Monday, September 17, 2012

"The Quill Pen" by Michelle Isenhoff: Book Review

The author's historical fiction has always flowed flawlessly with beautiful wordsmithing bringing wonderful word pictures to the young readers who have chosen to read her books.  The young reader will inevitably learn new vocabulary as well as true historical fact and descriptions of settings when they read a Michelle Isenhoff novel.

However, The Quill Pen, while set in a long-ago seaside village is not historical fiction per se it is a venture into fantasy.  You see, the quill is a feather pen of magical qualities - it is capable of writing without true ink events and happenings of the future and they do transpire as written.

Micah is a young teen boy held under the domineering and stoney thumb of his unfeeling father.  Micah wants a different future from that which his father has planned, and Micah sees how the feather/quill pen can be the instrument of his attaining this different future.

Characters in the story:  Widow Parsons, a sharp-tongued lady; Gabby and her family, outcasts from village society because of an issue of race; Micah, tormented by the possibility that he will have to accede to his father's planned future for him.

Middle school readers will find themselves enjoying the conversations and actions of the characters as they are exposed to the beautiful, fluid writing style of Michelle Isenhoff.

I enjoyed reading The Quill Pen but was expecting more of a historical fiction from the pen of Ms. Isenhoff.  I usually do not read fantasy, but found this fantasy enjoyable and I would recommend it.
DISCLOSURE:  I was provided a complimentary copy of The Quill Pen by the author in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions expressed are my own.

5 comments:

  1. Yup, it's a bit of a departure from my other books. Glad you enjoyed it anyway, and thanks so much for taking the time to review it, Vera. :)

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  2. I love this book! It is a great adventure story! Great review! :)

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  3. Once a child reads a book of this caliber, I believe they will continue to read. It's what kept children wanting to read more Nancy Drew books for years to come. My mother read them, I read them, and hopefully my granddaughters will read them. This book would be perfect for my grandchildren.

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  4. Mary, you just made my day. :)

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  5. I love the unique "quill pen can change the future" idea. It is so difficult to get tween boys to read but this could definitely do the trick. Thanks for the honest heads up. kristiedonelson(at)gmail(dot)com Thank you.

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