Probably primarily because it was read by Jim Dale, this tale reminded me of the Harry Potter series. This is the first of a trilogy. ( )

Exciting and intense, I did a lot of skimming for the mid 100 pages, but still a good book to recommend to readers who like magical adventures. ( )

Sometimes popularity leads me to terrible books (like Twilight and The Da Vinci Code), but other times it leads me to books that are actually very good. I didn't think I was going to like The Emerald Atlas very much, but it's popular with the kiddos, so I felt I should read it. I started out skeptical, but by the end I couldn't put it down! I was riveted.

Sure, there's a lot of TELLING instead of SHOWING. And the number of times Kate has to retell her whole story is a little ridiculous. But the drama is intense and the stakes are high. Once the plot gets moving, it barely slows down as it twists and turns and shimmies. Was I bothered by the familiarity of the tropes and themes? A little, but not much. Was I bothered that this book is supposed to take place in the U.S. but comes out sounding super British? A little more than a little, but I got over it.

Bottom line: It's a fun read and lots of kids super love it. Good enough for me. ( )

I enjoyed this a lot after I got through the first few chapters. There was a lot of exposition going on, and I am generally more of a fan of the indirect kind. But the story overall was good, and I will definitely pick up the next one. ( )

Finished at last. I thought this book would never end ( )