Bronte Mettlestone is a recent orphan who must follow the preconditions of her parents’ will in order to not only obtain her inheritance, but also to prevent the destruction of her hometown. Part of those preconditions is for Bronte to meet each of her 10 aunts and give them a gift from her parents. Each aunt is so different, and yet hold a piece to who her parents were. There is a party at the end to celebrate the lives of her parents. This book is full of mystical creatures such as sprites, dragons, pirates, spell binders, elves, etc. as Bronte goes about different challenges. Heroism and discovery are central themes of this book, as well as identity of self.
Bronte reminds me of Pippi Longstocking in that she is a girl out for adventure and doesn’t let convention or adults stand in her way. She thinks for herself and tries to do what is right. This is a good read for individuals who like adventure with a bit of mystery.
This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Scholastic
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: None
Violence/Gore: Adults killed by pirates; cannon fire cause of death; a few threats of hometown being destroyed – roads crack, trees uprooted, roofs cave in, bridges fall, windows shatter, buildings collapse, etc.; people could die; threat of death; a few threats of kidnapped children; death of parents; imagined wolves; sprained ankle; potential drowning of minor and baby; report of swordfight with minor injuries; threat of being shot; threat of shooting; aiming shot at foot; individual battered and bleeding following a swordfight; fractured ankle; verbal threat to drag by nose; dragon tails that could crush; dragon breath that could burn you alive; nightmare of dragon tearing someone into pieces; punch self in stomach; sprained dragon hoof; threat of falling from sky; threat of being char grilled and eaten alive; thought someone was dead in a ditch; imagery of cough grappling at scalp and plunging nails into knee; minor in an avalanche – wind slammed against ceiling, punched through, and fell on something; minors captured to work; blistered and burned hands; hammer dropped on toe; individual pinched; hit nose against the glass; gun aimed at minor; report of people killed by pirates; ship set on fire; people shot and stabbed; bruised and bloodied minor; nearly drowned; fractured ankle; cracked ribs; adult knocked minor around; individual smashed against rocks; slap in face with glove; advertisement for horsewhip used on minors for discipline; report of cutting throats of guards and gutting guards; minor abducted; a few threats to kill minor at dawn; threat to eat brains; report of swordfight; crowd rushes soldiers – shoving, fists, nail scratching, guns kicked and wrenched from soldiers, wrestling bodies crashing; knocked pirate; hair caught under boot causing pain; broken nose, broken ankle; report of dispatching of individuals.
Sex/Nudity: Adults fall into each other’s arms.
Mature Subject Matter:
Abandonment of child; fictional violence.
Alcohol / Drug Use:
Adult given whiskey; man smokes a pipe; woman smokes pipe.
