Harris, Joanne. 2008.
Runemarks.
Read by Bermingham, Sile.
New York: Doubleday.
Audio-compact disc. $50.00
ISBN 9780739362846.
Format: audiobook
Rating: 5.0/5.0 stars
Since her birth, with a runemark on her palm that no amount of scrubbing could remove, Maddy Smith has been blamed for all the bad luck and evil that existed in her small village. It is five hundred years after the end of the world, at least the worlds of the gods and chaos and order, the see-er folk, and the land of dream. Folks in Maddy's village ignore the signs of the curious, or unnatura, like the goblins, instead blaming the rats. If any bad luck befalls a villager, somehow Maddy is blamed. Fear of allowing other worldly creatures from entering their world through their dreams forces them to live in a world without dreams or any use of their imagination, as dictated by the Good Book.
The only person who sees Maddy for who she really is, and who begins training her for the skills she has hidden deep inside, is a traveling scoundrel named One-Eye. After years of annual visits that include lessons on cantrips, runecharms, and glamours, it becomes evident to One-Eye that Maddy has a gift, and she may be the only hope they have of finding the oracle and changing the world's prophecy - the one that dooms them all.
Critical Evaluation
Harris has created a vivid, rich in detail world - multiple worlds really if we consider all nine of them. With a strong background in languages and having studied Old Norse for a five year period, it isn't surprising that her ability to create characters with special powers and gifts, who have such unique and diverse personalities and hidden, secret pasts of great Norse mythology that somehow impact the present and the future. Runemarks is the ultimate fantasy where every runecharm alters the expected plot direction. Readers won't predict every twist and turn in this one.
Fantasy lovers will absorb every morsel. Other readers might struggle a bit as the connections are not always easily evident, and predictable is not a word that comes to mind with all of the plot changes and rising action that keeps readers suspended for far greater lengths of time than a shorter, action-paced novel.
Considering the novel is over 500 pages, it is understandable that the audio version in its entirety is quite lengthy. Sile, as a professional voice actress, adds so much to the reading with her ability to give life to so many of the different character's voices: male and female. I highly recommend the audio version, as it provides another dimension to this legendary story.
Reader’s Annotation
Born with a runemark on her palm, Maddy Smith is an unusual 14-year-old girl, one that attracts goblins and other curious creatures from the world below. Having had annual lessons with One-Eye over a seven year period, Maddy is now asked to go down below to find an oracle named The Whisperer and stop the prophecy that would end all of the worlds -- forever.
Information About the Author
Joanne Harris was born in 1964 to a French mother and English father. French was her first language; her nickname in school was Frog. She studied Modern and Medieval Languages and taught for more than a decade and published her first three novels while still teaching with her most famous Chocolat having been made into an Oscar-nominated film starring Johnny Depp and Juliette Binoche. Even though she can only write on a laptop, she is forever buying and collecting notebooks and journals though won't write in them. She still lives in the vicinity of where she was born, with her husband and daughter.
She has won the critically acclaimed Whitbread Award, one of Britain's most prestigious literary prizes. Since leaving the education profession, she has published eight more novels which include a short story collection, a few cookbooks, and Runemarks. Her newest book, the much anticipated Runelights, was just released. Her books have been published in more than 40 countries.
(Harris, 2011).
Genre
Fiction: Fantasy - world of Faerie
Read-Alikes
Poison by Chris Wooding
Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowlings
Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier
Curriculum Ties
Runemarks is based upon Norse mythology, and could support a study or comparison between Norse and the more commonly studied Greek mythology.
Booktalking Ideas
1) Maddy catching a goblin scene, mistakenly throwing a mind rune that pulls everything up from down below back into the basement
2) lesson when One-Eye is trying to teach Maddy, and she loses her temper
Book Trailer Links
Book trailer by Random House Publishers
Reading Level/Interest Age
Awards
N/A
Why Title Included & Selection Tools
Runemarks is a extraordinary tale of magic and Norse mythology and is being included for the fantasy lovers who will adore this book as it should be. Though quite lengthy by YA standards, it offers readers entry into a fantastical world of magic and other worlds.
Publisher's Weekly, NoveList, H. W. Wilson's Senior High Core Collection, ALA Notable/Best Books, Booklist, The Horn Book
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