Reviewed by Mindy
I love goodreads. This is where I get most of my books to read. My friend Kelli gave this series five stars and she said these five books are up there on her favorite books of all time. And, for those of you who know my good friend Kelli, she has a hard time remembering what book she read last week! Right, Kell? :) So, when I saw how much she enjoyed this, I was interested.
“Over Sea, Under Stone” is the first book of five and was originally published in 1966. Interesting tidbit: Book 2 “The Dark is Rising” is a Newbery Honor Book and book 4 “The Grey King” is a Newbery Award Winner.
It starts with three siblings Simon, Jane, and Barney who are visiting their Great Uncle Merry in Trewissick, along with their parents, for a get away so Mom can paint and Dad can fish. Great Uncle Merry is a mysterious man who doesn’t like to answer questions and disappears for long periods. They are staying in the borrowed Grey House, which holds many of it’s own mysteries. While exploring in the house, the children find a map that while intriguing, is also a dangerous thing to have. In their quest to figure out what the map really is, they meet some menacing people, well actually, the bad people find them. Who can they trust and what they find, I won’t tell you, but it’s a great adventure, that takes them over sea, and under stone.
I’m accustomed to fast paced books, and this fit right in. I enjoyed the mystery of the map, what it eventually led them to, and the adventure it took them on and why. Also, finding things out along with the kids. (Even though there was one event I figured out before they did:)
There are some exciting events that take place: burglary, kidnapping, mind control, lies, deception, cave-exploring, a link to King Arthur, the mystery of him, and a fun surprise revelation of a character at the end.
There wasn’t anything I didn’t really dislike about this book. I would of liked a little more information on the kids. But, it didn’t bother me enough to be discouraged or not want to read more of the series.
What I liked the most was the mystery of map, (which actually is called something else) and how Simon, Jane, and Barney figure out the next step. I also enjoyed how they would work together and how they treated each other.
Four stars
I would read it again.
Will I read more from this author: Yes, I want to finish the series.
Over Sea, Under Stone
Author: Susan Cooper
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Published: 1966
ISBN13: 978-1-4169-4964-0
Paperback: 196 pages
FTC FYI: checked out book from library