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Watch Hollow
Ditulis oleh Gregory Funaro
Narasi oleh Reba Buhr
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New York Times bestselling author Gregory Funaro brings us into a world where magic exists, monsters roam in the shadows, and wooden animals come to life.
Deep within the enchanted woods in the town of Watch Hollow stands the once-grand Blackford House, whose halls hold a magical secret: a giant cuckoo clock that does much more than tell time. But when the clock's gears cease to turn, an evil presence lurking among the trees begins to come out of the shadows.
When Lucy and Oliver Tinker arrive in Watch Hollow, they have no idea that anything is wrong. A mysterious stranger has made their father an offer that's too good for him to refuse. All Mr. Tinker needs to do is fix the clock at Blackford House and fistfuls of gold coins are his to keep.
It doesn't take long, however, for the children to realize that there is more to Blackford House than meets the eye. And before they can entirely understand the strange world they've stumbled into, Lucy and Oliver must join forces with a host of magical clock animals to defeat the Garr—a vicious monster that not only wants Blackford House for itself, but also seeks to destroy everything the Tinkers hold dear.
Tindakan Buku
Mulai MendengarkanInformasi Buku
Watch Hollow
Ditulis oleh Gregory Funaro
Narasi oleh Reba Buhr
Deskripsi
New York Times bestselling author Gregory Funaro brings us into a world where magic exists, monsters roam in the shadows, and wooden animals come to life.
Deep within the enchanted woods in the town of Watch Hollow stands the once-grand Blackford House, whose halls hold a magical secret: a giant cuckoo clock that does much more than tell time. But when the clock's gears cease to turn, an evil presence lurking among the trees begins to come out of the shadows.
When Lucy and Oliver Tinker arrive in Watch Hollow, they have no idea that anything is wrong. A mysterious stranger has made their father an offer that's too good for him to refuse. All Mr. Tinker needs to do is fix the clock at Blackford House and fistfuls of gold coins are his to keep.
It doesn't take long, however, for the children to realize that there is more to Blackford House than meets the eye. And before they can entirely understand the strange world they've stumbled into, Lucy and Oliver must join forces with a host of magical clock animals to defeat the Garr—a vicious monster that not only wants Blackford House for itself, but also seeks to destroy everything the Tinkers hold dear.
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Great family book to listen to. We all loved it.
Rating: 5If a glance at the plot makes you fear that Watch Hollow is a just a rip-off of John Bellairs' The House With a Clock in its Walls, don't worry. It's not. The clock is visible, for one thing. Only Lucy and Oliver Tinker's mother is dead. Their father, Charles Tinker, is very much alive. He's an excellent clocksmith, but has a poor head for business. That's why Tinker's Clock Shop is in financial trouble. 13-year-old Ollie is as mechanically-minded as his father. 11-year-old Lucy isn't. She's currently in trouble for having fought back when bully Betsy Bigby assaulted and insulted her. Her punishment ends during the first chapter, in time for British Mr. Mortimer Quigley to offer her Dad a goodly sum to fix his clock.It's the clock in one of the walls of Blackford House in Watch Hollow, Rhode Island. Lucy's not happy about spending the summer away from her friends and activities. Oliver, who would have been beaten up by Betty Bigsby's big brother, Theo, if not for some help from a crow, is just as glad to leave.
