Review: Fantasy for Younger Readers!!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 6, 2013
William Stuart has proven beyond a doubt with his children's fantasy, The Gemstone Chronicles Book One: The Carnelian that Grandparents Rock and the hero worship young children give them is well deserved! The adventures young Aidan and Maggie went on with Beebop and Nana were definitely more exciting than the latest electronic game! As the story begins, Aidan and Maggie go rock hunting with their grandfather. The kids come across a most unusual stone that contains a magical elf from another world. What do the grandparents do? They offer the elf a place to stay, food, all without the huge hoopla that we all KNOW parents would have shown! Findecano, the elf, is being chased by an ugly troll who has been after him for eons and who shows up the next day through a hidden `barrier' between our world and the magical world of Celahir. The group, grandparents, elf and kids must travel to Celahir through the barrier and their magical adventure truly begins as they go racing through the perils presented by so many magical creatures! If not for Nan's ability to be unflappable and Beebop's "MacGiver-like" brains and ingenuity, the four of them would never have stood a chance! Aidan and Maggie witness firsthand what keeping a cool head can do, learning valuable lessons along the way. But, will they be back home before their parents come to get them? Would their parents even believe what happened to them? This could be one time that what happens at Grandma's STAYS at Grandma's!William Stuart has created a beautiful escape for children, filled with awe inspiring wonder. His descriptions of a world so different from our own invite the imagination to run wild! What I especially liked was how he allowed his characters to ask about and learn of our world, too, through Beebop, Nana and even the kids. A well-done adventure for children of all ages to share!Thank you for sharing your imagination with us!