Philip Pullman is another one of my favorite authors. One of the aspects of this book I really enjoy is the fact that Lyra is a good liar. I think one important lesson students don't learn or learn in a negative way is that lying is in fact useful for survival sometimes. So many of our students have rough lives and have to lie to keep from getting themselves hurt. By discussing the lies Lyra has to tell and the consequences of those lies we can help our students see what the real world is like and what some people have to do to stay safe.
Library Uses
This would be a great discussion book for problems with authority and again to talk about lying. I'd have the students come up with lists of rules they disagree with and how they'd change those. I'd also have the students get into groups and come up with lies they think are okay to tell and have them debate with other groups about those lies.
Reviews
Billboard - Trudi Miller Rosenblum
Pullman's fantasy masterpeice and the first of a trilogy...has become a classic of the genre.
Publishers Weekly
If Pullman's imagination dazzled in the Victorian thrillers that culminated with The Tin Princess, in this first volume of a fantasy trilogy it is nothing short of breathtaking. Here Earth is one of only five planets in the solar system, every human has a daemon (the soul embodied as an animal familiar) and, in a time similar to our late 19th century, Oxford scholars and agents of the supreme Calvinist Church are in a race to unleash the power that will enable them to cross the bridge to a parallel universe. The story line has all the hallmarks of a myth: brought up ignorant of her true identity, 11-year-old Lyra goes on a quest from East Anglia to the top of the world in search of her kidnapped playmate Roger and her imprisoned uncle, Lord Asriel. Deceptions and treacheries threaten at every turn, and she is not yet certain how to read the mysterious truth-telling instrument that is her only guide. After escaping from the charming and sinister Mrs. Coulter, she joins a group of "gyptians" in search of their children, who, like Roger, have been spirited away by Mrs. Coulter's henchmen, the Gobblers. Along the way Lyra is guided by friendly witches and attacked by malevolent ones, aided by an armored polar bear and a Texan balloonist, and nearly made a victim of the Gobblers' cruel experiments. As always, Pullman is a master at combining impeccable characterizations and seamless plotting, maintaining a crackling pace to create scene upon scene of almost unbearable tension. This glittering gem will leave readers of all ages eagerly awaiting the next installment of Lyra's adventures. 100,000 first printing; $250,000 ad/promo. Ages 10-up. (Apr.)
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