The Land of Mirthful by Sally Morgan, Ambelin, Blaze and Ezekiel Kwaymullina
Walker
Books, 2009. ISBN
9781921150784.
Stop Watch: Book 2,
(Ages 7-9) Each of the
second markings on the stop watch
Tom's
grandfather has given him is the gateway to a different world. As the
book
begins, Tom and 'Bilby' are headed a mission, set by Grandpa, to 'a
funny and
sunny place' to find Finglethorn Underwood. Mirthful's rightful Queen,
Jeromarni, and her family have disappeared and the self appointed Queen
Mavis
has taken over. Things are not as they should be and all appears to be
doomed.
The task of the heroes is to restore the Queen to her throne and save
the kingdom
of Mirthful.
An easy read novel, with traces of C.S. Lewis's
Narnia and
Garth Nix's Keys to the Kingdom, this series could provide a
simple
introduction to the fantasy genre. The double spacing makes it readily
accessible to younger readers and there is enough action to make the
story
appealing. With sixty second markings on a stopwatch, this could prove
to be a
very long series! Given that Bilby, the Bridalon, was transported back
via the
first doorway and Tom allows him to take the bird back with him, the
question
arises as to whether or not there will be a stowaway from each of the
lands.
There will undoubtedly be many readers keen to continue on with the
series,
although possibly it may hold more appeal for the boys.
Jo Schenkel