Jester David
Hero
Normally I use the ENWorld reviews when I evaluate and rate a product. This doesn't seem as appropriate when I'm reviewing four books at once, basically judging the entire product line.
As is the case with the Dungeons & Dragons/ Endless Quest books. I recently read through all four (more or less; it's hard to be complete) and wrote-up my thoughts.
My review of the Endless Quest books is here.
[h=3]Final Thoughts[/h]The Endless Quests books are not high literature by any means, but about what you’d expect from licensed books aimed at elementary aged children. And while the descriptions are light and the prose is simple, it’s still significantly more complex than, say, Diary of a Wimpy Kid without being overwhelming. And while slightly more dense, the format of the books makes them relatively quick and easy to read. And they’re fun, which means they might be enjoyed even by a kid who is at the older end of the reading spectrum.
I’d say the books would appeal most to medium to strong readers in grade 3 as well as most readers in grade 4. They might be a little too simple for many grade 5 children, but weaker readers might find them engaging: this is important as so often finding high interest books for struggling older readers is challenging, as the material is too juvenile to hold their interest. And while potentially too simple for many grade 5s to 7s, the novelty of the choices and action might make these books appealing for reluctant readers who otherwise might not be interested in reading.
Of the four, I personally found To Catch a Thief to be the best. The city environment was more accessible to start with, and there was more explanation of the creatures involved. It had classic mythological creatures (a griffon) but also had the iconic D&D beholder.
Into the Jungle was also decent, and touched on a lot of the Chultan exploration that might be skipped by parties playing Tomb of Annihilation in favour of rushing towards the eponymous tomb.
Big Trouble was comparable, but the couple descriptions of the smell of burning giant flesh toed the line for me as a parent. Not a deal breaker, but enough to knock it down a few spots in the ranking.
At the bottom is Escape the Underdark, almost entirely for the naming. This shouldn’t be as troublesome for an older child who can read the book for themselves and skip trying to pronounced the more ridiculous names. (And even then, an argument could be made that the gibberish names encourage the reader to practice sounding out the word.)
As is the case with the Dungeons & Dragons/ Endless Quest books. I recently read through all four (more or less; it's hard to be complete) and wrote-up my thoughts.
My review of the Endless Quest books is here.
[h=3]Final Thoughts[/h]The Endless Quests books are not high literature by any means, but about what you’d expect from licensed books aimed at elementary aged children. And while the descriptions are light and the prose is simple, it’s still significantly more complex than, say, Diary of a Wimpy Kid without being overwhelming. And while slightly more dense, the format of the books makes them relatively quick and easy to read. And they’re fun, which means they might be enjoyed even by a kid who is at the older end of the reading spectrum.
I’d say the books would appeal most to medium to strong readers in grade 3 as well as most readers in grade 4. They might be a little too simple for many grade 5 children, but weaker readers might find them engaging: this is important as so often finding high interest books for struggling older readers is challenging, as the material is too juvenile to hold their interest. And while potentially too simple for many grade 5s to 7s, the novelty of the choices and action might make these books appealing for reluctant readers who otherwise might not be interested in reading.
Of the four, I personally found To Catch a Thief to be the best. The city environment was more accessible to start with, and there was more explanation of the creatures involved. It had classic mythological creatures (a griffon) but also had the iconic D&D beholder.
Into the Jungle was also decent, and touched on a lot of the Chultan exploration that might be skipped by parties playing Tomb of Annihilation in favour of rushing towards the eponymous tomb.
Big Trouble was comparable, but the couple descriptions of the smell of burning giant flesh toed the line for me as a parent. Not a deal breaker, but enough to knock it down a few spots in the ranking.
At the bottom is Escape the Underdark, almost entirely for the naming. This shouldn’t be as troublesome for an older child who can read the book for themselves and skip trying to pronounced the more ridiculous names. (And even then, an argument could be made that the gibberish names encourage the reader to practice sounding out the word.)
