The Hermit Thrush Sings

Rating:
Summary: Subito!
Review: Haha, if you don't understand my title, it's Latin for "suddenly". It's also Italian, I think for hurry or something like that, but I'm taking Latin this year, not Italian. Well, the title had absolutely nothing to do with this book. This book is about this poor girl (she's not literally poor) who is mistreated by her only leftover kin. Well, actually, they SAID that her father and sister were eaten by the hybrid birmbas (part bear/gorilla, I think), and they had the remains of the pater, but not the soror (father and sister. Think of derivatves!). Is her sister alive? What is the meaning of her locket? Leona's her name, and her sister is Nell. What will happen? Leona, birmba. Birmba, this is Leona...well, whatever. It was a good book. READ IT! Hehe

Rating:
Summary: overlooked
Review: I had decided to read this book for a book report a while ago. I was mostly inspired by the original plot to read it, however, I was disappointed by the rushed writing and lack of descriptions of characters and locations. Throughout the book, even the main character does not have a distinct age, physical appearance, or personality (unless you own the paperback copy with her on the cover). And although she does have the power of clairvoyance, most of the story is way too predictable. I would recommend this for young children who do not see such points as important, but for older readers, though, I think you should pass this one up.

Rating:
Summary: An awesome story
Review: I loved this book when I read it. I read it accually 2 years ago when I was 14 for school and I really loved it. It really is a great story. It's my favorite book. :)

~Melissa

Rating:
Summary: wonderful plot!
Review: The Hermit Thrush Sings is a remarkable story of a young adolescent named Leora. Leora faces many challenges in a new and different world. The state of Maine has been transformed into Maynor after a meteor hit the earth. There are many new things to explore in this world, like the mutant species of plants and animals, which the reader will discover secrets about throughout the story. Aside from these challenges, Leora's main problem is that her left hand is webbed, unlike that of anyone else. This is a problem because people who are "defects" are sent to the Institute where they are treated like animals. In her escape from this dreadful place, Leora finds herself on a quest to find her long lost sister Reba.

One of the effects that made the novel so striking was the many twists and turns that the plot takes. Leora's quest to find her sister is always turning into something else on her way. Because of this, I was snared from the beginning. Each new twist brings a fresh and different series of events. The author does not dwell on one event forever; she may use one major happening as the road, but there will always be more events that act as the forks where Leora must chose which way to go on.

The scenery is described with a very interesting and unusual technique. First of all, Leora draws spectacularly with her left hand. This hand is very sensitive as well as prophetic. Leora can use it to feel everything from twigs to hidden personalities. Because the story revolves somewhat around Leora and her hand, the imagery in the story is based on her hand's perceptions, at least to some degree. She has constant urges from her hand to create drawings, which often become prophetic. Because of this, the description is very artistic. As she goes through these urges, she looks at the most handsome pieces of the scenery. Therefore, these pieces are what the author describes, unless, on occasion, something else is important. Here is an example of the touch involved in the imagery: "Under the dark folds of her cape, her hand explored the twiggy texture of the bird's nest." Because the perceptions of Leora's left hand are so central, most of the imagery is visual and tactile. There is some hearing imagery, such as the way that, frequently, Leora listens to the birds. For instance, here are the last few sentences of the novel:

"It was a pure sweet-throated call, the flutelike voice lilting upward, then dwindling to a distant haunting tremolo. Just when Leora feared that the song was done, the voice echoed itself, sliding its harmony into a new key. It was like a waterfall going backward." The author has done well at creating strong characters. Each one is well suited to his/her role. Leora's companions and friends seem to be quite realistic. Just from meeting them, the reader will be able to understand their actions by subconsciously categorizing their traits. The book provides a wide variety of personalities: cute, stuck-up, kind, daring, savage, inhuman; all of these are in here, as well as many others. Everyone who reads this book will find some character to sympathize with or at least be interested in. The setting is very creative and carefully portrayed. There are Guards and Rulers who "protect" the people from the outside world. These protectors reminded me of the story "Rapunzel." The notion of allowing other people to limit your movement, to make your decisions, and to deprive you of your rights seems absurd. However, in a way, it is happening in our world today. Perhaps Leora's world is fictitious, but it does have some reality within it. This story is proof that you should stand up for your rights. All of these things come together to create an exciting and action-packed tale. From the beginning to the end, the reader will wonder what is in store for Leora and her friends. Who will come into the story next? No one will be able to put it down.

Rating:
Summary: Really great, undernoticed book!
Review: The work just isn't that well written. And yes, I know it's designed for children, but children's books can, and should be, extraordinarily well written. But nothing pulls you into this child's life. The author portrays the feeling of trying to create magic, and being quite unsuccessful at it. In the end the listener is struck with wonder that everything worked together, with multiple deus ex machinas. And the voice of Kate Forbes is not only sickly-sweet, but lacks character range.

Still, children will likely enjoy it, and it's something to stick in the car as you are driving on a long trip. It's just not good literature.

Rating:
Summary: The Hermit Thrush Sings
Review: This book takes place in the future after a huge disaster, distroying everything. Leora, the main character, is different from everyone else. She escapes in search of her missing sister. This book is filled with adventure and I recomend it to everyone who likes adventure books.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Book!
Review: This book was a great book! I have to admit...when I first took a look at this book..I thought it was going to be boring! Never judge a book by it's cover though, because this book was great! It was very adventurous! I'm usually not into books like that. I don't really like fantasy books, but this book was great! It was a mix of fantasy and things that could happen in real life. I enjoyed the book!

Rating:
Summary: The Hermit Thrush Sings
Review: When I looked at this book the first time I thought that it would be bad. When I started reading it, I changed what I had thought in the beggining. I couldn't put it down! It is about a girl named Leora who risks her life with the birmbas (who are accually friendly creatures with a bad reputation of eating people up and spitting out their bones). Anyway she risks her life walking through the forbidden forest in search of her long lost sisiter Reba. Leora's journey is filled with action, friendship, courage, and laughs. I liked this book very much because you never know what will happen next, and that every derail may tell you a lot.

Rating:
Summary: Not so great, but worth a visit to the library
Review: While the plot line of this book is pretty interesting, in some places, it just falls flat. For instance, I think a lot of things are way too easy for Leora, and that people are also too willing to believe her story. For people who are oppressed and ready to get into a war, they are unrealistically trusting of her, and her "predictions" which they buy into almost immediately. I also thought Leora was a very pale character, with not a lot of life. I am a very avid reader, and I like almost everything I read, so the fact that I disliked this so much is a surprise even to me. However, it is an amusing read, and like I've previously stated, the plot line is pretty good. Worth getting from a friend or the library, but use your book money to buy Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials instead.