Book Descriptions
for Once in a Blue Moon by Nunzio DeFilippis, Christina Weir, and Jennifer Quick
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
As a child, Aeslin Flinn loved The Avalon Chronicles, which her parents read to her at bedtime. But her mother refused to continue reading the story after her father disappeared. Now Aeslin is 14. When her best friend, Samantha, finds a book called Once in a Blue Moon , Aeslin realizes it’s a sequel to the beloved tale of her childhood. But the world of Avalon has darkened since Aeslin was younger: characters she loved have been living in misery. This perfectly paced graphic novel follows Aeslin as she makes the stunning discovery that she can read herself into the world of Avalon. Even more shocking is the truth behind her father’s disappearance. Now Aeslin has a chance to rescue her father, not to mention to dress in cool knightly clothes and to wield a sword or two. Aeslin moves in and out of the fantasy world of Avalon while trying to handle the challenges that most other 14-year-olds face in reality: an annoying mother who just doesn’t get it and harbors too many secrets, a crush on the cutest boy in school, and a best friend whose best intentions often cause trouble. Both Aeslin and Samantha are at an important stage in figuring out who they are and what they can contribute to the world. But Aeslin’s challenge is complicated by trying to determine to which world she has the most to contribute. Black-and-white drawings create remarkable contrasts between the two worlds and a careful reader will spot anachronisms: Aeslin’s school uniform looks out of place in Avalon, for example, and medieval houses look silly in the middle of a busy contemporary street. This is the first volume of an exciting and promising new series. (Ages 10-15)
CCBC Choices 2005 . © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2005. Used with permission.
From the Publisher
- Aeslin Finn had a magical childhood -- a nice house, two loving parents, and every night before bed, a whole new world to explore. The Avalon Chronicles were the perfect tuck-in tale and her parents enjoyed reading the fantastic fables as much as she liked listening to them. But one day, the book shifted tones. The unbelievably brave Dragon Knight and her courageous Prince faced an evil Wizard that threatened the entire land. But before they could finish the chapter, Aeslin's parents left on a business trip. When her father died on that trip, it was time for Aeslin to stop living in a fantasy world. Aeslin's mom never read from the tome again. Now Aeslin's a teenager and living a fairly ordinary life. She has a crush on Michael, the most popular boy in school, and her best friend Samantha loves to trade secrets and share gossip. It's a fine, if not extraordinary, existence until Samantha happens on a new book - Once In A Blue Moon. It's a sequel to the novel Aeslin loved as a child. The new pages catch up on the denizens of Avalon and their miserable eight-year existence since the defeat of the Dragon Knight. Aeslin can't believe it. She wishes she could be there to defend all of the creatures and common folk she loved as a child. And then out of nowhere, she is...
- Now Aeslin has the opportunity to be the hero she always admired. But Avalon is a much more dangerous place than she remembered and there's no instruction manual she can read to figure out what to do or how to get home.
Publisher description retrieved from Google Books.