- Hardcover: 256 pages
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's; 1st edition (7 Mar 2005)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0689860811
- ISBN-13: 978-0689860812
- Product Dimensions: 21.8 x 13.4 x 2.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 728,063 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
The Times
The Secret Country gets it absolutely right ... thanks to its
charming and humorous mixture of the mundane and the magical
charming and humorous mixture of the mundane and the magical
The Irish Times
Fabulous ... allows the reader to enjoy the mix of fantasy and
reality in a wonderfully satisfying way
reality in a wonderfully satisfying way
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
We're two thirds of the way through the book (my son is eight). He loves it so much that I have to read it twice a day instead of just at bedtime at the moment.
It's magical and inventive and at the same time has a nice dry sense of humour which stops the story from becoming over-sweet.
Ben the main character is ordinary yet honourable, and someone which children will both be able to identify with and aspire to.
The subtle undercurrent of the story is nice too - the selfish abuse of a magical world which is slowly being destroyed.
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
My daughter who is 8 loved this book so much that when she finished it she asked for the sequel. Bad news is the sequel is not due until next year. This was definitley a cover to cover book. An exciting book with a boy, a dragon, a talking cat, a woodsprite and a seal that can turn into a girl.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
All Ben Arnold wants in life are Mongolian Fighting Fish. The day he walks into Mr. Dodds's Pet Emporium with enough money to buy them should be the best day of his life. Except that he walks out with a cat. It's not really his fault. After all, the cat made him do it.
Ignatius Sorvo Coromandel, Iggy for short, also known as the Wanderer, has quite a story for Ben. He is from another world, a world called Eidolon. A world full of exotic, mythical, talking creatures. A world that is slowly dying and losing its magic. Someone is stealing creatures out of Eidolon and selling them in Ben's world. Each time a creature leaves, the magic is less. And each time one dies, which happens shortly after they enter our world, more magic disappears.
The most amazing part of all, aside from the talking cat thing, is that Iggy claims Ben's mother is the Queen of Eidolon! That's why Ben can understand Iggy, and the other strange creatures that are beginning to appear in random places. That means that Ben is a prince and his two sisters are princesses! And that's why Ben's mom is getting sick.
If Ben can go to Eidolon, he might be able to help save both the world and his mom. First, he'll have to escape Mr. Dodds and Awful Uncle Aliester, who are bad enough in the regular world and ten times worse in Eidolon. Not to mention Cousin Sylvia and her creepy hairless cat. Then he'll have to navigate a completely foreign land where he can't be sure who to trust.
Mythical creatures and huge battles are all well and fun in books, but living through them is a whole different story!
I love this book, in every way possible! The plot is interesting and moves along at a perfect pace, fast enough to keep you interested but not so much so that you get confused. It's written simply, but never in a way that makes you feel silly. The characters, even the creatures, are extremely interesting and realistic. The part I like best though, is that there is a great sense of humor throughout the story.
I love it. My six-year-old nephew loves it. My ten-year-old niece loves it. You can't ask for more than that.
Reviewed by: Carrie Spellman
Ignatius Sorvo Coromandel, Iggy for short, also known as the Wanderer, has quite a story for Ben. He is from another world, a world called Eidolon. A world full of exotic, mythical, talking creatures. A world that is slowly dying and losing its magic. Someone is stealing creatures out of Eidolon and selling them in Ben's world. Each time a creature leaves, the magic is less. And each time one dies, which happens shortly after they enter our world, more magic disappears.
The most amazing part of all, aside from the talking cat thing, is that Iggy claims Ben's mother is the Queen of Eidolon! That's why Ben can understand Iggy, and the other strange creatures that are beginning to appear in random places. That means that Ben is a prince and his two sisters are princesses! And that's why Ben's mom is getting sick.
If Ben can go to Eidolon, he might be able to help save both the world and his mom. First, he'll have to escape Mr. Dodds and Awful Uncle Aliester, who are bad enough in the regular world and ten times worse in Eidolon. Not to mention Cousin Sylvia and her creepy hairless cat. Then he'll have to navigate a completely foreign land where he can't be sure who to trust.
Mythical creatures and huge battles are all well and fun in books, but living through them is a whole different story!
I love this book, in every way possible! The plot is interesting and moves along at a perfect pace, fast enough to keep you interested but not so much so that you get confused. It's written simply, but never in a way that makes you feel silly. The characters, even the creatures, are extremely interesting and realistic. The part I like best though, is that there is a great sense of humor throughout the story.
I love it. My six-year-old nephew loves it. My ten-year-old niece loves it. You can't ask for more than that.
Reviewed by: Carrie Spellman
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Great read
My 9 year old son and I read this together and we loved the humour in it and all the creatures. The author writes really well. So glad we found this series of books. Read more
Published 3 months ago by D. Platt
Dragons Galore!
If you are looking for a very rare book which is fantasmagorical and has dragons in - this is the book for you. Nicholas Harris Aged 9
Published on 10 Jan 2010
The perfect story
As soon as I opened the book I couldnt put it down. In fact, it was "unputdownable!" All the books I've ever read were terrific, but I knew when I opened that book, a tingle came... Read more
Published on 18 Dec 2007 by Mum King
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