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Review
Johnson's deft balancing of magic and reality works perfectly for eight to 11-year-olds. --Sunday Telegraph
Product Description
When Jamie's mysterious art teacher sends him to the old Maskmaker's shop, he is faced with a terrible decision. He must choose a disguise that will take him into mortal danger, with only a taking cat to help him. In the deserts of Africa, the frozen glaciers of Greenland, and the Great Wall of China, Jamie will need all his intelligence and courage if he is to save his friends and fmily. Will the perilous tasks he faces help him solve the strange problems in his own life? Or will a dark web of sorcery stop him from ever coming home again "Extremely well written, highly inventive and with really funny jokes." Eva Ibbotson
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
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My 13 year old son has now read this book and has thoroughly enjoyed it. He found it was a good storyline and easy to follow. He is very keen on masks anyway, so as this book is all about someone who makes/produces masks it suited him very well. It is also a good book for adults, is highly recommended all round. As my son has had some reading difficulties the fact he has so enjoyed reading this book shows that it is a very interesting and readable story.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
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Jamie Wave is a pretty average pre-teen boy, discounting his dad's strange disappearance. He has to deal with the bullies at the private school he attends through a scholarship and at home the deterioration of his mum's well being as she finds it increasingly difficult to cope without his father around. His sister is no longer the nice person she once was, whilst the people Jamie interacts with on a daily basis such as his neighbours and teachers have begun to behave strangely.
Acting most oddly of all is art teacher Miss Lambent following a weird incident in class after Jamie places a tiger mask on his face. Soon Jamie is caught up in an ancient battle, yet who is the good guy and who is the bad; the King of Shadows or the White Lady? On an adventure filled quest in which Jamie time travels to the locations of the Sahara, the Arctic and China and takes on the role of a young warrior in each, he faces danger and sorcery yet finds help from some unusual allies.
There is a somewhat sinister feel to this book with its dark fairy tales of children being snatched by the King Under The Hill, yet this is balanced by the jokes and riddles Jamie cracks, plus his interaction with Jasper and Nanuq; animals he is able to communicate with when wearing a mask. His main sidekick is a feisty young girl, but why the author insisted on a red head named Jinny I'll never know; leaving me making comparisons with Harry Potter's girlfriend. There is action all the way in a variety of interesting locations as Jamie faces both friend and foe; although some loyalties are understandably divided and remain ambivalent until the end. There is also a satisfying conclusion that answers the majority of questions yet leaves enough scope for a sequel.
Acting most oddly of all is art teacher Miss Lambent following a weird incident in class after Jamie places a tiger mask on his face. Soon Jamie is caught up in an ancient battle, yet who is the good guy and who is the bad; the King of Shadows or the White Lady? On an adventure filled quest in which Jamie time travels to the locations of the Sahara, the Arctic and China and takes on the role of a young warrior in each, he faces danger and sorcery yet finds help from some unusual allies.
There is a somewhat sinister feel to this book with its dark fairy tales of children being snatched by the King Under The Hill, yet this is balanced by the jokes and riddles Jamie cracks, plus his interaction with Jasper and Nanuq; animals he is able to communicate with when wearing a mask. His main sidekick is a feisty young girl, but why the author insisted on a red head named Jinny I'll never know; leaving me making comparisons with Harry Potter's girlfriend. There is action all the way in a variety of interesting locations as Jamie faces both friend and foe; although some loyalties are understandably divided and remain ambivalent until the end. There is also a satisfying conclusion that answers the majority of questions yet leaves enough scope for a sequel.
Format:Paperback
Maskmaker is a children's book that for me transcends the 'tag'. The kind of book that adults will buy for their children and grandchildren and end up enjoying themselves. Like the Chronicles of Narnia Maskmaker is set firmly in the real world, a world with Ipods, Rich Tea Biscuits and families living on Benefits but a world in which magical and mysterious things can happen to the most unlikely people. It also reminded me a bit of the series Mr Ben, where he goes to a fancy dress dress shop, picks a costume and has an adventure but in this case the adventures are dangerous with a sinister edge.
Jamie lives with his mother and sister, since his father disappeared they have lived on Benefits and struggle to make ends meet. He wins a Scholarship to a private school and gets picked on, bullied because he is a 'Benefits' boy, fortunately he has friends who back him up. One day, the mysterious art teacher Miss Lambent tells the pupils to make a mask. Jamie makes a tiger mask that developes magical powers and she invites him to her shop 'The Maskmaker' located in a run down area of town. Told to choose a mask, when it is really the mask that is choosing him, he gets drawn into the magical, mysterious, dangerous and sinister world of The Maskmaker. Jamie is sent off on a journey through time and to foreign countries to solve 3 mysteries, if he doesn't suceed he will never be able to return home or solve the mystery of his father's disappearance.
This is a very well written magical adventure story where one boy has to 'overcome' the monster. It is full of humour including a lot of silly jokes, for example 'What kind of camel can jump higher than a tree?'. Sadly my son is not young enough (nor old enough) to enjoy this book however I do have great nieces and nephews and I will be recommending Maskmaker to them when they are old enough to enjoy it.
I think it will particularly appeal to children (adults) who have enoyed the Keys to the Kingdom series by Garth Nix.
Jamie lives with his mother and sister, since his father disappeared they have lived on Benefits and struggle to make ends meet. He wins a Scholarship to a private school and gets picked on, bullied because he is a 'Benefits' boy, fortunately he has friends who back him up. One day, the mysterious art teacher Miss Lambent tells the pupils to make a mask. Jamie makes a tiger mask that developes magical powers and she invites him to her shop 'The Maskmaker' located in a run down area of town. Told to choose a mask, when it is really the mask that is choosing him, he gets drawn into the magical, mysterious, dangerous and sinister world of The Maskmaker. Jamie is sent off on a journey through time and to foreign countries to solve 3 mysteries, if he doesn't suceed he will never be able to return home or solve the mystery of his father's disappearance.
This is a very well written magical adventure story where one boy has to 'overcome' the monster. It is full of humour including a lot of silly jokes, for example 'What kind of camel can jump higher than a tree?'. Sadly my son is not young enough (nor old enough) to enjoy this book however I do have great nieces and nephews and I will be recommending Maskmaker to them when they are old enough to enjoy it.
I think it will particularly appeal to children (adults) who have enoyed the Keys to the Kingdom series by Garth Nix.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Well written page turner
Something strange is happening in the town of Cawstocke, everyone has been having exciting dreams that rapidly turned into disturbing nightmares. Read more
Published 21 months ago by C. Y. Davidson
Riddles, masks and adventures in time
Apart from the strange dreams people keep having, the village of Cawstocke seems a pretty ordinary place to be growing up, and Jamie's favourite lesson is art. Read more
Published on 17 May 2010 by bluecougar25
Beautifully written fantasy adventure
I was a chapter or so into this novel when its enchanting and powerful prose began to remind me of something. Read more
Published on 5 May 2010 by C. O'Brien
A fascinating tale
Maskmaker Jane Johnson has created some fascinating and engaging characters in Maskmaker. Jamie Wave is a scholarship student at a private school where most of the other children... Read more
Published on 18 Mar 2010 by Michele Fry
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