The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman (#8, Young Adult)

The Golden Compass, book one of Philip Pullman's critically acclaimed His Dark Materials series has been out for a long time. My question is why didn't I read it sooner? I am a huge sucker for anything fantasy/science fiction/series, especially when it is written for kids. I grew up searching for books like this one--ones that take you away to another world and let you get completely sucked in to the adventures of a young, precocious main character. Think Harry Potter crossed with A Wrinkle in Time or something of that nature.

I have decided that I am going to explore the youth novel, because in all reality--the youth novel is what made me become such an avid reader. I am still pondering the question I posed to myself after finishing The Shadow of the Wind--what was the first book that really made its way into my heart. The first book I ever read was Anne of Green Gables, but I only ever read that book once and I couldn't really tell you what it was about aside from what I gleaned from the watching Avonlea on the Disney channel all those years back. Island of the Blue Dolphins? I thought it was too descriptive and knew after reading that book in the fourth grade that I preferred dialog. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle? That one might be the winner. I remember reading it and loving it. It was on my list of books to systematically re-read each year. I am also embarrassed to admit this, but I have a vivid memory of sitting in the dark in my room with my back against the wall, a little lamp as my light, and reading from the book into a tape recorder. Why? Did I have high hopes of being the voice for audio cassette readings of books? I don't think so--I think I just loved the book and loved reading about Charlotte's adventures.

But back to The Golden Compass--you really can't find books this magical and this fun to read in the adult section. Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series is as close as I have come to something that meets the requirements for complete and utter absorption in a novel. I enjoyed the larger than life characters, the elements of fantasy and the wonderment of seeing the world through the eyes of a child but there was something off about the whole thing and I think it has to do with the annoying way the characters speak. Pullman gives them a lot of slang phrases that get annoying. My favorite thing in the book, besides the big bear, was the concept of humans all having daemons, which I believe to be what it would be like if our souls were located outside of our bodies and they were to take animal form. It made me wonder what my daemon would look like, what animal would represent my inner self? Hmmm. Needless to say, I am hungering for Book 2, and I can't wait to see the movie when it comes out on DVD.