Hiding from a cadaverous stalker in 1046 England, Thorston races to unleash the magical charms from the diabolical Book Without Words. Suddenly-with success almost in his grasp-he slumps to the floor, muttering cryptic words. Newbery Award-winning author Avi adds this jewel to his many literary gems offered by Recorded Books. "Thoughtful readers will devour its absorbing plot and humorous elements, and learn a 'useful truth' along the way."-School Library Journal
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"This is the first book I have read by Avi. I liked it very much. Avi calls it a fable of medieval magic, which it is, and as such it is a morality tale. Sybil is an orphan who is grateful for her new position as maid for an ancient, surly man who has been seeking to extend his life, to never die. It is a miserable job, but at least she is fed and sheltered. Unbeknownst to Sybil the old alchemist has plans to steal her life to add to his. The book also features a talking crow, Odo, and two other children who participate in the puzzle of the book without words. Will they find the old man's gold? Discover how to make gold? Escape the fate of hanging planned for them by the town reeve? Achieve a better life?"
— Mary (5 out of 5 stars)
" I tried to get into this book, loved the setting and the characters, however, the story line and character development left me feeling detached from them. I did finish the book, but felt a bit unsatisfied with the ending. "
— Kathy, 2/16/2014" Well, I don't know if this counts as reading it, but I did begin it! I got so frustrated with the overabundance of adjectives that I just couldn't take it any more. I stopped reading shortly into Chapter 2. Now I know why I got it for $1 on the Borders Clearance rack! "
— Emlyn, 2/12/2014" Meh. Ill developed characters "
— RachelAnne, 1/31/2014" Although I am not necessarily the target audience, as this writer typically targets children, I did not like the story and I'm not sure it would be engaging for a younger audience. It was not entertaining, though literature surely does not have to be entertaining; the characters were not engaging, and almost seemed one-dimensional (as plot movers), which may be due to the omniscient point of view. It was overwrought with morality; much like reading a long parable or a slow moving fairy tale.....the author calls the story a fable, but there is only one talking animal. At the end of the book there were teaching materials, so clearly, the publisher/author intend for this to be used in classrooms; since the morals were so blatant, perhaps the story would be best read aloud to a young audience. "
— Carrie, 1/17/2014" kinda weird but good "
— Jessica, 1/13/2014" I read this book and at first it was ok but I soon loved it!!!!!!!!!! I think you should read it "
— Molly, 1/13/2014" I liked this book very much. It was a refreshing change from everything else I've been reading lately. It was short, sweet and held my attention the whole way through. "
— Kimifly, 1/7/2014" I honestly don't remember when I read this book... Early elementary? Anyway, I really didn't understand it. And I've forgotten most of it. I liked it because it had a ginger cult... Right...? Or a lot of ginger characters... "
— Riley, 1/7/2014" a great story with wonderful history. this peice makes me want to learn more about the lore that inspired it. "
— Chelsea, 12/2/2013" I saw this book on the juvenile fiction shelves as I was picking up a book for Anna and the title drew me in. Unfortunately, it wasn't as fascinating as the title led me to believe! "
— Shannon, 11/29/2013" Fun. Well done. "
— Mckinley, 10/6/2013" This was good storytelling, fast paced and well developed characters. 5th grade and up. "
— Nancy, 9/14/2013" I love this book.Give it a try and you'll love it too "
— Loan, 8/7/2013" This book had an interesting idea to it. Not really fantasy but not really historical fiction. I liked the characters and the plot made me look twice. I might read it again sometime soon. "
— Jess, 4/24/2013" A good story - very exciting but the ending is a little weak. "
— Dorcas, 4/11/2013" I read this on a car trip this summer when I had finished my book and I hijacked one of the ones my sister wasn't using. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Avi was still awesome because I remembered reading and loving a few good Avi novels when I was younger. "
