disappear? Munro is setting up a display and talks about his wonderful find, the antique and magical Oculus, apparently originally commissioned by Corvo. Is it possible that Corvo's secrets are trapped inside? The lamp is very unusual, but what is more unusual is what it does, something Sunni and Blaise will discover to their shock and amazement. What has happened to Mr. Bell, the art teacher who is mainly in charge of the party? He has disappeared. What causes the tower to begin to self-destruct? This book is full of fun, magic, adventure, and secret codes, perfect entertainment for the juvenile set. I enjoyed it to the point that I will probably obtain the other two books in the series, The Blackhope Enigma and The Crimson Shard.

The cover is what grabbed me first, but the story is why I keep reading. It is sooo different from what I am used to reading, but in a good way.

Sunni Forrest, ridiculous name by the way, is a talented artist who has some competition at school. Mr. Bell, the art teacher, assigns the class to choose a painter and complete a project. Blaise,the competition, and Sunni have both chosen to research Fausto Corvo.

They meet at the Blackhope Tower while conducting some research, but instead find themselves caught in the mystery of the disappearance of Dean, Sunni's stepbrother. Each of them end up inside Corvo's famous painting--the Mariner's Chamber, but their surviving this painted world is questionable.

Teresa Flavin used such vivid description to bring the reader into the painting along-side Dean, Blaise and Sunni. These three characters are diverse, but are able to work together to solve the mystery to get back home alive. I knew going in that they would survive and eventually make it home; however, I never was able to guess just how. That makes this worth the read!

Paintings and Labyrinths and Monsters, Oh My!
Sunni and step-brother, Dean, are at Blackhope Castle so Sunni can work on an art project. While Sunni is studying a painting, Dean studies the labyrinth on the floor and accidently transports himself into the painting…Sunni manages to figure out how he did it and follows him…leaving her friend Blaise as the only person who knows what is going on.

Meanwhile, Sunni and Dean must figure out how to get themselves back out of the painting. Along the way they discover other people in the painting, monsters, swash-buckling adventures on the high seas, and the answers to several centuries worth of questions and mysteries surrounding the painting and it’s creator.

This was a wonderful story in vein of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Blackhope had a little of everything…mystery, thrills, adventure, and a hint of romance. Flavin created several little worlds that all interlaced beautifully. Her writing was very atmospheric…I loved that when Sunni and Dean examined the picture from within the picture, the details were smudged, kind of like when a picture on the screen is blown up and you can see the individual pixels. It’s the little details, like this, that really made the story…but Flavin didn’t bury the reader with them.

Sunni, our heroine, was quick thinking, while Dean was her comedic foil…snarky without trying to be. Blaise, Sunni’s friend, was the perfect balance to Sunni and with the two of them working together it was clear they could accomplish anything. Bellini, the art thief, out for himself no matter the cost, foiled at every turn…and really got his comeuppance in the end. I loved where he ended up (couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy!). You never really knew who Hugo was and if he could be trusted! And Marin, well, I started out hating him, but loved him by the end of the story!

This book is geared more towards 5th-8th graders, but could be enjoyed by anyone who like a little magic with their adventure.

While studying a strange painting by a Medieval painter in Blackhope Tower, Sunni Forrest’s annoying step-brother, Dean, is mysteriously transported into the old painting. Sunni has no choice but to enter the painting herself in hopes of rescuing him. Eventually, she is joined by her friend Blaise who witnessed Sunni’s disappearance and is determined to bring her back. The group find themselves lost in a strange new world called Arcadia, which at first glance seems almost perfect, but on closer inspection is filled with danger and mystery. The three of them must work through a maze of paintings within paintings if they ever expect to get out. Along the way they meet a host of characters, both good and bad as they battle their way across mysterious lands, high seas and a deserted island to find their way back home.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Ms. Flavin has crafted a truly unique and engaging story for reader’s of all ages. The book flows well, is filled with adventure, magic and a host of engaging characters that kept me plowing through until the end. While some of the situations faced by the characters seemed a bit hollow to me, it didn’t ruin the overall flow of the story and younger readers probably won’t mind. If you are a fan of exciting adventures, or if you are looking for one last book for your child to read before they go back to school, I highly recommend this one.

