Igraine the Brave

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Lighthearted, mild fantasy is giant tween fun.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that there is little of concern here. There's some mild fighting and jousting, but no one is seriously hurt. This is lighthearted fantasy, mostly played for laughs, in which even the dragons just want to be left alone to live their lives.


What's the story?

Though Igraine's parents and brother, Albert, are all sorcerers, Igraine wants to be a knight. She practices sword fighting and her parents give her a magical suit of armor, but she longs for adventure. When her family castle is attacked by Osmund the Greedy, who wants the famous Singing Books of Magic that have been in her family for years, she may get more adventure than she bargained for.

Just before the attack, Igraine's parents accidentally turn themselves into pigs. To restore them in time to defend the castle, Igraine must ride into the mountains to find a giant and bring back some of his hair for the counter-spell. Along the way she'll not only have to deal with giants, but also a dragon and a sorrowful knight.


Is it any good?

 

Popular German author Cornelia Funke seems to write two types of fantasy: the intense, edgy kind, typified by her Inkheart series, and a lighter, more playful kind, better suited to younger kids, such as Dragon Rider. IGRAINE THE BRAVE belongs to the second category.

There's never a moment when the outcome is in doubt, little suspense, not even any real difficulties that Igraine's family must fight their way through. It's surprising how delightful this can be. Igraine's parents and brother have a wonderfully blithe, blasé attitude to the worst their enemies can throw at them, which is reassuring to young readers and allows them to enjoy the humor without worrying about what terrible thing might happen.


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about an (apparently unintentional) ethical double standard in the story: Much is made of the unfairness of a knight who uses an enchanted spear, yet Igraine is given an enchanted suit of armor and no one thinks that's a problem. Do you agree? If so, what's the difference? Does her armor fit within the code of chivalry presented in the book? If so, then what's wrong with the enchanted spear?


This review was written by Matt Berman
Teen, 15 years old
October 18, 2009
 
this book is perfect!!!!!!!! READ IT!!!
this book is soooooooooo nice and has sooooo much suspence and igraine really is a role model...... this book talks about magic and knights and much much more!!!!!!! i expect everyone to read it!!!!

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Teen, 17 years old
December 14, 2010
 
perfect for tweens
i did this book for a book report and i loved it a lot

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Kid, 9 years old
August 25, 2011
 
A girl and her sword!
I am 8 years old. I read the book Igraine the Brave and the whole thing was exciting! I like the part when the Sorrowful Knight of the Mount of Tears was fighting Rowan Heartless. I go horseback riding and I pretend that I'm riding Lancelot. The Singing Books of Magic are so funny. Sisyphus is really cute. Osmund the Greedy is kind of mean but when he and Rowan Heartless were floating in the air and the wind blew them away, it was really, really funny. One thing that I like in the book is when Igraine was entering the stone lion's mouth. Igraine is so brave and cool. I always wished that I had an suit of armor. I always wanted to be a knight, even though I'm a girl. Because with my friends I have played swords so many times and I have 4 swords (play). I found one and carved it with a knife, the other I bought and the other one I found has a shape like a knife. And the last sword, the longest one, I also bought myself.

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Teen, 14 years old
July 4, 2009
 
I loved it People in year6 7 8 9& 10 at my school love it its got adventure very postitive messages respectable everything parents want in a brilliant book by a brilliant Author

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Kid, 11 years old
February 22, 2010
 
a great book
the book was a great pick for a sunshine state reader. It was a lighthearted fairy tale. a quick read so getting it at the library would be best. again a good book.

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Kid, 11 years old
February 11, 2010
 
Fun magic story!
I like the book Igraine the Brave for many reasons. One reason is that it is appropriate because it has no potty humor and no bad language. I also like this book because it is very exciting. It has a lot of magic. I think boys and girls would like it.If you like Harry Potter books than you would probably like this book.

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Kid, 12 years old
February 17, 2010
 
I love this book because it is adventourous and as you read much further, you will find it much more interesting!

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Kid, 13 years old
October 1, 2010
 
the brave one
i think its a really good book and that more people should read it and it also lets u learn

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Kid, 13 years old
April 9, 2008
 
An AMAZING book!
It was very funny with a lot of adventure. My sister also enjoyed it.

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This review was written by Matt Berman
Author:Cornelia Funke
Illustrator:Cornelia Funke
Book type:Fiction
Genre:Fantasy
Publisher:Scholastic Inc.
Publication date:October 1, 2007
Number of pages:212
Hardcover price:$16.99
Publisher's recommended age(s):8 - 12
Read aloud:8
Read alone:9

This review was written by Matt Berman
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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