Impossible Creatures

eBook, 368 pages

English language

Published Sept. 10, 2024 by Knopf Books for Young Readers.

ISBN:
978-0-593-80988-4
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OCLC Number:
1394902563
Goodreads:
206181453

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(4 reviews)

The day that Christopher saved a drowning baby griffin from a hidden lake would change his life forever.

It’s the day he learned about the Archipelago—a cluster of unmapped islands where magical creatures of every kind have thrived for thousands of years, until now. And it’s the day he met Mal—a girl on the run, in desperate need of his help.

Mal and Christopher embark on a wild adventure, racing from island to island, searching for someone who can explain why the magic is fading and why magical creatures are suddenly dying. They consult sphinxes, battle kraken, and negotiate with dragons. But the closer they get to the dark truth of what’s happening, the clearer it becomes: no one else can fix this. If the Archipelago is to be saved, Mal and Christopher will have to do it themselves.

Katherine Rundell’s story crackles and roars with energy and delight. It …

2 editions

Didn't meet my expectations - or I'm too old

Too many creatures from too much mythology, too fast-moving - I couldn't get hooked. The book was a smash hit so maybe it's me. From the New Yorker's review, with which I agree:

"That’s often the case when you revisit books you loved in your youth or catch up on the ones you missed or were born too early to encounter at the intended age. As a grownup, you may enjoy such works, but you can no longer wholly enter them. You are, in an inversion of that childhood injustice, too tall to ride the ride.

I was aware of this limitation while reading “Impossible Creatures”—much more aware of it, in fact, than while reading Rundell’s more realist works for kids. That might be because children are so much better than adults at crossing the boundary between the ordinary and the magical, or it might be because the new book …

Impossible Creatures - 4 Stars

Well-written and exciting, with a good sense of humor. I enjoyed the magical archipelago setting. It has a familiar fantasy story arc - i.e., a young "chosen" protagonist goes on a quest to fight against evil with the help of some friends and protectors (to some extent, it reminded me of both Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings) - but it's inventive enough to stand out in its own right. I wouldn't mind having one of those flying coats. My favorite part was the scene where they meet the jaculus dragon. I definitely saw parallels to our climate change reality, e.g. government dragging its feet in the face of catastrophic changes in the sea, so I appreciated that.

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