2024 the best of us acorn review

Price: $16.30
(as of Dec 11, 2024 22:23:08 UTC - Details)

The Golden Acorn is the first book in the bestselling Jack Brenin series. When Jack Brenin finds a golden acorn lying in the grass, little does he know that it is the beginning of a thrilling and magical adventure. Just an ordinary boy, Jack has been chosen for a hugely important task, and enters a world he believed only existed in legend. Full of twists and turns, talking ravens and mischievous Spriggans, 'The Golden Acorn' is a hugely entertaining and exciting tale from a very talented new author. Your kids will love it, and so will you! This brilliant story deservedly won the Brit Writers' Awards 2010 for unpublished writers. Jack’s adventures continue in 'Glasruhen Gate' and 'Silver Hill'. The Golden Acorn can be read as a stand-alone or as the first book in an ongoing adventure. Once you've read this book we're sure you'll want to read more about Jack Brenin and the magical 'Otherworld' he becomes involved in. Book 1: The Golden Acorn (2010) Book 2: Glasruhen Gate (2011) Book 3: Silver Hill (2011) Book 4: The Lost Treasure of Annwn (2012) Book 5: The Oak Lord (Coming Autumn 2013)

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Infinite Ideas (August 20, 2010)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 376 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1906821658
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1906821654
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 7 - 10 years, from customers
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.9 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.08 x 0.85 x 7.8 inches
Reviewer: Tiffiny Sarradet
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Thoroughly enjoyable & creative!
Review: This has quickly become my favorite book of my 31 years! I started reading this on my own, but near chapter 4 I stopped and started over - this time with my 10 year old son. He has ADHD, so activities requiring prolonged focus have never interested him. His father, my mother, and I have tried everything to get him to read, without success. I decided to read a chapter a night with him as a bedtime story, but with a catch; I would only read if he helped. He wasn't thrilled with the idea, but he gave it a shot to humor me.He quickly discovered he has a LOT in common with Jack Brenin, and that combined with a possible magical mystery had him sold! Now we read most nights, taking turns every few lines. It's wonderful to finally have him reading!! Most children's books are considered "lame" by middle-schoolers, and books written for older children and YA are often too advanced for 4th to 6th or even 7th graders. Ms. Cooper, the Goldilocks of authors, saw the hole between the age groups and filled it perfectly!The maturity and emotions in this story are a match for ages 8 to 11 and have inspired my son in a way I didn't think possible. He often stops, eyes bright with enthusiasm, to discuss things in further detail, really understanding and relating to the characters. Ms. Cooper subtly addresses a range of moral and mental concerns in a realistic and engaging setting. I also believe the emotions aren't too advanced to leave younger children behind, nor are they so simplistic teens would lose interest. It's quite a feat to have written a book capable of entertaining kids 4 to 14; Ms. Cooper, I applaud you!The book's concepts and situations address quite a few issues my son can relate to, adapting magical dilemmas to real world problems. Most kids in his age group (8-11) are dealing with similar perspectives in the real world. They're realizing that life is more complicated than they thought. Ms. Cooper's involvement of druids provides the opportunity to explore (or teach) theology with our kids. Finding the courage to face your fears weaves into the strength it takes to do what's right even if it means personal sacrifice. There's even some focus on learning about the world and why we should respect it. Ms. Cooper again completes her bridge over the gap by making the book appropriate for both 4-6 year olds and 12-14 year olds.Now for the writing itself! While the vocabulary and syntax are kept simple enough to avoid confusion (unlike most books for this group), they are both advanced enough to completely avoid the "little kid" impression. How she manages that, I don't have a clue! I remember reading Harry Potter to him, and there are definitely times the language is so advanced a child only gets a basic grasp of what's going on. In this book, Ms. Cooper somehow creates complicated situations and intricate scenes using language and structure appropriate for the grade level - yet you never feel like you're reading a book for kids.I don't usually write reviews this long, and I'm grateful to those of you who have stuck around for the overall conclusion. :)This book is a must-read for any 4th to 6th grade student, but children of all ages will love it and learn something from it. Ms. Cooper is by far the most skillful children's author I've ever read! THANK YOU so much for sharing this book with us!

