Popular wisdom decrees summer to be the time for brainless, action-packed movies and books. The superhero movies will start to appear in the spring, and the “beach reads” right along with them.
But I find this time of year to be most perfect for these escapist reads. The holidays are long past, but the warm weather still seems so far off. Why not read an adventure story to pass away a cold gray February weekend?
One book, or series of books, that would make a great summer action movie is Kenneth Oppel’s Airborn and Skybreaker. I recently read Skybreaker, and couldn’t believe how a book of over 300 pages could feel like one you could easily finish in a sitting.
In Airborn, we meet Matt Cruse, a poor cabin boy, and wealthy Kate and her chaperone, Miss Simpkins, who are traveling aboard an airship. When pirates attack the airship, Matt realizes that Kate is starving for adventure, and they team up to not only defeat the pirates but to discover if the strange, “cloud cat” creatures really exist.
Skybreaker, the sequel, shows Matt attempting to become an airship pilot, but adventure is not far behind. Kate returns, but also beautiful gypsy Nadira, and cocky pilot Hal, who together form a, shall we say, love quadrangle? They are all chasing the runaway ship Hyperion, rumored to be full of treasure. Once they locate the Hyperion, the pace goes even faster, with the end satisfying but still leaving hope for more stories of this crew. This series brings to mind almost nothing more than the Indiana Jones series, with not only the pacing, but the delicious bad guys and the hint of romance that never gets in the way of the action.
Another clever adventure book is Don Wood’s Into the Volcano. This author, best known for his picture book collaborations with wife Audrey, here makes a graphic novel for older elementary/middle school readers. Two brothers, Duff and Sumo, are sent to stay with their aunt in Hawaii, an aunt they’ve never met. Once the brothers arrive, they continue to be suspicious that something is amiss, and the “trip” they go on proves this to be true - they are literally heading right into an exploding volcano. Just as in Skybreaker, whether characters are good or bad stays questionable for large parts of the book, as does the survival of several characters. (A minor character does die in Skybreaker.) And unsurprisingly, both of the adventures are after hidden treasure.
Both of these reads would be recommended for fans of the Alex Rider series, or for anyone, particularly boys, who want a good adventure.
But I find this time of year to be most perfect for these escapist reads. The holidays are long past, but the warm weather still seems so far off. Why not read an adventure story to pass away a cold gray February weekend?
One book, or series of books, that would make a great summer action movie is Kenneth Oppel’s Airborn and Skybreaker. I recently read Skybreaker, and couldn’t believe how a book of over 300 pages could feel like one you could easily finish in a sitting.
In Airborn, we meet Matt Cruse, a poor cabin boy, and wealthy Kate and her chaperone, Miss Simpkins, who are traveling aboard an airship. When pirates attack the airship, Matt realizes that Kate is starving for adventure, and they team up to not only defeat the pirates but to discover if the strange, “cloud cat” creatures really exist.
Skybreaker, the sequel, shows Matt attempting to become an airship pilot, but adventure is not far behind. Kate returns, but also beautiful gypsy Nadira, and cocky pilot Hal, who together form a, shall we say, love quadrangle? They are all chasing the runaway ship Hyperion, rumored to be full of treasure. Once they locate the Hyperion, the pace goes even faster, with the end satisfying but still leaving hope for more stories of this crew. This series brings to mind almost nothing more than the Indiana Jones series, with not only the pacing, but the delicious bad guys and the hint of romance that never gets in the way of the action.
Another clever adventure book is Don Wood’s Into the Volcano. This author, best known for his picture book collaborations with wife Audrey, here makes a graphic novel for older elementary/middle school readers. Two brothers, Duff and Sumo, are sent to stay with their aunt in Hawaii, an aunt they’ve never met. Once the brothers arrive, they continue to be suspicious that something is amiss, and the “trip” they go on proves this to be true - they are literally heading right into an exploding volcano. Just as in Skybreaker, whether characters are good or bad stays questionable for large parts of the book, as does the survival of several characters. (A minor character does die in Skybreaker.) And unsurprisingly, both of the adventures are after hidden treasure.
Both of these reads would be recommended for fans of the Alex Rider series, or for anyone, particularly boys, who want a good adventure.