The Glimme

The Glimme
Emily Rodda & Marc McBride
ISBN: 978-1-86291-957-0

Hi Everyone,

I purchased this book over the Christmas holidays because of the cover and the pictures inside.  It is one of the most wonderfully presented novels I have ever come across.  There is 376 pages of well written text and amazing pictures to accompany it.  I just had to have it purely because of the presentation.

Six months later and I thought I would pick it up and see what the story told. I could be a little bias here because I enjoy both fantasy and children's genre, so if you are like me... you might need a copy for your bookcase too.  I enjoyed the journey that Emily Rodda took me on.  There were times that I had to stop and think about what character was taking the limelight, and I found that at times I was wanting the story to go a little faster.  I expected the housekeeper to turn up in the Glimme world but to my surprise she didn't, rather there was quite a twist at the end in which she was drawn back into the plot.  The end was in fact, very well written as it connected each character back into their rightful places while leaving a little speckle of unexpected which didn't leave the story in a state of 'normal/regular' old story line.

My favorite characters were the giants.  I would have stayed with them right there on the pages.  They were a breath of fresh air placed into the story and I applause Emily Rodda for including them in their rightful place.  They made me smile and keep turning the pages to see if they were still with me in the pages.

Now, for you to get a good idea of this wonderful gem of a book I have included the following youtube clip which was put on youtube by Children's Book Council of Australia.  It is a reading of The Glimme by Emily Rodda.  You will get a glimpse of the pictures that adorn the pages and an idea of the story.

While I was watching this clip I thought I would check out the Children's Book Council of Australia (click link to check it out too).  It is worth checking out, there are a few good reviews and readings on their page.

There we go, you now have two assignments...

1.  Pick up a copy of The Glimme and read it for yourself
2. Take a look at The Children's Book Council of Australia's youtube page

Description:

Finn's life in the village of Wichant is hard.  Only his drawings of the wild coastline, with its dragon-shaped clouds and headlands that look like giants, make him happy.

Then the strange housekeeper from a mysterious clifftop mansion sees his talent, buys him for a handful of gold and then reveals to him seven extraordinary paintings.  Finn thinks the paintings must be pure fantasy - such amazing scenes and creatures can't be real!

He's wrong.  Soon he is going to slip through the veil between worlds and plunge intothe wonders and perils of the Glimme.

Happy reading