The blurb as seen on Goodreads:Release Date: May 22, 2012
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
272 Pages
In Casseomae's world, the wolves rule the Forest, and the Forest is everywhere. The animals tell stories of the Skinless Ones, whose cities and roads once covered the earth, but the Skinless disappeared long ago.
Casseomae is content to live alone, apart from the other bears in her tribe, until one of the ancients' sky vehicles crashes to the ground, and from it emerges a Skinless One, a child. Rather than turn him over to the wolves, Casseomae chooses to protect this human cub, to find someplace safe for him to live. But where among the animals will a human child be safe? And is Casseomae threatening the safety of the Forest and all its tribes by protecting him?
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Review:
The Prince Who Fell from the Sky is a great novel for children and adults alike. I don't read a lot of children's books. This was the first middle-grade that I've read this year and I'm glad I read it. I think that a lot of adults will enjoy it as well!
This was a cute story that I would definitely read to my children. It's sweet and much different than anything I've ever read, in a good way. It's entertaining and light-hearted, definitely something that many kids will enjoy. And though it reads like a fantasy, it's really based here on Earth, but from a different point-of-view.
This book is not told by human perspective. And no, it's not alien's either. The Prince Who Fell from the Sky is actually written in the point-of-view of a bear named Cassomae. Cassomae is a lonely old bear, who seems to have really just given up on life. She has no cubs, no mate and is an outcast in her clan. When a ship crashes near her home, she finds a young human inside. Humans in this story are known as Skinless Ones and Companions. Cassomae takes it upon herself to keep the human safe, she calls him her cub and is determined to protect him like she couldn't protect her stillborns. She is not the only one who knows of the boy though. Soon it is known by all of the inhabitants of the land, including the cruel dictator, the Ogeema, who wants the boy dead. The adventure that occurs as she keeps the human child safe will keep you entranced.
The writing is fresh and poetic. The constant references to nature dazzled me. One of my favorite passages from the novel is the very first paragraph:
"The Forest was green with summer when the bear lumbered up from the creek bed where she had been cooling off. As she crested the bank, she paused to sniff. The air was heavy with new scents of life.
Moist smells. Earthy smells. Flowery smells. And mixed with them was the sweet scent of death."
A little morbid yes, but simple and delicate. As is the entire book.
And while I really enjoyed the book, it was a bit confusing at times. Reading from an animal's perspective is strange. In The Prince Who Fell from the Sky, everything is different. Animals are not known as mammals and there are different kinds of creatures like vora and viand. It takes a while to get used to and is not fully explained until a quarter of the way through the book. But everything is so original and creative that I couldn't help but enjoy the book!
This is a great story that gives a good message to kids. Preserve and protect nature, because without it we couldn't survive. This message is shown in the characters, the plot and the setting. The characters were different and fun to read about. I fell in love with Cassomae and would gladly volunteer to be her friend. She's so kind and lovable. The author's writing really shines in this book and I think many people, both children and adults, will agree. I definitely recommend this to parents and young children!
I received and e-copy of this novel from the publisher through Netgalley for my honest opinion and review.
so cute story .. i want to read it
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