For this very reason I am pleased my family and I have found S.D. Children’s problems are growing weightier, darker, and their literature is reflecting that in the name of “reality,” “daily life” and “awareness.” It is not any worse than previous generations have experienced, but it is certainly a marked characteristic of our current culture. Our public voice of dissonance has no hint of forbearance. The world has become obsessed with hatred and bigotry and violence. Healing is on the horizon, but a fire comes first. Or maybe the ending will be good enough to propel the series from a ranking of “worth reading” to “must read.” I don’t know how many books there will be or when the next is coming out, but my brother and I will be waiting for it.“The Green Ember burns the seed of the New World smolders. Maybe it will have a terrible ending and I’ll wish I’d never picked them up. ![]() In this case, even though I’ve read three books, I’m still not through the entire story. My mom always asks me if I like a book when I’m halfway through it, and I always say that I won’t know until I’ve finished it. But if you love those classics and want something similar, these are definitely worth reading for all ages.Īt least I think so. At some places I had to slow down and read over a section several times to figure out the plot twist – not because it was that complicated, but because it wasn’t explained clearly.Īre these books going to go down in history alongside the Chronicles of Narnia and Lord of the Rings series? Will people read and cherish them and make movies out of them for the next 60 years? Probably not. Most of the time the plot moves along at about the right pace, but sometimes things happen so fast that there’s not enough explanation about what’s happening. Those sort of complex, multi-faceted characters are interesting and good to learn from, but for a children’s book, it’s okay to draw the lines a little more clearly. I love stories where it’s somewhat difficult to tell the heroes from the villains right away because they’re struggling to decide which path to choose. (Though Christianity is about Christ, not about values, but that’s a rabbit trail.) Minor CritiquesĪs an adult, it felt like some of the characters were a little too perfect. The way that the characters yearn for the Mended Wood, fight towards that end with all their strength, and draw hope from the promise of that future reflects how Christians should feel about heaven.Īlso, as I said, many of the characters demonstrate Christian values such as sacrificial love, forgiveness, and honesty. The rabbits talk often about “The Mended Wood,” their idea of what their lives will be like when they drive out the oppressors and take back their kingdom. While these books aren’t a direct Christian allegory, they definitely have some Christian themes. Yet unlike some books, these strong females weave into the story naturally without any in-your-face feminism or putting males down. Sometimes they work behind the front lines more than the male characters, but they’re never damsels in distress. She and other female characters are strong warriors. ![]() While Picket is the one who becomes a war hero, his sister Heather does plenty of fighting herself. On the other hand, some things are a little less old-fashioned. The main characters are great examples of courage and strength. (My 12 year old brother and I enjoy them equally.) And like those classic stories, they’re full of good old fashioned stuff like adventure and sacrifice and heroes. The setting of rabbits and wolves talking and fighting with swords and building kingdoms is a hint that these books are written for young children, but they’re serious enough for adults to enjoy them, too – especially adults that have grown up on similar fantasy stories such as Chronicles of Narnia. They quickly become heroes and spend the rest of the first three books working to reunite their family, free the rabbits from the predators ruling over them, and restore the rabbit kingdom to the rightful heir of the throne. ![]() Heather and Picket are a brother and sister who grow up sheltered from the reign of the predators, until their parents are captured and they find themselves thrust into the middle of the resistance. The rabbits once had a mighty kingdom, but the kingdom was lost several years before the beginning of the story, and the rabbits are now either slaves to the predators or hiding with an underground resistance force. The Green Ember series takes place in a world of rabbits, wolves, and falcons. Smith’s website, there isn’t a release date for the next book yet, either, so you may want to wait to start reading them until they’re all released. So don’t pick up the third book expecting that everything will be wrapped up in the end, only to reach the end and find another cliffhanger. The first thing you need to know about the Green Ember series is that it’s not a trilogy.
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