I’m really glad to be able to read the sample First Impression of this book. Sometimes, outside of Bookish First, I choose a book without reading the synopsis because the cover/title catches my attention. HOW TO HEAL A GRYPHON is a book that I would pick up to read based solely on the beautiful cover. It grabbed my attention immediately and I wanted to know more about the story contained within the pages.
The premise of this book is exciting. I love the adorably spunky main character, Giada. She seems to have some sass… “Nothing escapes you now that you’ve got new glasses, Maestra Vita. They look great, by the way.” That had me laughing. I suspect there’s more where that came from.
Being an animal lover myself, I’m excited to find out if she’ll be able to reconcile her differences with her family regarding traditions and be able to practice her magical abilities to heal animals. She's already started to with the baby gryphon she helped and was then carrying in her backpack, but will she be able to continue in a way that's accepted by her parents, teacher, and the rest of her community? I’m a fan of books that explore family dynamics and tradition. The conflict between characters in these situations often leads to interesting character development.
At the very end of the excerpt, Giada’s teacher is reprimanding her and comments how her brother was her best student and she should be like him. Giada replies, “He’s not all that great, you know.” We know from the synopsis that her brother is taken and Giada is the only one that can save him. Her reply to the teacher makes me curious about all the things we don’t know about her brother. Is whatever’s not that great about him, as Giada states, the reason for his abduction? I look forward to reading more to find out.
HOW TO HEAL A GRYPHON appears well-written and appropriate/enjoyable for a middle grade audience. Despite being targeted for that age range, this is a book that I’d still love to read as an adult. The characters introduced so far were great and the descriptive writing was fantastic with regard to setting the scene.
The premise of this book is exciting. I love the adorably spunky main character, Giada. She seems to have some sass… “Nothing escapes you now that you’ve got new glasses, Maestra Vita. They look great, by the way.” That had me laughing. I suspect there’s more where that came from.
Being an animal lover myself, I’m excited to find out if she’ll be able to reconcile her differences with her family regarding traditions and be able to practice her magical abilities to heal animals. She's already started to with the baby gryphon she helped and was then carrying in her backpack, but will she be able to continue in a way that's accepted by her parents, teacher, and the rest of her community? I’m a fan of books that explore family dynamics and tradition. The conflict between characters in these situations often leads to interesting character development.
At the very end of the excerpt, Giada’s teacher is reprimanding her and comments how her brother was her best student and she should be like him. Giada replies, “He’s not all that great, you know.” We know from the synopsis that her brother is taken and Giada is the only one that can save him. Her reply to the teacher makes me curious about all the things we don’t know about her brother. Is whatever’s not that great about him, as Giada states, the reason for his abduction? I look forward to reading more to find out.
HOW TO HEAL A GRYPHON appears well-written and appropriate/enjoyable for a middle grade audience. Despite being targeted for that age range, this is a book that I’d still love to read as an adult. The characters introduced so far were great and the descriptive writing was fantastic with regard to setting the scene.