I have been reading the first two books in the Hamelin Stoop Series from 12 Gates Publishing. I received both Hamelin Stoop: The Eagle, The Cave, and the Footbridge (Book 1) and Hamelin Stoop: The Lost Princess and the Jewel of Periluna (Book 2); along with a
Discussion Guide for each book. The books are available at all major online
book retailers and as audio books on Audible, Amazon, and iTunes.
In book one, the trackers wanted the mother and father, but
they had been given very clear orders to make sure they got the baby. The
parents devise a plan to save their baby. The young father races to the edge of
a cliff and throws the blue blanket and its contents over the Little Cliffs. He
is on his knees with his head buried in his hands as the trackers grab him and
demand answers. The young mother leaves her baby boy in a tomato box on the
porch of a children’s home. The only visible word on the damaged note from his
mother was “Hamelin” so the staff named the baby Hamelin Stoop. Hamelin grew up
wanting to discover his true identity and his parents who, unknown to him, left
him to escape capture by other worldly trackers. When the children’s home
forgets his eighth birthday, he sneaks away at night. Along the way, Hamelin
encounters the Great Eagle, who leads him through a mysterious cave, where he
must encounter his fears and cross a dangerous footbridge before he can begin a
journey into the Atrium of the Worlds.
In book two, Hamelin finally makes it across the footbridge
only to discover that his quest to find his parents and learn his true identity
will not be quickly done. The Great Eagle leads him through the dangerous
Waters of Death and Life into the land of Gloaming, where Hamelin must help two
new friends find a kidnapped princess and recover a stolen jewel, tasks for
which they have special gifts that must not be misused: a scarf of sight, shoes
of speed, and a sword of death. But these quests are only part of the larger
story, where Chimera uses Hamelin to seize the kingdoms on both sides of the
Atrium of the Worlds.
The books are written for adolescents, and the connections
to Christian principles are found in underlying themes about good and evil,
courage and fear, choices and consequences, destiny and free will. Robert Sloan, author of the Hamelin Stoop
Series quotes “Fantasy shapes the mind through imaginative people, creatures,
and events. It stirs the heart. It raises questions of good and evil, and it
forces the reader to think and engage with big issues.” Sloan introduces
multiple plot threads that remain dangling, and he raises more questions than
he answers – left open to explore in future volumes in the series. Readers will
find themselves eagerly anticipating the next volume in the series.
The Discussion Guide is a great companion to each book. It
provides thought provoking questions, an activity, and a crossword puzzle. Here
is an example –
Visit the Crew Blog
to read what the Homeschool Review Crew has to say about the Hamelin Stoop
Series from 12 Gate Publishing.
No comments:
Post a Comment