Rating: 5One of the best books I've read this year. I love reading middle grade books because I teach middle grade students. This is one that will be on my shelves the day it comes out. Who wouldn’t love a story that had middle school age kids with all of their issues, monsters, a spooky house with talking animals? On top of that there is a monster in the woods called the Garr.The book opens with Lucy Tinker sitting in the display window of her dad’s clock repair shop. She is sitting there because she is in trouble. Her brother is trying to help her father. As they begin to close up a gentleman enters and makes a proposal that seems too good to be true. Mr. Quigley wants Mr. Tinker to repair a cuckoo clock in an old house he has recently acquired. He throws down a large amount of gold as an advance. Up to this point the family has had it financially tough. It doesn’t help that their mother had died from cancer two year before. Lucy seems to be the one who is often impulsive yet seems to be the glue holding them all together. Mr. Tinker agrees to move to the house and fix the clock. It seems that Mr. Quigley didn’t tell them everything they should have known. The house is very peculiar. There are talking animals. The woods seem to be alive with something evil within. Lucy can tell that something is not right. There father is thinking about how far the money would go. Trouble is not that far away. This book definitely takes you on a journey. The characters are very well done. My students could easily identify with them. Some of the problems they face are the same problems my own students face each day. This has easily become one of my favorites of this year. The adventure, magic, overall story will draw you in and hold you there for some time. I highly recommend this book.I received an advance copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
Rating: 5The Tinkers are a family that's been through the mill, what with them falling on hard times, and the loss of one of their one, if a world could be shades of grey, theirs would be fading to black. One day, an offer that's SO GOOD it can't possibly be hiding anything dark or sinister (yeah, right, and my name is George Washington) is laid at the feet of their father. He's a kind, loving man, who just wants to see his family out of debt, while somehow rediscovering their joy of life, of togetherness, despite the cloud of sadness they remain cloaked in. Accepting the "gift" fate has granted him, he takes on the task of fixing a massive clock (with abilities much beyond that of telling time!) in a mysterious old house, in the mysterious (and perhaps enchanted?) dark woods of Watch Hollow. What could go wrong... *-*
Right from the start, I felt for Lucy and Oliver. No, I've not had the sadness of my heart breaking in the same way as theirs, but I definitely feel their pain in my own way. They were finding their way through the dark days that absence created and while getting on each other's nerves, they were also constantly on the look out for the other. It was utterly endearing and played an integral part throughout the story, including the DANGEROUS and SUSPENSE FILLED END. Though Oliver liked to reason his way through things, being close to teen-dom, he wasn't always thinking clearly...add in a dose of morose to the heart, and it's easy to see how the wool was pulled over his eyes, and yet I can't find room in my heart to totally write him off as a "bad guy" for his choices. Lucy is an equally lovable character, though prickly in her own right. Worried about worrying everyone else, she kept too many things to herself, but her heart was ever so much in the right place. Her kindness, her caring, her utter desire to do the right thing even when it was the hard thing to do, kept her shining in my eyes, even when her own self-esteem faltered.
All in all, it was DARK, and ENCHANTING, filled with HOPE and with DESTRUCTION, but in the end, it reminds us to love the ones we're with, try not to regret the past but most certainly learn from it, and always spare a bit of kindness for a stranger...just, you know, don't invite the darkness in.
**ecopy received for review
Rating: 4Right from the start, I felt for Lucy and Oliver. No, I've not had the sadness of my heart breaking in the same way as theirs, but I definitely feel their pain in my own way. They were finding their way through the dark days that absence created and while getting on each other's nerves, they were also constantly on the look out for the other. It was utterly endearing and played an integral part throughout the story, including the DANGEROUS and SUSPENSE FILLED END. Though Oliver liked to reason his way through things, being close to teen-dom, he wasn't always thinking clearly...add in a dose of morose to the heart, and it's easy to see how the wool was pulled over his eyes, and yet I can't find room in my heart to totally write him off as a "bad guy" for his choices. Lucy is an equally lovable character, though prickly in her own right. Worried about worrying everyone else, she kept too many things to herself, but her heart was ever so much in the right place. Her kindness, her caring, her utter desire to do the right thing even when it was the hard thing to do, kept her shining in my eyes, even when her own self-esteem faltered.
All in all, it was DARK, and ENCHANTING, filled with HOPE and with DESTRUCTION, but in the end, it reminds us to love the ones we're with, try not to regret the past but most certainly learn from it, and always spare a bit of kindness for a stranger...just, you know, don't invite the darkness in.
**ecopy received for review
Mr. Funaro is back with new characters and old friends in the second installment in this series, Watch Hollow: The Alchemist's Shadow. In this book, we meet Agatha and Algernon, the twins. In the beginning I was not a fan of them as they were there to challenge Lucy and Oliver for Blackford House. I loved the first book, so my allegiance was to Lucy and Oliver. Although, Lucy and Oliver were not the only familiar faces that I was happy to see again. All of the animals from the clock. As if I could not love them any more, I did fall in love with them more. It was great to see them come to the rescue again. Both young and adult readers will enjoy reading these books. Yet, these books will be enjoyed more by the younger readers for which they are more geared towards. So the audience is just right. Think of these books in the same category as the movie, The House with a Clock in Its Walls. I recommend reading these books.
Rating: 4