Reviewer: Butterfly
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: AMAZING BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: AMAZING!!! This book is the best book in the entire universe!!! I recommend this book for everyone. ( And when I mean everyone I mean animals too!!) Even if you don't know how to read, you will understand thegreatness of this marvelous book. This is not a short book. If you have ever read the " Harry Potter" series, it has the same magical feeling as that book. I would definitely give this book a 5 star rating.( I would like to give it a 100 star rating but unfortunately there are no ratings that high.) The first couple of chapters are not that interesting. But don't give up just yet. Once you go more into the book, it will completely suck you in and it will not let you leave!!!( I mean that in a nice way.) This is a pretty long book that will keep you occupied for hours. Once you end the book, there are more books in the series, so you can keep on reading. Reading has never been this interesting , fun, and exciting!!!!!!!! Once you end this book, it is like a miracle come true!!!!! This is the best book ever so please buy it. It is so worth it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Reviewer: SingleEyePhotos
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Very Good YA Fantasy
Review: I picked this book up when it was free, and am very glad I did. I don't normally read YA, but this sounded good... and it was! I read this straight through in about 4 hours, then immediately moved on to the sequel (which I also read straight through). I found the author's interweaving of modern-day life with Celtic history and legend to be very well done. The characters were all very believable, and the fantasy was so subtle you almost didn't notice it. Definitely a case of 'willing suspension of disbelief'!Highly recommended for all ages.Note on Kindle formatting: Very good to excellent. I only noticed a couple of issues (mostly line wraps) and they did not detract from the reading experience.

Reviewer: Mary J.
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Such a cute book!!
Review: Okay, as an adult reader I found this book just too cute for words. The kid that still lives in me loved it!! It reminded me a little of books by Enid Blyton I read as a child. I loved the world and all the characters the author created so much I went and bought the next three books as soon as I was done with this one. I just had to find out what happens next. I'll definitely get the fifth book when it comes out too. I haven't enjoyed a series this much since I first read Harry Potter to my daughter all those years ago. She's 18 now and I obviously don't read to her anymore, but I know that she would have loved these stories as much as she loved the Harry Potter ones back then.What's not to love? There's magic, fairies, Druids, Dryads, talking trees, cute and funny talking animals. A tale filled with humor, friendship and courage. Very easy to read and can be enjoyed by the young and the young at heart. I'm so glad I discovered this new series of magical stories.

Reviewer: Ionia Froment
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Who knew so much awesomeness could fit in one acorn?
Review: This book took me back to a day when I was an excited child learning about what a great escape a book can be. The characters in this book are so wonderful that they jump off the page! I wasn't sure what I was going to get when I picked up this book, but the cover looked cute and I thought I would give it a try. I was hooked from the very first chapter and kept smiling as I read the rest of the book. As a shorter book, the author manages to captivate the reader with her sense of childlike imagination. I was impressed by her descriptiveness as it made me feel like I was right there alongside the characters having my own adventure. Yes, I am an adult, but every once in a while I need to remember what makes life fun and this was such a great way to do that.I love the chapter headings in this book because of the artwork. It is always nice to see something on the Kindle that displays like a "real" book and this one did. So imaginative, I loved it from beginning to end.

Reviewer: Thomas C.
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: What a wonderful and beautifully crafted story. A children's story that manages to develop meaningful characters some whom have great personal depth and relationships with one another that feel real which is not so often found in children's literature. Although the scope of the plot isn't unique, the settings and story told certainly is and is conveyed in an easily accessible manner which is essential for any good children's book. Anybody wanting an easy read, even adults, can find in this book many pleasurable hours. I have read it at least five times from my youth to now adulthood and it still captivates me with the characters coming back as if they were old friends.

