The Golden Tree (Guardians of Ga'Hoole Series #12)

by Kathryn Lasky

Overview

After the time of the legends, the tale of the Guardians returns to the present in which Soren, the hero of Books 1-6, must train a new king. Old friends, new adventures!

Coryn, Soren, and the Band preside over a new Golden Age of the Great Tree under the subtle influence of the Ember. All seems well, but beneath the prosperity of peace Coryn is tortured by the suspicion that his evil mother, Nyra, is a hagsfiend and that his own blood carries the haggish taint. He wanders afar searching for the truth from hagsfiends themselves - putting the Great Tree in danger. Soren & the Band follow their new king to strange parts to guard him from the consequences of his obsession.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780439888066
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	03/01/2007
Series:	Guardians of Ga'Hoole Series
Edition description:	Reissue
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 7.63(h) x (d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Kathryn Lasky is the Newbery Honor-winning author of over one hundred books for children and young adults. Her beloved Guardians of Ga’Hoole fantasy series has sold more than 4 million copies, and she is the author of the Daughters of the Sea series, the Wolves of the Beyond series, as well as A TIME FOR COURAGE and other Dear America titles. Kathryn has also written a number of critically acclaimed nonfiction titles, such as BEYOND THE BURNING TIME and TRUE NORTH. She lives with her husband in Cambridge, MA.

Editorial Reviews

A golden age is dawning at the Great Ga'Hoole Tree, but it doesn't take long before the skies darken. Young king Coryn has become obsessed with the fear that his blood carries his evil mother's taint. To quell these grim thoughts, he wanders the land searching for clues, placing himself and his brave companions in risk.

Kathryn Lasky's twelfth book in her "Guardians of Ga'Hoole" series returns to the kingdom of owls after Coryn has become king. The relative peacefulness has left the young king restless and with time enough to ponder his origins. Without reading the earlier books in the series, the reader has some catching up to do; however, Lasky weaves enough of the back story into the text to make up for it. The central characters and plot are strong enough to stand on their own, but after finishing this book readers will want to read the rest of the series. The major flaw in the book has to do with the more marginal non-owl characters that appear toward the end. For someone unfamiliar with the series, these characters may seem underdeveloped and otherwise flat in comparison to the owls. In context it is apparent these characters are making return appearances from previous books in the series. Thus, those familiar with earlier books will probably not have this reaction. Overall, Lasky has developed a unique series—a fantastical rendering of a world of owls. Characters run the gamut of owl species and each embodies actual traits of that species. Lasky's knowledge and love of owls is obvious, and in spite of the anthropomorphism readers will come away knowing more about these birds.

Children's Literature - Amber Hurt