Book Reviews:
Below you will find reviews for Heather Payer-Smith's books. All reviews are welcome! Please feel free to post a review on Amazon.com or send the author a note through the comments page.
Comments/Reviews for "The Nameless World"
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thought-provoking adventure
July 25, 2011 By Jennifer Stone
This review is from: The Nameless World (Paperback)
Noah is the target of the school bullies every day. They taunt him, take his possessions and even hit him over the head with his own book!
The young protagonist is afraid to fight back, but when the bullies throw his favorite book into a mud puddle during recess he snaps and launches a rock at the biggest bully's head. A teacher comes at the sound of the bully's distressed cries and Noah hides behind a large oak tree.
It is there that he finds his missing science teacher's glasses and two mysterious puzzle pieces that transport him to another world. As Noah travels through this world trying to get back home he makes new friends, discovers an ecosystem with life-giving rivers and rescues native creatures from being eaten by bigger beasts. He also discovers that the humans of this world aren't well liked by the native creatures - for a very good reason: they are destroying the delicate ecosystem along with the creatures who depend on it.
Noah must find his way through this world to the Chatalbin who can send him home, and to do this he must find the courage within himself to brave the nameless world.
The Nameless World is an exciting and thought-provoking adventure that middle grade readers are sure to love.
Reviewed by Jennifer Stone, author of "Quest of the Swords: Swords of Blood"
Thought-provoking adventure
July 25, 2011 By Jennifer Stone
This review is from: The Nameless World (Paperback)
Noah is the target of the school bullies every day. They taunt him, take his possessions and even hit him over the head with his own book!
The young protagonist is afraid to fight back, but when the bullies throw his favorite book into a mud puddle during recess he snaps and launches a rock at the biggest bully's head. A teacher comes at the sound of the bully's distressed cries and Noah hides behind a large oak tree.
It is there that he finds his missing science teacher's glasses and two mysterious puzzle pieces that transport him to another world. As Noah travels through this world trying to get back home he makes new friends, discovers an ecosystem with life-giving rivers and rescues native creatures from being eaten by bigger beasts. He also discovers that the humans of this world aren't well liked by the native creatures - for a very good reason: they are destroying the delicate ecosystem along with the creatures who depend on it.
Noah must find his way through this world to the Chatalbin who can send him home, and to do this he must find the courage within himself to brave the nameless world.
The Nameless World is an exciting and thought-provoking adventure that middle grade readers are sure to love.
Reviewed by Jennifer Stone, author of "Quest of the Swords: Swords of Blood"
* * * * *
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Adventure of a life
November 22, 2011 By Eric S
This review is from: The Nameless World (Paperback)
When I picked up the book, I was hesitant to read it knowing it dealt with bullies, because of my fair share being picked on when I was Noah's age. About the 6th chapter I realized I could not put the book down, I had to continue to find out what Noah was going to do, what courage would he mustard up to get through the obstacles that he faced. I would then think about my life and the obstacles that I faced then and even now. He gave me the strength to face my fears, to face my challenges, and try to make a difference in the world, just a little at a time. I loved how Noah was not a typical hero but just an average kid that decided to make a difference and do what was right know matter what the cost to him would be.
* * * * *
5 our of 5 stars
This fantastic adventure about self-discovery and destiny
December 20, 2011
By Magda M. Olchawska
This review is from: The Nameless World (Paperback)
"The Nameless World" is a wonderful and colourful adventure book with a vital environmental and spiritual message.
Noah, the main protagonist is very young, shy, insecure and full of fear. He is bullied at school on regular basis. His self-esteem is at the lowest possible level. One day at school when he finds out that his favourite teacher - Mr. Potter is gone, Noah gets into big troubles with bullies and skips school. Or at least this is what he thinks has happened. When Noah wakes up, he finds himself in the magical Nameless World, full of unusual creatures and amazing vegetation. While traveling through the unknown land, Noah meets Grelgor who agrees to help him find Chatnoir, a powerful and wise being who may be able to help Noah to get back home.
Heather Payer-Smith did a fantastic job writing great dialogues and coming up with remarkable creatures inhabiting a fascinating world. I would recommend this book to any parent. In fact I think everyone should have a copy at home to help children overcome their fears and help them to learn that destroying the natural environment has consequences.
I'm looking forward to reading the second installment.