(Review based on an Advanced Reader’s Copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley)

The Blackhope Enigma is a fun mystery that all starts when Sunni’s stepbrother, Dean, accidentally transports himself into one of Fausto Corvo’s magical paintings. Sunni, determined to get him back, follows the labyrinth path and joins him in the picture, leaving Blaise standing alone and shortly thereafter being shuffled out of the room by a guard. Determined to get Sunni and Dean out, Blaise finds a way into the picture with them, despite the media and police crowds searching for two lost kids.

In a fast-paced story, Dean, Sunni, and Blaise have to work their way through a maze (literally and figuratively) to escape from the paintings within the painting and make their way back home. Of course, it’s easier said than done most of the time. The three encounter a fun cast of good guys, bad guys, and everything in between as they battle deadly creatures, sail on the high seas, and trek through a deserted island—all in the hopes of finding a way back to their own world.

The book has its share of predictable and slightly cheesy situations, but they don’t interrupt the flow of the story or detract from its overall telling. Teresa Flavin has crafted a fun story that many readers will enjoy. It’s full of fast-paced adventure and mystery with just a splash of magic and history. Readers will be drawn in by her descriptions of this magical world (or worlds) within the painting.

The premise of this book really struck me as original. I don’t think it can even really be compared to any books I’ve read lately and I struggle to draw a comparison between this book and many others. It’s not quite time travel yet it doesn’t really have a real fantasy feel to it. For me, that just shows how well the story is woven together to seamlessly incorporate elements of contemporary, fantasy, and historical stories. I also really loved the descriptions that Teresa provided as they moved between worlds within the paintings, describing the white paint that covered the magic world that existed under the exterior painting.

There were a few points at the beginning where I felt like things were almost going too fast for my liking. We meet our characters and next thing you know they’re in the painting! I wouldn’t have even thought to look for Dean in the painting and it was surprising (and maybe a tad unrealistic) how quickly Sunni figured it out. Once the actual adventures began inside the painting, I definitely found myself settling into and enjoying the story, but the beginning just seemed a tad rushed to me.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this. It was a fast-paced read. I think I would recommend it to “tweens” (or young teens) as a good read. I think it would appeal to a wide variety of readers since it incorporates elements of many different types of stories.½

Blurb: An old painting...
A Strange Labyrinth...
The sudden appearance of skeletons in a locked room...

For centuries, Blackhope Tower has been shrouded in intrigue, which seems to centre around a curious painting hanging in the Mariner's Chamber. It's meaning has baffled historians, but when fourteen-year-old Sunni Forrest visits the tower, she finds herself transported to the very heart of the Blackhope Enigma, and the painting itself. Can she and her friend Blaise overcome its dangers and evade their ruthless pursuers? And will they find their way home... alive?
An age-old mystery is about to unravel.

The last book I read about people dissapearing into magical paintings was Mirrorscape... and that was awful. This, however is a mystical, imaginative take on an old idea. The character's are a little cheesy - Sunni, who has a crush on someone way older than her, her annoying younger brother and the guy that fancies her... you know how it goes.
The layers of the painting, leading to different worlds, was an amazing idea. There's a maze in this, which reminded me strongly of Maze Runner crossed with HP and the GOF.
A fantastic read for all ages (even if you just want to learn how to say Chiaroscuro!).

I loved this story. I realize that it is a short version of a very big story, but I love the way that it is told. This book tells the story of Harriet Tubman from the time that she was born into slavery in 1820 until her death in 1913. It tells of her courage, strength and dedication to the freedom of others. This book also has a glossary, target words and readers tips.

Sequel to: The blackhope enigma.