School of the Ages: The Ghost in the Crystal
The Ghost in the Crystal
Matt Posner (author)
Product Description
America's greatest magic school is New York City's School of the Ages. Simon is a teen from Queens, New York. When he answers an advertisement in a magazine, the South Wind shows up at his door to introduce him to a world of adventure, power, and tragedy that feels both strange and right: ghosts, elementals, time travel, magic duels, clashes of culture, teen romance, sacrifice, and ultimate loss. The evil spirit of a bitter and scheming heretic from ancient Alexandria attacks him and forces him to risk everything in order to save his soul. Kids and adults won't stop reading -- The Ghost in the Crystal.
Keep up with news and updates about School of the Ages: schooloftheages.webs.com, facebook "School of the Ages Series" twitter @schoolofthages.
Product Details
Ebook
File Size: 541 KB
Language: English
ASIN: B0047GMH5E
Available at Amazon.com, Amazon.uk and Barnes&Noble.
Paperback
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 328 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace (December 5, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1456325922
ISBN-13: 978-1456325923
Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
Available at Amazon.com.
Review
By Jim Chambers on Red Adept Reviews
Plot/Storyline: 4 3/4 stars
After reading the book description, I figured School of the Ages to be another Harry Potter knockoff. In one respect, it was: teenagers who showed signs of magic ability were recruited for the School of the Ages (STA), located near New York City. Beyond that similarity, however, the stories were quite different. The School of the Ages taught talented teenagers to improve and refine their abilities to perform magic. This didn’t mean stage magic, i.e., prestidigitation, illusions, pulling-a-rabbit-from-a-hat magic. STA taught real magic, the act of making the world conform to a magician’s wishes. STA taught a different kind of magic than Hogwarts. There were no magic wands, flying broomsticks, or monsters conjured up out of the ether (okay, there was one monster). STA taught a less dramatic, somewhat more cerebral form of magic, although just as powerful in its own right.
Into this environment came Simon, a thirteen-year-old boy who had shown some early signs of having magic abilities. Simon quickly made friends with other first-year students, including his roommate, Robbie, his study partner, Goldberry, and the mysterious Leah. There were also enemies, including Yakov Mermelstein. Almost as soon as Simon moved into the dormitory at STA, he began to be haunted by an ancient and powerful spirit. How Simon dealt with the spirit, and how he developed a plan to free himself from the spirit’s hold on him made up the storyline.
The climax came during a school field trip to Alexandria, Egypt. Ancient Alexandria, that is, since the STA building could travel temporally and spatially to allow students to witness history firsthand. Placed in a potentially lethal situation, it would take all of Simon’s and his friends’ wits and magic skills to survive, and if they did, it might be at a terrible cost.
I mentioned that the magic at STA was more “cerebral” than at Hogwarts. That doesn’t mean that there wasn’t as much action—there was—but STA’s magic required more brainpower and relied less on props like magic wands.
The story relied a great deal on Jewish mysticism that might be a bit difficult for younger kids to grasp.
The story moved along at a brisk pace and kept me wanting to know the outcome. The storyline was creative and original, and the characters were interesting.
School of the Ages: The Ghost in the Crystal is the first book in a planned series.
Characters: 5 stars
The were some marvelous characters in the novel, and their relationships played a big part in the story. Simon was a likable fellow just trying to get along with his classmates and survive the grueling curriculum. His roommate Robbie was a sort of comic foil who could never get enough sleep, but he was always there when Simon needed him. Simon’s assigned study partner, Goldberry, was a precocious young lady who had already developed some of her magic skills. She was also well-grounded and kept Simon on the straight and narrow path (or tried to!).
Of course, there had to be a heavy, and in STA, it was Yakov Mermelstein, a Chassidic Jew, who was well-versed in the Cabala. Coming from a devout family, his rabbi father had sent Yakov to STA to “civilize” him. Yakov appeared to hate every non-Jewish student, but Simon bore the brunt of his wrath.
And there was Leah, a mysterious, enigmatic beauty who had secrets that would not be revealed until after the startling climax.
Some students and faculty members were mentioned only briefly or occasionally. I’m guessing that they will have bigger roles in subsequent books in the series.
Writing style: 4 3/4 stars
This was a well written novel. The story moved at a brisk pace and kept me reading until the end. Sentence structure was invariably correct, and dialogues were realistic within the context of the story and the age of the characters. Descriptions of places, events, and characters were thorough enough without bogging down in details.