Reviewed by Magda M. Olchawska, author of "Mikolay and Julia Meet the Fairies" & "Mikolay and Julia in the Attic"
* * * * *
3 our of 5 stars
No Name, No Shame
March 15, 2012
By Simon A Forward
This review is from: The Nameless World (Kindle Edition)
According to one review I'd heard about, The Nameless World by Heather Payer-Smith reads like a second-rate Wizard Of Oz. By story's end I can see - vaguely - where the Oz comparisons might be drawn, but `second-rate' is an unfair dismissal.
For one thing, the book struck a note for me more in tune with Narnia and perhaps the Hobbit, with a side-serving of Wonderland. This, I appreciate, is suggestive of some extensive borrowing, but all stories are the sum of borrowed goods and they're best measured in terms of the extent to which they add up to something new. Here, what we have are mostly echoes of these other stories and Payer-Smith does bring her own perspective to this tale of young well-meaning lad, Noah, who drops through a portal to the eponymous world with no name.
Its key strengths lie in the vivid colour and imagination with which the author has forged her particular brand of otherworld and there's no small degree of cleverness in the way she turns our ecosystem on its head while proceeding to tell a story that essentially deals with some very straightforward environmental issues. It's reasonably subtle with it, not hammering the message into tender young skulls, so in my inexpert estimation it might stand a fair chance of getting youngsters interested in green concerns at an early age.
Where it was less successful for me was in some of the dialogue and, more especially, in some of the internal monologue from Noah. Occasionally I'd find words like `induced' and I could be wrong - sure, I used to be a kid myself, but it's so long ago it's difficult to remember with any certainty - but it seems very grown-up language in the head of a young boy. I've known kids who were advanced for their age, but that's not the impression painted here. If I had to pin it down, it seems like Noah is not portrayed as the wrong age, but as a kid from a different era.
There's something of an old-fashioned flavour to the language overall, which is possibly part of why there's that reminiscence of traditional children's classics and there's nothing intrinsically wrong in that. It's hard to see how this could have been laced with a more contemporary vibe without completely altering the tone. Besides, there's a reason those classics have endured and are still read today.
My other niggle is over the shifting character viewpoints through the course of a scene. As a writer I'm very into colouring prose with the perspective of a single character and I'd rather have scenes experienced through one pair of eyes, whereas here we're given insights into the minds of most of the players. You'd think allowing us inside everyone's head whenever it suited would allow for a more immersive experience, but that kind of omniscience works the opposite for me. A tale that involves a young boy being catapulted into a strange and wonderful world might benefit hugely from being told exclusively from the boy's point of view.
Still, Payer-Smith has populated her world with a cast of weird and wonderful creatures and characters. By far and away the most engaging is Grelgor, who starts out as brilliantly surly and contrary - unhelpful and argumentative in an entertaining way, with nods to some of Alice's colourful encounters. As with The Hobbit, Wonderland and The Lion, Witch And The Wardrobe - and Oz, come to that - the plot is not complicated. It's a quest, with the principal focus on finding a way home - there and back again - and of course the hero's presence in this exotic land affects a change for the better. Alongside all the colour there's a great deal of charm and the descriptions are sure to feed a young imagination with clear pictures of the landscapes and the creatures to be found there. As well as, perhaps, inspiring them to create their own - possibly named - worlds.
For that reason alone, this book deserves better than dismissal.
Comments/Reviews for "A Recycled Christmas"
5.0 out of 5 stars
I think this book should be read by every kid & adult to make our society more environmentally aware.
October 31, 2011 By MagdaOlchawska "Magda M. Olchawska Writer/Fil...
This review is from: A Recycled Christmas (Paperback)
Every year the Elves are working hard making toys for kids for Christmas. Every year Father Christmas is checking up on the boys & girls if they were good or naughty to add them to his Good List. However, to his dismay he soon learns that the children have been dumping their last year toys to make room for new toys from Father Christmas. So, Father Christmas has a brilliant idea how to save the dumped toys.
Payer-Smith did a fantastic job on illustrations and the story. I love the idea of making children aware (starting at a very young age) that throwing out good toys (or other things for that matter) only create piles of garbage, which pollute our planet. She gives the kids another idea what to do with the unwanted toys. This book teaches our little ones a very valuable environmental lesson and the sooner they learn the better for all of us.
