The Bag of Bones: The Second Tale from the Five Kingdoms
Written by Vivian French
Narrated by Renee Raudman
3.5/5
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Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
When the quill writes GO GO GO frantically on the wall, and the House of the Ancient Crones heaves Gracie Gillypot outside onto the path, it can mean only one thing: there's Trouble in the Five Kingdoms. This time it's in the form of a beady-eyed, green-tongued witch named Truda Hangnail, who with her banished Deep Magic has vowed to succeed Queen Bluebell on the throne. Now that her horrible spell has shrunk the good witches of Wadington to the size of, well, rats, can anything stop her? Will the strengths, smarts, and charms of a spunky trueheart, a sweet-natured orphan, a scruffy prince, a substantial troll, and two squabbling bats be enough to foil her insidious plot?
"Readers won't be disappointed by this fractured fairy-tale follow-up." -Booklist
"Fans…will be much amused by the dashing about, the quick brushes with danger, and the undercurrents of budding romance." -Kirkus Reviews
Vivian French
Vivian French worked in children’s theatre for ten years before she established herself as a storyteller. In 1988 she began to write for children and has had over 40 books published since them, including her Morris books and two Sleepovers, and the 3rd Century story in Centuries of Stories for Collins. She has travelled from Orkney to Oklahoma talking about children’s books; is a visiting lecturer at the University of the West of England and reviews for the Guardian.
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Reviews for The Bag of Bones
17 ratings3 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The five Witches of Wadingburn find themselves the unwilling hosts to Truda Hangnail, a Deep Magic witch who quickly shrinks the good witches to the size and appearance of rats. Little Loobly, an orphaned assistant, is the only one to escape Truda and run for help.Gracie Gillypot, also an orphan, is aware that evil has entered the kingdom and sets out to find it, but she soon takes the place of the missing Loobly in the prison-like orphanage and must rely on her friends to rescue her and stop Truda from ruling the kingdom.Yes, this book has talking rats and bats and witches and a troll. It also has a prominent character that has a very low IQ, possibly meant as brain damaged. This is the second book of a trilogy, and I consider French an imaginative writer rather than a great one. There are sentences that fall with a thud, but overall this is a story that entertains. I do have to say how much the character of Marlon the bat irritates me. It occurred to me that he may be meant to be American (the author is Scottish). He speaks in a combination of 40's movie gangster and 80's teen slang while constantly calling everyone "kiddo". So. Annoying.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This is the second book in a series that takes place in the Five Kingdoms. Witches are commonplace but only do good magic that provide cures. Witches who live outside of the Five Kingdoms can perform Deep Magic which is done for selfish or vengeful reasons. Deep Magic has been outlawed within the borders of the Five Kingdoms. Deep Magic witches, werewolves and sorcerers were banished years before this story takes place.Queen Bluebell is ready to announce the female heir to the kingdom but her daughter ran off while still young. Only a male baby with one of her royal shoes was ever found. Meanwhile, a witch who performs Deep Magic has crossed into the Five Kingdoms decides she wants to be named the next heir. This book has rats, bats, a troll and orphans. The black and white drawings add to the story. This book is geared towards young adults and I would have enjoyed it more if I were closer in age to the intended audience. It has humor to lighten things up. This is heavily plotted with enough character development to get the reader to like or dislike some characters. My favorite books make me feel something for the characters too.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Reason for Reading: Next in the series.Summary: The evil witch Truda Hangnail, practitioner of Deep Magic (not permitted in the Five Kingdoms) comes to visit her granddaughter and takes control of the local group of witches shrinking them down to the size of rats. Loobly, one of the witch's servants, escapes and sets off to get the help of the Ancient Crones. Meanwhile, it is Queen Bluebell's 80th birthday celebration and since she has no female heirs she will be naming her future successor at the party. But Truda Hangnail has a diabolical plan to crash the party and become the Queen of the Five Kingdoms herself! Comments: A fun sequel to The Robe of Skulls! Lots of new characters are introduced but all the familiar ones from the first book find there way into this story as well. The bats Marlon and Alf join in on the first page, then the twin brother princes make their appearance, as well as the Ancient Crones. Our heroine (from book one) Gracie Gillypot and Gubble the troll finally make a late appearance halfway through the book. A quick, easy read with lots of magic and dastardly doings. Truda Hangnail is all badness and as in the first book the bad are bad and the good are good keeping the story a fun romp through a fantasy world. I really enjoyed the new main character, Loobly. She's outwardly so timid and yet she sticks up for herself every time it counts. Her fondness for rats is amusing as well. This is one of those books that's just plain 'a whole lotta fun'. While the plot may have been predictable (to me) I had a great time getting there. I love these characters. I love the Scottish author's sense of humour and I love Ross Collins illustrations. Looking at the author's website, I see a third book has already been published in the UK, called The Heart of Glass. No sign of it on this side of the ocean yet but hopefully it will be a summer 2010 release.