Author: Philip Coleman
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Shelves: Middle Grade, Young Adult, Adventure, Mystery
Synopsis: Sean moves to
In 1482 Mary, the last Duchess of Burgundy, lies on her deathbed in a castle in
The Master’s Book is the story of Sean, an Irish teenager, just arrived in
Where did this manuscript come from? Who was it originally made for? Is there a connection with the beautiful tomb Sean has seen in
Part thriller and part paper-chase, this book is aimed at boys and girls of twelve and over.
Review: You know that saying "never judge a book by it's cover?" Well this is one of those books. The Masters Book has a sort of cheesy looking cover, but it's the content inside that really matters. The Masters Book took me back to a childhood of adventures and mystery. A little bit like a bedtime story, this book had all the perfect elements to satisfy a child anywhere from 12-14 years old.
One of the things that makes The Master's Book stand out was the foreign concept. Instead of taking place in the United States, Sean and his family actually live in Brussels. The diversity in this novel was something really refreshing to see. Not only are the characters of different races, but they interact so well that the author purposely makes one point very clear: race doesn't matter. For such young characters, this is such a great moral to see in them.
The atmosphere of The Master's Book was well written, and Sean was a well developed character. Adolescent boys may find themselves being able to relate to Sean.
Conclusion: A great thriller with minimal flaws, The Master's Book may be just what every child has been searching for.
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One of the things that makes The Master's Book stand out was the foreign concept. Instead of taking place in the United States, Sean and his family actually live in Brussels. The diversity in this novel was something really refreshing to see. Not only are the characters of different races, but they interact so well that the author purposely makes one point very clear: race doesn't matter. For such young characters, this is such a great moral to see in them.
The atmosphere of The Master's Book was well written, and Sean was a well developed character. Adolescent boys may find themselves being able to relate to Sean.
Conclusion: A great thriller with minimal flaws, The Master's Book may be just what every child has been searching for.
Author bio
Philip Coleman has worked as a biologist for most of his life—in Ireland , Belgium and now
in Switzerland .
Having been an avid reader all his life, he took up writing only in 2006. This
is his first published novel. He drew his inspiration for the story from the
period he spent working for the EU in Brussels .
He has a grown-up son and daughter (who were roughly the same ages as Sean and
Maeve during the time in Brussels
but otherwise aren’t a bit like them at all!). He now lives in France .
Author Sites:
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I'm so glad you liked this one too! I also loved that diversity was part of it without it really being an 'issue'.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for hosting a tour stop and reviewing the book!
I'm always looking for a good book for my 6th grade students. This is perfect since it's historical (I teach social studies.) Thanks a bunch for the review!
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