My recommendation for this book is children age 2-7, parents, teachers, librarians, environmental organizations & clubs. However, I think this book should be read by every kid & adult to make our society more environmentally aware. I enjoyed the story a lot.
Reviewed by Magda M. Olchawska, author of "Mikolay & Julia Meet The Fairies" & "Mikolay & Julia In The Attic".
I think this book should be read by every kid & adult to make our society more environmentally aware.
October 31, 2011 By MagdaOlchawska "Magda M. Olchawska Writer/Fil...
This review is from: A Recycled Christmas (Paperback)
Every year the Elves are working hard making toys for kids for Christmas. Every year Father Christmas is checking up on the boys & girls if they were good or naughty to add them to his Good List. However, to his dismay he soon learns that the children have been dumping their last year toys to make room for new toys from Father Christmas. So, Father Christmas has a brilliant idea how to save the dumped toys.
Payer-Smith did a fantastic job on illustrations and the story. I love the idea of making children aware (starting at a very young age) that throwing out good toys (or other things for that matter) only create piles of garbage, which pollute our planet. She gives the kids another idea what to do with the unwanted toys. This book teaches our little ones a very valuable environmental lesson and the sooner they learn the better for all of us.
My recommendation for this book is children age 2-7, parents, teachers, librarians, environmental organizations & clubs. However, I think this book should be read by every kid & adult to make our society more environmentally aware. I enjoyed the story a lot.
Reviewed by Magda M. Olchawska, author of "Mikolay & Julia Meet The Fairies" & "Mikolay & Julia In The Attic".
* * * * *
4 out of 5 stars
Great Children's Book
December 13, 2011
By Kayla Merritt
This review is from: A Recycled Christmas (Paperback)
This an adorable children's book. It's not your average children's Christmas story, because it teaches a lesson as well as entertains. It teaches children that they shouldn't be greedy and selfish. The children should donate their toys to the less fortunate and make someone else have a great Christmas, instead of just throwing them out where no one can enjoy them. The illustrations in A Recycled Christmas are adorable. I especially like the illustration where the elves find out children have been throwing their toys away and have the gaping mouths. Altogether, this is a perfect Christmas story if you want a message along with a story.
Reviewed by Kayla Merritt, Bee's Knees Reviews
Comments/Reviews for "Ryan's Bike"
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Heart Warming Book
November 11, 2011 By Kathleen Palmer
This review is from: Ryan's Bike (Paperback)
I know it may sound like a cliché but this really is a heart warming book. This is a story about a very special boy who, with the encouragement of his sister, doesn't let his disabilities get the better of him... Even when they keep him from doing what he wants to do most. Megan wants badly to give Ryan his dream but there may be too many obstacles in the way. In the end the love the siblings share wins the day. A good read for both young and old. Enjoy!
A Heart Warming Book
November 11, 2011 By Kathleen Palmer
This review is from: Ryan's Bike (Paperback)
I know it may sound like a cliché but this really is a heart warming book. This is a story about a very special boy who, with the encouragement of his sister, doesn't let his disabilities get the better of him... Even when they keep him from doing what he wants to do most. Megan wants badly to give Ryan his dream but there may be too many obstacles in the way. In the end the love the siblings share wins the day. A good read for both young and old. Enjoy!
Comments/Reviews for "The Little Green Umbrella"
Comments by Magda M. Olchawska, author of "Mikolay & Julia Meet The Fairies" & "Mikolay & Julia In The Attic".
What a lovely children book :)
Annabel is an amazing example for kids. It shows how to be dedicated when it's necessary, i.e. Annabel doesn't mind getting wet as long as everyone else around her isn't getting wet. She even leaves her little green umbrella with a dog before going on a school bus so the dog can stay dry. Because she's so nice, after the school Annabel finds a wonderful surprise at home.
Well done Heather, another great book :)
Comments by Magda M. Olchawska, author of "Mikolay & Julia Meet The Fairies" & "Mikolay & Julia In The Attic".
What a lovely children book :)
Annabel is an amazing example for kids. It shows how to be dedicated when it's necessary, i.e. Annabel doesn't mind getting wet as long as everyone else around her isn't getting wet. She even leaves her little green umbrella with a dog before going on a school bus so the dog can stay dry. Because she's so nice, after the school Annabel finds a wonderful surprise at home.
Well done Heather, another great book :)
