Review: A Great Summer Read for Kids of All Ages
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 12, 2013
Cathryn Price has a secret she passed on to her granddaughter. She has also left behind her Red River home and an enchanted pond stocked with fish, Walter the turtle, and Gracie, an empathetic spider. Overlooking the pond and protecting it from predators is Thalia, a guardian of the land. But this ancient Cedar is dying due to an extended draught and a mischievous raccoon named Gaspar and his band of malevolent rats.Author Jennie Samuel brings middle school readers a tale comparable to Charlotte's Web. Instead of a barnyard backdrop, Beyond the Pond takes readers to a Texas backyard pond. Samuel's enchanted writing style draws her audience in quickly holding them there as the pond creatures figure out a way to save their beloved Thalia before it is too late. Perhaps the new fish in the pond, Olivia, will be able to reach the mythical springs and coerce the great Artesia to save Thalia's life.Using her Christian faith as the foundation for her story, Samuel creates a tale that should be on every kid's book list this summer. The secret Olivia uncovers is absolutely mindboggling.Michael Thal is the author of The Legend of Koolura.