  | White horse trick Author: Thompson, Kate | |
| Price: $6.50 | ||
Summary:
In the late 21st century, dramatic climate change has made life in Ireland almost impossible, and soon Tir na n'Og is faced with a refugee problem, partly because of a warlord who is a member of the Liddy family.
| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: MG Reading Level: 5.70 Points: 11.0 Quiz: 138723 | Reading Counts Information: Interest Level: 6-8 Reading Level: 5.50 Points: 17.0 Quiz: 50359 | |
Common Core Standards
Grade 6 → Reading → RL Literature → 6.RL Key Ideas & Details
Grade 6 → Reading → RL Literature → 6.RL Craft & Structure
Grade 6 → Reading → RL Literature → 6.RL Integration of Knowledge & Ideas
Grade 6 → Reading → RL Literature → 6.RL Range of Reading & Level of Text Complexity
Grade 6 → Reading → CCR College & Career Readiness Anchor Standards fo
Grade 7 → Reading → RL Literature → 7.RL Key Ideas & Details
Grade 7 → Reading → RL Literature → 7.RL Range of Reading & LEvel of Text Complexity
Grade 8 → Reading → RL Literature → 8.RL Key Ideas & Details
Grade 5 → Reading → RL Literature → 5.RL Craft & Structure
Grade 5 → Reading → RL Literature → 5.RL Integration & Knowledge of Ideas
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (+) (08/01/10)
School Library Journal (09/01/10)
Booklist (08/01/10)
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (+) (12/10)
The Hornbook (+) (09/10)
Full Text Reviews:
School Library Journal - 09/01/2010 Gr 7–10—Although magical T'ír na n'Óg remains unchanged, readers will find Ireland an unfamiliar place in this conclusion to the trilogy that began with The New Policeman (2007). In the not-too-distant future, global warming has wreaked havoc on the world's climate. Periods of unrelenting rain that have washed topsoil away and left crops rotting in the ground are followed by months of drought. People are starving, and there appears to be no hope. Aidan Liddy, whom readers last saw as a fractious toddler in The Last of the High Kings (2008, both HarperCollins), is now Commander Liddy. He has stockpiled food, tobacco, and other supplies, and uses his soldiers to control the suffering people. In an unexpected twist, Aidan's sensitive brother, Donal, now 69 years old, is his general. Although it appears that Donal has chosen an immoral path by following his brother, it becomes apparent that he has a plan to save the people and culture of Ireland, and fairyland will play an important role—if the Dagda and Aengus Óg will allow it. Thompson has done a marvelous job of spinning an entertaining and ultimately hopeful tale, while at the same time criticizing the devastation caused by humanity's excesses. And no book in this series would be complete without some music, so instead of a whimper, the end of this world comes with a wink and a nod, and an Irish tune—Heather M. Campbell, formerly at Philip S. Miller Library, Castle Rock, CO - Copyright 2010 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
Booklist - 08/01/2010 This complex fantasy, which follows The New Policeman (2007) and The Last of the High Kings (2008), offers readers a taste of genre-blending that is both challenging and successful. Jenny is either 16 (in fairy terms) or quite an elderly woman (in mortal Irish terms). The fantasy world, where time has stopped, is presented as nearly feudal, while Ireland has moved into a future where such contemporary trappings as DVDs are now passé. That is because the “ploddy world”—as the fairies call the one we mortals know as our own—was ruined generations back by ecoviolence of the sort young teens will already recognize as a potential real disaster. Readers with some familiarity with Irish lore will have the most immediate success unwinding the complexities of familial lines and political allegiances in the fairy world. The conclusion surprises, however, as Thompson delivers a delightful twist that turns the tale into a riff on the biblical creation story. Copious drinking and some use of tobacco are in keeping with the characters and their diverse—and diverting—times. - Copyright 2010 Booklist.
Bulletin for the Center... - 12/01/2010 In this final volume of the trilogy that began with The New Policeman (BCCB 4/07) and continued with The Last of the High Kings (BCCB 7/08), the parallel world of Tir na n’Og continues to get some unexpected visitors, and the people of Ireland are now facing the end of the world. Decades have passed since the second volume, and the Liddy family has scattered: one sister is gone, two brothers (now old men) rule over the dwindling resources of Ireland with divergent intentions but the same despotic results, and Jenny, the changeling raised by the Liddys, has brought her human parents over to Tir na n’Og with her. In that land you remain exactly as you were when you entered, a state that all of the new refugees, who represent most of remaining humanity, find preferable to the alternative-certain death. Tir na n’Og is vividly realized and entirely otherworldly: memory is vague there, centuries pass in the outside world, and no one fusses much about anything other than music and contemplation. The gritty outside world is a powerful contrast, as is the lush paradise the Puka (a central character in the second volume) creates once the destructive humans have disappeared. There is some unexpected toying with religion, but Thompson presents it with the perfect mix of humor and depth to encourage readers to reflect on creation myths in general. Fans of the earlier volumes will have been anxiously anticipating this one, but fantasy buffs unfamiliar with the other two will benefit enough from the carefully placed referential elements to enjoy this novel as a stand-alone. AS - Copyright 2010 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.