Reviewer: Junia Grey
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Ich bin eher zufällig auf das Buch gestoßen, weil mich auch das Cover angesprochen hat. Fantasy ist eines meiner Lieblingsgenres und ich war von dieser Geschichte gleich begeistert. Die Charakterentwicklung gefällt mir sehr, die Geschichte ist spannend und der Schreibstil wirklich gut. Besonders gefallen mir die kleinen Zeichnungen, die immer am Kapitelanfang sind.Die Storyidee ist nicht wirklich neu: ein Junge, der die Welt vor dem Untergang retten muss. Aber sie ist erfrischend erzählt,spannend, bietet eine Welt, die mit liebevoll gestalteten Charakteren bevölkert ist und hat mich von der ersten Seite an fasziniert. Wer gute Fantasy für jung und alt sucht, ist hier bestens bedient. Ich werde sicher noch Teil 2+3 lesen, denn ich möchte wissen, wie es mit Jack und seinen Freunden weitergeht.Von mir eine klare Kaufempfehlung und das nicht nur, weil das Buch im Moment kostenlos ist!

Reviewer: StarTsar
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: We loved this book. I read it to my 7 year old and she couldn't wait to get to bed to hear more. We previously had Molly Moon as bedtime reading, but in later books it got a bit too dark for her and had the opposite of the desired effect at bedtime. Cue this. Beautifully written, just enough magic, but still grounded in a recognisable world for any child. The humour is frequent and unexpected, but absolutely in keeping with the plot and characters. With snippets of solid history and swathes of traditional pagan folklore it completely wraps you up in the excitement and pace of the story.I would recommend this totally to any parent who loves to keep the idea of magic alive in the hearts of their children, but is sick of formulaic books about magic puppies, kittens and ponies. My daughter said this was almost as good as Danny the Champion of the World and that's saying something as I've been made to read that to her 3 times and she's read it twice herself.This is my first review of anything on Amazon EVER, so as you probably gathered I think the 5 stars is very, very well earned.

Reviewer: Leonie K.
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Ich gebe zu, den Titel fand ich nicht überzeugend, die Kurzbeschreibung mittelprächtig, aber ich habe mir das Buch heruntergeladen, weil es umsonst war (in der Kindle Edition) und ich gerne in Fantasiewelten flüchte.Catherine Cooper ist es jedenfalls gelungen, eine lebendige, magische Welt zu erschaffen, die Lust auf mehr macht. Daher freue ich mich auf Teil 2 und 3 der Geschichte.Das Buch ist in recht einfachem Englisch gefasst und mit Kindle und Lesewörterbuch natürlich auch etwas für junge Englischlerner. 🙂

Reviewer: Bethanhazel
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I bought this on Kindle predominantly because it was free but I would definitely pay for this book. Aimed at children this is a fantasy adventure that will be perfect to read aloud to my son when he is a little bit older.Young Jack Brenin is miserable and unhappy; sent away from his home in Greece to live with his grandfather in England, Jack is lonely and struggling to make friends. After meeting his eccentric neighbour Nora, Jack finds himself caught up in a mission to open the way through to the mysterious otherworldly realm of Annwyn by finding the missing pieces of the magic cauldron. Jack finds himself lots of new friends and learns how to use magic and fly.This book has a host of wonderful characters, talking animals and trees and many magical creatures. Jack is polite and selfless and is a lovely hero for children as he masters his fears and lack of confidence in order to help others. Camelin is a lovely character, the greedy raven-boy always on the lookout for his next meal, I liked the way in which Camelin and Jack's friendship developed throughout the book and thought the sections with just Camelin and Jack together were some of the best written sections of the book.Lots of lovely ideas and little touches within the book all work together to create a wonderful adventure. The book has a steady pace, partly because of the amount of scene setting and character introductions necessary but builds up nicely to the big adventure at the end. The ending leaves many questions unanswered and sets the scene well for book two.I enjoyed this book and thought it covered a wealth of issues for children; making friends, caring for the environment, some Roman history, helping others and working together all neatly blended in to an engaging story. I felt perhaps the book was a little slow paced but made up for it with the lovely Roman section towards the end. I would definitely recommend this book not only as a book for children but a lovely piece of escapist fiction for adults as well. Looking forward to seeing what happens next.