An excellent start to the series

As the final book approaches next week I decided to listen to the full set again, and I have to say that this really introduces the characters well. You also get some action, so it's nice as a book in its own right, but really should be read with the rest of the series.

The narrator does a good job, making sure you know which of our four leads is speaking at any given time, and equally well gives life to the story.

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Fantastic book

My kids love these books and always like to listen to them it s very well written

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Cracks along - Clever computer game tie in

My local reading library is divided into ability sections. Wild Born was the next level up to books my 8 yr old son is reading, so I thought I'd get the audiobook.

The 4 main characters are 12 years old, so I suppose its aimed at the 8 to 12 yr bracket.My 6 yr old son didn't understand some of the vocabulary ("What's a precipice?" He shouted from the back of the car) but he did enjoy the thrust of the story.

I was not entirely convinced by the narrator - her range of "voices" isn't very wide, but at least she's consistent with them - but the story cracks along at a rapid pace. This was great for us as its the Easter Holidays, and we had quite a few half hour plus drives. How it would've worked for the more stop/start school run I'm not sure. So: mild peril, one death (sensitively handled), children in control, magic superpowers bestowed by a spirit animal (they choose you, not everyone gets one). As soon as it finished, they were begging me to get the next one. Result! Oh and a proper cliff hanger ending. You'll want to have the second book on stand by, just in case.

I had noticed on the library paperback that Scholastic had a computer game to accompany the book (www.spiritanimals.com), so I let the boys on that too. This allows you to choose your hero, bond with your spirit animal and go off on a quest. The combination is dynamite. To get more money etc you need codes from the back of the books in the series. Whilst this is no use with the audiobook, if you had a reluctant reader you were trying to tempt into doing to actual reading, it would definitely be worth a try.

My 6 yr old struggles with the computer game (lots of reading on screen instructions, which bores him after a while). I spotted him in the garden with a green cloak from our dressing up box, attempting to "bond" with one of our cats. It's that kind of a book.

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5 people found this helpful