Wow Jenny Nimmo knows how to tell a cracking story. The Secret Kingdom books are my first taste
of her novels and I have to say won’t be the last. The trilogy follows Timoken, a young boy who
is enchanted by a magical moon spider web cloak when he is born and leaves him
with one foot in this world and one in the realm of enchantments. When he is just eleven tragedy strikes and
his parents are killed by evil viridees who are after the cloak and to survive Timoken
and his sister Zobayda have to leave the castle. It is only when his Mother
advises him to fly from the Castle that Timoken learns of his magical powers.
The first book then follows their journey as they try to
find another home where they can live as a family. Along the way they have some fantastic
adventures and meet Gabar, a talking camel who helps them and then becomes part
of the family. Timoken can speak to all animals so the reader finds out what
Gabar is saying and this brings some very humorous passages within the
book. It is within this first book that
he learns of most of his magic and how both the elements and animals will help
him in times of trouble.
The second book – The Stones of Ravenglass follows Timoken
and his ever growing family to medieval Britain where he desperately wants to
find his own Kingdom so that he can find a place of his own. Unfortunately he
meets Osbern D’Ark and the Damzel of Decay who both want to harm him. He does meet some new friends along the way
though, a magician called Eri and his dragon Enid. Can I just say that I loved the relationship
between Gabar and Enid with Enid being the flirt and Gabar trying not to fall
for her charms.
The last book – Leopards’ Gold jumps ahead to a place where
Timoken has his family and Kingdom but all is not well within the magical
walls. So follows a plot to overthrow
the King and create disharmony between his children. In this book we are told the story by
Petrello, one of Timoken’s younger children, who has not yet learnt of what his
magical talent might be. I think that
out of all the books this is the weakest as we are not hearing Timoken’s voice
and so feels a little disjointed compared to the other two.
These are truly magical books that explore the love of
family, loss and the need to truly belong somewhere. The books are extremely descriptive and it
feels as though you are in the plains of Africa or the deep dark forests of
Britain. Jenny Nimmo creates such great
characters throughout all the books that by the end you feel as though they are
friends and you are deeply committed to find out what is going to happen to
them all.
All in all a great trilogy that I think would make any young
readers want to dip into Jenny Nimmo’s world again.
Once again thanks to the lovely Emma for the books - http://www.bookangelbooktopia.com/
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