Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Sky Carver
Fiction
For ages 12 and up
Clarion Books, 2005 ISBN: 978-0618443932
Thomas Painter wishes very much that he had more control over his own life. The son of a famous painter, Thomas is expected, and required, to follow in his father’s footsteps. It doesn’t seem to matter that Thomas neither likes nor has a talent for painting. When his uncle wants him to paint Thomas would much rather be carving, something which he is very good at and which he loves to do.
Then one day the direction of his life takes a dramatic turn towards a new future. A weather wand falls out of the sky dropped by a Raven who has stolen the wand and is taking it back to her mistress. Thomas soon discovers what the wand is capable of and he is sent by his village to seek the help of a mage who can teach him how to use the wand to help the village.
Soon after setting out on his quest the Raven appears again and Thomas, who now calls himself Carver, discovers that she is a girl who is an apprentice bird mage and who is stuck in her current bird form. Together this unlikely pair head down towards the coast hoping to find someone who can help them solve their magical problems but instead they discover a great evil which threatens to take away everything that they care about and hold dear.
The vivid characters in this novel bring it to life giving it great depth and making it hard for the reader to put it down. Raven, with her curses and fighting spirit, and Carver with his gentle determination, carry the story forward to a dramatic climax and a most unexpected conclusion.
