Wednesday Weeks and the crown of destiny by Cristy Burne and Denis Knight
Cristy Burne and Denis Knight have brought us a second book featuring Wednesday Weeks and her friend Alfie (apprentice protector of the realms) and Bruce (the Skull), Grandpa (Abraham Mordecai Weeks, Protector of the Realms, Sorceror) and a new friend- Adaline. This team battles to save yet another realm from Gorgomoth the Unclean. The same characters are transported from the same ordinary science classroom as in the first book in the series (Wednesday Weeks and the Tower of Terror) into a fantasy world where good magic, science and cooperation between friends are pitted against evil.
When computer programmer/science fiction and fantasy author (Knight) and science communicator/author(Burne) team up, the resultant book is going to be interesting. Not surprisingly, Wednesday Weeks and the Crown of Destiny, is a highly visual sensation for readers with the action being easily translatable to screen. The narrative is action packed. The dialogue is sassy and witty. The heroes are trapped by one seemingly impossible situation after another. Escape from certain death has to be very fast and requires the ability to cipher codes, solve riddles, use logic and scientific knowledge - skills that a savvy primary school aged reader may just have if they have been focusing in Maths and Science lessons. The action races along but cycles back helpfully at times to help readers who might have become lost.
The settings are fantastic. After escaping the inside of a lifesize pinball game they travel through a worm hole to the evil lair of Gorgomoth where Grandpa has been transformed into a frog and Queen Shard is trapped. The Crown of Destiny, the ruby ring and the captives must be rescued from bizaare settings all before a very important dinner in the real world. Wednesday gradually refines her magical skills of levitation and transformation as she learns that true magic has to come from the heart.
The repartee between the friends and their responses to Gorgomoth and his "grey uniformed, gum-chewing goblins' " is wickedly naughty and snortingly funny. Traditional fairy stories, modern day performance reports, faery realms and the human realm are mixed together and out of it all friendship and being home in time for dinner matters most.
Embedded seamlessly amongst all the entertainment and adventure are STEM concepts including acids, bases and acid-base reactors, life cycles, codes and ciphers and sound and resonance. Activities based on these concepts are included at the end of the book. As in book 1, it is knowledge of science (with a touch of magic) which really saves the children every time.
Readers will be eagerly waiting to see how Wednesday Weeks and her friends will manage saving the nine realms in the upcoming book in the series - The dungeon of fire.
Themes: Science, Magic, Adventure, Fantasy, Friendship.
Wendy Jeffrey
