  | Happenstance found Author: Catanese, P. W. | |
| Price: $6.50 | ||
Summary:
A boy awakens, blindfolded, with no memory of even his name, but soon meets Lord Umber, an adventurer and inventor, who calls him Happenstance and tells him that he has a very important destiny--and a powerful enemy.
| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: MG Reading Level: 4.90 Points: 10.0 Quiz: 129348 | Reading Counts Information: Interest Level: 3-5 Reading Level: 5.30 Points: 15.0 Quiz: 45306 | |
Common Core Standards
Grade 3 → Reading → RL Literature → 3.RL Key Ideas & Details
Grade 3 → Reading → RL Literature → 3.RL Craft & Structure
Grade 3 → Reading → RL Literature → 3.RL Integration & Knowledge of Ideas
Grade 3 → Reading → RL Literature → Texts Illustrating the Complexity, Quality, & Rang
Grade 4 → Reading → RL Literature → 4.RL Key Ideas & Details
Grade 4 → Reading → RL Literature → 4.RL Range of Reading & Level of Text Complexity
Grade 4 → Reading → RL Literature → 4.RL Craft & Structure
Grade 4 → Reading → RL Literature → 4.RL Integration & Knowledge of Ideas
Grade 4 → Reading → RL Literature → Texts Illustrating the Complexity, Quality, & Rang
Grade 5 → Reading → RL Literature → 5.RL Key Ideas & Details
Grade 5 → Reading → RL Literature → 5.RL Integration & Knowledge of Ideas
Grade 5 → Reading → RL Literature → 5.RL Range of Reading & Level of Text Complexity
Grade 5 → Reading → RL Literature → Texts Illustrating the Complexity, Quality, & Rang
Grade 6 → Reading → RL Literature → 6.RL Range of Reading & Level of Text Complexity
Grade 6 → Reading → CCR College & Career Readiness Anchor Standards fo
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (12/01/08)
School Library Journal (05/01/09)
Booklist (04/01/09)
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (03/09)
The Hornbook (01/09)
Full Text Reviews:
Bulletin for the Center... - 03/01/2009 Happenstance awakens in a subterranean room with no memory of who he is or any of his past experiences. Almost immediately, a buoyant adventurer named Umber appears with his entourage, and Hap is swept up into Umber’s world of danger and quest. Hap brings his own dangers with him, however, as he is being followed by a repugnant creature with nefarious intentions. As he integrates into Umber’s household, he longs to know why Umber has taken him in, but Umber refuses to say, forcing Hap to do some spying on his own. Amidst prohibitions and secrets, Hap starts to develop mysterious powers that scare him and intrigue Umber, and Umber parcels out bits of his own history as well as what little he knows about Hap, all of which point to an exciting and perhaps world-changing future. Hap’s vulnerability and Umber’s good-natured exuberance make them both extraordinarily appealing characters, particularly when Umber falls into the depressive side of his bipolar personality and Hap worries over his inability to help something he feels he has had a part in causing. The characters that surround the two are equally compelling in their problematic circumstances and their unusual abilities, and they emerge as almost archetypal in their symbolic resonance. The relationships evident among the members of Umber’s household and their obvious affection for Umber imbue the entire story with warmth; they also create in Hap a desire to become one of Umber’s inner circle and to use his emergent abilities to help save the world he loves. Rife with grisly horrors and absorbing wonders, Umber’s coastal kingdom exerts a fascination that lingers after the last page is turned, and readers will be reassured by indications that a return visit is forthcoming. KC - Copyright 2009 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.
Booklist - 04/01/2009 Happenstance wakes suddenly in a dark corner of a crumbling maze, blindfolded and bound, and realizes he has no memories. He is retrieved by Lord Umber, a collector of rarities, who has too many memories of a life to which he cannot return and to which he is bound by tragedy. Umber has been told that Hap is the key to saving a dying Earth, but only if they can keep him alive long enough to discover how. In this new series, The Books of Umber, Catonese departs from the fairy-tale retellings of his Further Adventures series to create an intriguing intergenerational partnership set in a fantasy world that tantalizes with glimpses of modern-day technology. Chapters are introduced by snippets from Umber’s notebooks and small drawings of the characters, which include a hook-handed illustrator/archer, a gruesome villain, and a boat-bearing whale. Try this with fans of Eragon (2003) or Jeanne DuPrau’s Ember books, or readers seeking an engaging and deftly written fantasy unpopulated by vampires or fairies. - Copyright 2009 Booklist.
School Library Journal - 05/01/2009 Gr 5–8— Happenstance Found, 12, does not remember who he is, where he came from, or any details of his former life. He wakes up in an underground cavern, accompanied by a mysterious stranger who refuses to tell him anything about his origins. The stranger hands Hap over to personable, yet in many ways equally mysterious, Lord Umber. Acting on the stranger's advice, Umber invites Hap to join his company. They immediately meet with adventure and danger, and Hap learns that Umber is a man of diverse talents and boundless curiosity. Umber discovers that Hap can see in total darkness, jump to extraordinary heights, and sense when momentous events are about to occur. Hap is also being pursued by a menacing figure, which he and his companions dub "the Creep." In the final conflict with this character, Hap's ingenuity, abilities, and loyalty are tested. He triumphs over his adversary, but enough tantalizing loose ends are left to be resolved in the sequel. Though some may lament the uneven characterization, there's plenty of adventure and mystery to appeal to fans of Catanese's earlier works.—Misti Tidman, Boyd County Public Library, Ashland, KY - Copyright 2009 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
