Lowly’s Book Blog

Sometime in the next week or two I am going to need to report on the pile of books I have collected together for the Reading Challenge. So this weekend is dedicated to clearing this collection, well, starting to.

This book has also been short listed for the CBC Younger Readers award. Not surprising considering all the hype that was around when the Key to Rondo was released last year.

This time the two children move through the music box simply in order to preserve the illusion that the Key has been destroyed. The idea was to go into Rondo only until the Blue Queen’s spies spotted them and reported back and then return to their normal existence. But wouldn’t you know it, Leo and Mimi got caught up in another quest. This time they were out to rescue Wizard Bing from the cloud castle.

This is very much the next book in the series. Rodda maintained the delightful links to folklore that made her first Rondo book so wonderful. But somehow served up the second time, it doesn’t seem as exciting or as fresh.

I am absolutely certain that thousands of children will eagerly devour the book cover to cover. And the hardcover will help convince parents and grandparents that the children are reading quality literature. And don’t get me wrong, this is still quality literature. Rodda knows that newly confident readers love series. They can comfortably stay in one imaginary place and read forever. It is just that I am greedy. I wanted more from the second book.