Rise and Fall: Spirit Animals, Book 6
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Rise and Fall is the sixth book in a multimedia, multi-author series from Scholastic, similar to its 39 Clues and Infinity Ring series. There's a website where young readers can choose their own spirit animal and character identity and enter codes from the books they read to unlock prizes and whatnot. Aimed at animal-loving tween readers just now digging into fantasy tales, each book since the series debut in September 2013 -- Wild Born, by Brandon Mull -- is written by a different, seasoned children's author with new installments appearing every few months. Rise and Fall's author, Eliot Schrefer, had previously written about wilderness survival with Endangered and Threatened. He's well-suited to writing this Spirit Animals installment as the four diverse 11-year-old characters at the center of the story -- and their spirit animals -- face plenty of peril in the wild. The girls nearly drown when thrown overboard in chains, and the boys and their animals are set upon by lions and wild dogs. There are bloody injuries, and a close companion and his spirit animal die. Readers also watch a giant snake order the death of a girl by her own spirit animal. Messages remain positive. A character learns to talk to others about his worries and sadness, and we all get a reminder that even the most humble-looking wild creatures can be pretty amazing.
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What's the Story?
It's hard to say who's in a tighter spot at the beginning of RISE AND FALL. Maybe Meilin and Abeke, captured on a ship, starving, and then thrown overboard in chains to swim for the shore, only to end up in the clutches of the Conquerors when they get there. Or maybe it's Rollan, Connor, and Tarik. As they head farther into the desert trying to reach Cabaro the lion and his talisman before the Conquerors do, they face hordes of Conquerors taking over villages and herds of angry animals desperate to reach Cabaro's oasis -- and murderously desperate to keep humans out.
Is It Any Good?
One thing that's hard to do with a long-running, many-authored series is keep things fresh -- but Eliot Schrefer (National Book Award finalist for Endangered) doesn't phone it in. By the sixth book, usually the big-name authors have all jumped ship, and, especially with a series such as this one and 39 Clues, publishers know they've hooked readers with the characters and the multimedia extras and can rest on their laurels.
This may actually be the best in the series yet. Rise and Fall is the right balance of high action, character development (Meilin's struggle is particularly poignant), and surprises. The twist at the end will definitely keep Spirit Animal fans reading.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the Spirit Animals series so far. What's changed among the main characters? Who's your favorite, and why? Which talisman would you like to have?
Have you been to the Spirit Animals website? If so, which animal did you choose? Is it more fun to read a book series when you can play along in some way? Or do you prefer to read the books and move on?
What do you think about Meilin's sacrifice? What do you think Jhi, her spirit animal, thinks? Do you think Connor, Rollan, and Abeke would try to talk her out of her actions if they were there?
Book Details
- Author: Eliot Schrefer
- Genre: Fantasy
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Adventures, Friendship, Science and Nature, Wild Animals
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
- Publication date: December 30, 2014
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 8 - 12
- Number of pages: 192
- Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: July 12, 2017
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