Endymion Spring

Skelton, Matthew. 2006. ENDYMION SPRING. New York: Random House. ISBN 0385733801 [Suggested Grade Levels 5-9]

REVIEW
Blake Winters was “just an ordinary boy who wasn’t particularly good at reading” until one day his explorations at Oxford led him on an extraordinary adventure. Chosen by a magical book, Blake delves into the mystery of the past and present. This book is rumored to hold “an eye to the future and a tongue to the past” and has long been sought after by scholars and mystics alike. But the story does not unfold in the present alone; the past is integrally woven into the storyline. Telling this story is Endymion Spring, a young apprentice to Gutenberg. Endymion befriends another apprentice, Peter, whose master Fust is mysterious indeed. His precious treasure is the secret behind it all. As these two stories come together, the mystery unfolds and the magic begins. Can this book really hold secrets hidden since the beginning of time?

CONNECTIONS
Skelton weaves historical, literary, and mythological elements into his book ENDYMION SPRING. For example, ‘Fust’ is a reference to Faust (or Faustus) of literary fame and Gutenberg was a sixteenth century inventor whose printing press revolutionized the world. Have readers conduct research on the Internet to find out more about the background story.

Have readers make origami dragons like the one sent to Blake in the book. Instructions can be found here: http://www.origami.com/pdf/dragon.pdf

RELATED BOOKS
Other fantasy novels:
Avi. THE BOOK WITHOUT WORDS. ISBN 0786808292
Funke, Cornelia. INKHEART. ISBN 0439531640
Paolini, Christopher. ERAGON. ISBN 0375826688
Pullman, Philip. THE GOLDEN COMPASS. ISBN 0679879242


By Becky Laney