Copyright Date:
2018
Edition Date:
2018
Release Date:
08/28/18
Illustrator:
Vidal, Oriol,
Pages:
90 pages
ISBN:
Publisher: 1-338-21736-4 Perma-Bound: 0-7804-2966-4
ISBN 13:
Publisher: 978-1-338-21736-0 Perma-Bound: 978-0-7804-2966-6
Dewey:
Fic
LCCN:
2017041938
Dimensions:
20 cm.
Language:
English
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews
An odd item found in a flea-market suitcase sends two children back to days of yore in this series opener aimed at fledgling chapter-book readers.The suitcase, plainly a MacGuffin, contains a number of seemingly random objects and a remote-control thingy—and as soon as bookish Chase picks up what he thinks is a doorknob with a dragon's head, he and his camera-toting little sister, Ava, find themselves in a medieval slops closet overhearing a conversation between two knights about a plot against King Arthur. The "doorknob," it turns out, is actually the hilt of Excalibur, and only finding some way to magically repair the sword can save the king from an assassin's attack. Writing in present tense, Mass moves the plot along smartly to a climax featuring some brisk, if bloodless, swordplay (her Arthur is more into disarming his opponents than carving them up), then has Ava push a button on the remote to send the young siblings back home. The "time jumpers" billing is deceptive as, though Chase frets about changing the future, neither the narrative nor Vidal's frequent grayscale illustrations make much effort to place the episode in a true historical setting. The author tucks in a fart joke early on but never follows it up and, in a clumsy effort to inject a bit of suspense, trots in a mysterious, surly villain with differently colored eyes who is after the suitcase. Characters are default white.An obvious—and bland—riff on the Magic Treehouse series. (review questions) (Fantasy. 6-9)
Word Count:
6,252
Reading Level:
3.8
Interest Level:
1-4
Accelerated Reader:
reading level: 3.8
/ points: 1.0
/ quiz: 197070
/ grade: Lower Grades
Reading Counts!:
reading level:3.3 /
points:4.0 /
quiz:Q76767
Lexile:
570L
Pick a book. Grow a Reader!
This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line, Branches, aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and stamina. Branches books help readers grow!
Chase and Ava find an old suitcase filled with strange objects. One of the objects looks like a dragon-headed doorknob... Suddenly Chase and Ava find themselves jumping back in time to King Arthur's castle! They meet the king's wizard Merlin and soon discover what the dragon-headed doorknob
really is. It turns out they have an important job to do: They must save the king! But a bad guy is after them... How will Chase and Ava get back home? They will need to act fast to find out! Oriol Vidal's engaging illustrations appear on every page. Newly independent readers will eat up this time-travel series from
New York Times bestselling author Wendy Mass!
Excerpted from Stealing the Sword! by Wendy Mass
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
Table of Contents:1. The Adventure Begins!2. An Old Suitcase3. Dinosaurs in Common4. Stranger Things5. The Angry Man6. Faster!7. Two Bad Knights8. Magic or Not? 9. In Hiding10. Dragons and Dust11. A Secret Door12. The White-Haired Wizard13. Let the Games Begin!14. The Battle15. Saving a King16. Home Sweet Home
Common Core
STEAM
Graphic
Novel
High/Low
Large
Print
Series Tracker
Manga
Big
Book
Board
Book
Hot
Title
Adult
Language
Mature
Content
Ebook
Ebook
MUA (Multi User Access)
Light Novel
