This is Elise, a 5th grader with a ravenous appetite for literature. She enjoys writing short stories, she is a jump rope expert, and a delightful young woman.
Today, she'd like to tell you why she loved reading City of the Beasts by Isabel Allende.
I think you should read City of the Beasts because it includes adventure, fantasy and there are two main characters, so the reader gets to hear the story from two points of view. They have a mission to accomplish, which adds to the suspense. I really like her writing style - she weaves multiple plots into her storytelling, which adds depth to the characters and the plot.
Alexander Cold goes to his grandmother's apartment in New York for the summer while his mother is being treated for cancer, only to find that they are going on a trip to the Amazon rain forest. They've been sent to verify the existence of a creature known to locals as the Beast and provide health care to the indigenous tribes. While there, Alex makes a friend, a girl his age named Nadia. At camp, they are kidnapped by a local tribe that doesn't want their whereabouts revealed. Alex and Nadia must learn the tribe's way of life while they are waiting to be rescued.
SPOILER ALERT:
The tribe decides to show Alex and Nadia that the Beast does exist in a fascinating visit to a city where more than one of his kind dwell. They each find a magical item that will help someone they love and must find a way to retrieve the items and safely return to their camp.
This is book one in a trilogy. You should get them from the library or anywhere you can and start reading today!
Thanks to Elise for being a guest poster. You can trust this girl's taste in books - she has read enough genres and authors to know what she likes.
Here's a link to two TED Talks by author Isabel Allende.
Elise's picture was published with the permission of her parents.