— Maria, 3/6/2013" This may be exactly the right book for some readers, but, alas, it was not for me. I really do like Avi, but I could not get myself to care about the characters here. If you really like magical adventures, go ahead and give this a shot. Normally, I like this kind of book, but I couldn't get into it. "
— Kathleen, 4/20/2012" I actually listened to the playaway digital book and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was rather dark, but I enjoyed the characters. "
— Alicia, 4/18/2012" A classic tale of good versus evil done in fantasy. "
— Sue, 12/14/2011" No pacing. I couldn't follow the purpose of the plot and I never did care about the characters. The details just added clutter to the writing rather than clarity. "
— Lia, 8/21/2011" I listened to this book years ago on audio book and I really enjoyed it. I don't remember much of it now, but I might give this a re-read just to see what my thoughts of it are today. "
— Cameron, 6/28/2011" Very interesting,lots to ponder. Full of alchemy and magic. "
— Joanne, 6/24/2011" Entertaining light read. The fable was sweet, not too heavy-handed. "
— Karen, 4/8/2011" This was the first book I read by Avi but the first time I actually heard of him was when my teacher read a book by him.I was impressed and that is why ichose to read this book. "
— Sophie, 3/11/2011" Strange, dark and witchcraft-y. I have liked other books by Avi, but this one wasn't my cup of tea. "
— Stefanieq, 2/7/2011" Well, I don't know if this counts as reading it, but I did begin it! I got so frustrated with the overabundance of adjectives that I just couldn't take it any more. I stopped reading shortly into Chapter 2. Now I know why I got it for $1 on the Borders Clearance rack! "
— Emlyn, 12/29/2010" I read this book for a summer reading book as well. I really liked the plot and the message that it gave. It was a surprisingly good fable of medieval magic. "
— Katherine, 12/22/2010" Absolutely amazing book. I read it about about 4 or 5 years ago and I still remember it vividly. I am hunting down a copy of this FOR SURE for myself for christmas "
— Katy, 12/20/2010" I was reading this to see if it would be a good one to read with my son. It wasn't as good as I thought it would be. No real surprises and not a much fun as I thought it should be. It has a great title, and that's about it. I'd give it a miss. "
— Robyn, 12/18/2010" I'm surprised by the lowish rating on this book. Liked the magic and the old world setting. "
— Scott, 11/29/2010" If you like a cranky old wizard, a talking crow, magic and spells, and servent gir who wants to take action. u will L-O-V-E this book "
— Madie, 11/14/2010" I listened to this on a red eye flight, I was awake but I'm pretty sure there are parts of the book I missed... might have to read it now! <br/> <br/>I have re-listened to it! Boy I missed a lot the first time. "
— Susan, 10/12/2010" I think I would've liked this one more if nearly every character wasn't so greedy as to lust after false gold constantly. Even though they knew it was false and would backfire on them, they still wanted it. That got a little old. Still, an interesting story with some suspense for kids. "
— babyhippoface, 8/27/2010" Just finished the book. It was a nice book. Not a book for everyone must admit. A book about children treated like ponds in a way, but they find their own way all over a book that can only be read by a person with green eyes. "
— Heather, 5/11/2010" I've been more impressed with Avi's other books. This was a cute story, and I enjoyed reading it, but it wasn't more than just a story. "
— Jill-Marie, 4/19/2010" This book was pretty good. The story kept me interested, and I especially liked Odo, who reminded me of Crowie (i miss that bird) with all his hopping around and orneriness. "
— Katie, 3/3/2010Avi is the author of more than fifty books for children and young adults, including the 2003 Newbery Medal winner Crispin: The Cross of Lead. Along with his two Newbery Honors, he has won many other awards for his fiction. He lives with his family in Denver.
John Curless is a theater, film, and television actor. He has appeared on Broadway in Journeys End, The Sound of Music, and The King and I and off-Broadway in Passion Play, Comic Potential, and The Entertainer. His film and television credits include Vibrations, Ed, and NYPD Blue. His audiobook narrations have been awarded two AudioFile Earphones Awards.