Review: Facing the Hunchback of Notre Dame by L.L. Samson

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

A hidden attic. A classic story. A very unexpected twist. Twin twelve-year-old bookworms Ophelia and Linus Easterday discover a hidden attic that once belonged to a mad scientist. While relaxing in the attic and enjoying her latest book, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Ophelia dozes off, and within moments finds herself facing a fully alive and completely bewildered Quasimodo. Ophelia and Linus team up with a clever neighbor, a hippy priest, and a college custodian, learning Quasimodo's story while searching for some way to get him back home-if he can survive long enough in the modern world.

MY TAKE:

I'm not really a fan of The Hunchback of Notre Dame but I did like the premise of this book.

Thanks to magic, Ophelia and Linus find themselves face-to-face with Quasimodo. Meeting a literary character is fun but keeping him a secret is another matter entirely.

I really liked this book. It has an old-timey feel to it, thanks to the style of the narrator. It gives me a sort of nostalgic feeling, kinda like the one I get when I read The Boxcar Children.

Something that sets this book apart is the way it writes the definitions of difficult words. Some may find it distracting, but its very useful for children who want to widen their vocabulary.

The plot is not particularly deep, but it's very interesting in its own right. There's a lot of potential in the premise of the book. It's something that any book lover would definitely want to try. I'm not sure if this is part of a series, but if done right, this could be a very successful series.

Thanks to NetGalley and Zondervan for the e-ARC. Publication date of Facing the Hunchback of Notre Dame is on May 1, 2012.

THE GOOD:

1. The plot is interesting.
2. The writing style is very whimsical.
3. It works as a teaching tool for kids.

THE BAD:

1. The definitions can be distracting.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

There is room for only so many talentless pop stars and reality TV nincompoops, believe it or not, and thank goodness for that.

READ IT IF:

1. You like The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
2. You like the idea of literary characters coming to life.
3. You like books wherein the narrator interjects a lot.

RATING:

SOUNDS INTERESTING?