pic and description taken from Goodreads
DESCRIPTION:
Chased by a vengeful witch, hunted by an undead corpse, and guided by a secretive preacher, a boy must protect a magical lantern that can either save Boston . . . or destroy it.
In October of 1730, young Rip Van Winkle sneaks into a graveyard and comes face-to-face with the ghost of William Blaxton, the first settler of Boston. Warning Rip that the city is in danger, Blaxton gives him a mysterious gift: a pumpkin lantern with power over life and death. Before fading into midnight, the ghost tells Rip to take the lantern to Feathertop, a mythical pumpkin-headed scarecrow.
Pursued by Mistress Hibbins, a witch of terrifying power, and hunted by the nightmarish Midnight Minister, young Rip must rely on the aid of Jonathan Edwards, a stern and secretive preacher, and Nathaniel, a talkative, know-it-all raven. Guided by the magical light of the lantern, Rip races across New England to find Feathertop, save Boston, and become a most unlikely hero!
From the bestselling, award-winning author Seth Adam Smith comes The Pumpkin Lantern--a fantasy novel influenced by the writings of Nathaniel Hawthorne, Lloyd Alexander, and C. S. Lewis. Loaded with humor, action, suspense, and fascinating American history, The Pumpkin Lantern is also a poignant fable about faith, family, and the power of life over death.
In October of 1730, young Rip Van Winkle sneaks into a graveyard and comes face-to-face with the ghost of William Blaxton, the first settler of Boston. Warning Rip that the city is in danger, Blaxton gives him a mysterious gift: a pumpkin lantern with power over life and death. Before fading into midnight, the ghost tells Rip to take the lantern to Feathertop, a mythical pumpkin-headed scarecrow.
Pursued by Mistress Hibbins, a witch of terrifying power, and hunted by the nightmarish Midnight Minister, young Rip must rely on the aid of Jonathan Edwards, a stern and secretive preacher, and Nathaniel, a talkative, know-it-all raven. Guided by the magical light of the lantern, Rip races across New England to find Feathertop, save Boston, and become a most unlikely hero!
From the bestselling, award-winning author Seth Adam Smith comes The Pumpkin Lantern--a fantasy novel influenced by the writings of Nathaniel Hawthorne, Lloyd Alexander, and C. S. Lewis. Loaded with humor, action, suspense, and fascinating American history, The Pumpkin Lantern is also a poignant fable about faith, family, and the power of life over death.
MY REVIEW / THOUGHTS:
I don't quite know how to put my thoughts into words. I still don't quite know for sure how I feel about it. It was an interesting read. Lets start with that :).
I have to admit I love how this story begins. Abagail has a dream about a baby in the grave yard in an open grave. She doesn't hesitate she wakes her husband and they head to the grave yard. In that open grave they find a baby that is barley clinging to life. Abagail and her husband make the baby warm and bring him back to life. They decide to call him Rip. (which I thought was kind of creepy because it's Rip as in rest in peace).
Rip, was a special kid from the beginning. He could speak to the plants, and the earth. His parents told him it was something he had to keep to himself. That is until Rip meets a little girl in the woods. They seem to connect and get a long. Rip's father finds him there and when he sees the little girl he knows exactly who she is. Her name is Charity, and her father is a horrible human. When he finds his daughter talking to the Judge Winkle and his son, he reprimands her. Judge Winkle threatens to take his daughter and while doing so, Rip raises a rose bush between Charity and her father. It catches him, and while he is tangled in the bush he admits to doing something to his wife.
Judge Winkle and his family take Charity in. That is just the beginning of the Winkle family. Suddenly their home becomes the safe haven for all children with no place to go. A "belonging" place.
I love this family. They love, the take care of each other, and they fight for those who don't have anyone else.
This is a story of faith, hope, and becoming the person you are. Fighting off the dark times, and always looking to the light to make things better.
I enjoyed the book. I think I probably didn't totally understand everything the author wanted me to, but I enjoyed the book anyway. I love reading inspirational books. It made me feel good. Made me want to do more for those around me. It's just an interesting book.
Source: I was given this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way for this review. These are my own PERSONAL thoughts on the book.
Source: Clean
MY RATING:
WHERE TO BUY:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
pic and bio taken from Goodreads
Seth Adam Smith is a best-selling, award-winning author and blogger whose writings have been translated into over thirty languages and featured on the Huffington Post, Good Morning America, Fox News, CNN, the Today show, Forbes, and many other news outlets around the world. In 2015, his book "Your Life Isn’t for You" was awarded a gold medal for inspirational memoir.
A survivor of a suicide attempt in 2006, Seth is an advocate for resources and understanding concerning depression and suicide prevention, and he regularly writes about these topics in his books and on his blog. He and his wife, Kim, currently live in Arizona but have “belonging places” throughout the United States. He recently published "Rip Van Winkle and the Pumpkin Lantern," and is currently working on a series of historical novels set in Colonial America. Learn more atwww.SethAdamSmith.com
A survivor of a suicide attempt in 2006, Seth is an advocate for resources and understanding concerning depression and suicide prevention, and he regularly writes about these topics in his books and on his blog. He and his wife, Kim, currently live in Arizona but have “belonging places” throughout the United States. He recently published "Rip Van Winkle and the Pumpkin Lantern," and is currently working on a series of historical novels set in Colonial America. Learn more atwww.SethAdamSmith.com
I can see why you are still unsure about this, these reads are often hard to review, you did great though and definitely not a bad read. ;) Have a great weekend Becca!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Ali!
ReplyDelete