Find The Dry Penned By Rebecca Nolen File

Dry by Rebecca Nolen is a novel that you will find impossible to put down I know, I got a free review copy, and it grabbed my attention and refused to let go until I was done.
An epic story of young Elliot Sweeneys search for his missing father, it covers the waterfront of greed, exploitation, and child slavery.

Nolen is a master craftsman who uses dialogue and description to pull the reader into an unbelievable world of enslaved children and otherworldly creatures.
But, she makes us believe the creatures and places are painted with fullbodied brush strokes that enable us to see, hear, feel, taste, and smell along with Elliot.

Fantasy at its best old or young, this is a story that will engage every sense and then some,
West Virginia,. A deadly dry spell has left the earth parched and souls desperate, Crops are failing. Cities are starving. A missing newspaper man doesn't account for much in times so terrible, except to the twelveyearold son he left behind, When Elliot Sweeney discovers the search for his father has been called off, he boards a train alone to find him, His quest leads Elliot into the depths of an abandoned mine, with a peculiar pocket watch, a blind burro, and a gutsy girl at his side.
He discovers a world he never dreamed of, even in his worst nightmares, and lands smack in the middle of a war between two kingdoms.
Monstrous insects, smiling villains, and dark riddles are everywhere, Deciding who to trust may prove to be his greatest challenge, while the fate of the world above hangs on Elliot's choice.
“The Dry” by Rebecca Nolen is quite the surprising treat! The book gripped me almost instantly and it wasnt long before I experienced the familiar pangs of fear in my gut.
The tale of Elliot and his search for his missing father is woven beautifully and kept me hooked, The writing style is fastpaced and easy to keep up with, Nolen gives just enough detail to keep the reader satisfied without overburdening the narrative, There are little spooks and creeps scattered throughout, but when the action gets going, it really gets going! I highly recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys thriller and horror.


I downloaded the book for free it was not given to me by the author in exchange for a review.
I received this book as a first reads giveaway from Goodreads, This book has a very good premise, I realize this book is written for maybe gradesbut I found the writing very minimalistic, There were many instances in the book where a bit more backstory and explanation or description would have served the story well.
An interesting concept for middle grade readers with the unusual thread winding through about the goodness of wasps,

Child labour, parental love, loyalty, trust and purity, . . ooh, there's a lot of themes running through this book, all culminating in an ending that leaves the door wide open for a sequel, while not ending in a cliffhanger.


There's a whole series of wasp facts at the start of each chapter of this book, which I found difficult to connect to the content of some of the chapters they were presented with, but they certainly were fascinating.


A good adventure for children along the lines of the Narnia series, A boy who searches for his missing father, . . hmm where did I hear that premise before :D I liked the premise so I picked the book, Great world building I like the setting/description of the draught and the thirst for water, I rooted for Elliot the protagonist, and although I skimmed over the last chapters the battle, I enjoyed the ride this book gave me.


I received a free copy of this book in exchange for honest review, Grab your middle grade kids and settle down with this book, You'll journey through a magic land of mines, mountains, and mystical creatures to follow a boy's journey to find his lost father.
Elloit and the girl known as "Lefty" teach what the importance of friendship, family, and staying true to yourself, I received a copy from the author in exchange for my honest opinion spoilers possible

Summary: Elliot Sweeney hops on a train looking for his father and finds himself in a fantasy world.


Random Comments:
The beginning of this book started off strong, I loved the characterization done with Lefty, but events midway through all but removed her from the book for a good chunk.
To me, that left the middle floundering for a "human touch, " The nymphs and talking creatures were decently drawn but that lack of a human touch kind of made me lose interest for much of the middle.


Dialogue believable, maybe slightly on the hokey side at times but fitting

Characterization starts strong until they get into the mine.
. . Elliots probably the most in depth character but everybody else is stock evil prince, good queen, faithful soldier, etc

Plot I struggled with this one.
Although events presented the characters with danger, I didn't feel a sense of urgency, It's hard to put a finger on what I "feel" was off, Maybe there's just too much going on, Maybe I just missed a few key points, Maybe it just wasn't "my cup of tea" as the cliche goes,

Wasp factoids I found them interesting, They had zip to do with the story, but I liked them all the same, The science geek in me was loving learning new things,

Conclusion: Books with talking creatures aren't generally my firsttier options, but as long as there's a strong human element, I'm there.
I very much enjoyed the beginning where the focus was on Elliot and Lefty and their quest, but when the plot meandered into the fantasy portion, I found it too easy to mentally check out.


Recommended reader age Middle Grade,

Do I think others will like it Sure, Elliot and Lefty are interesting characters, Just because I didn't click with the book, doesn't mean much in the long run, If the premise appeals to you and fantasy's your favorite genre, try it, I thought the book was absolutely fantastic to read, I had happy tears in my eyes as I read the last chapter of such an amazing story, I would definitely read this story again and again, I was so excited when I got The Dry in the mail I was absolutely hooked, I enjoyed reading it so much, I don't think I could have read it fast enough! The Dry is definitely one of my new favorite books, on “The Dry” by Rebecca Nolen,

The Dry is an unexpected late Christmas joy, The author eases you into a beautifully sketched world that demands in a soft voice that you stay and enjoy the ride.
The prose is fluid and flows from page to page but never lets go of the reader hand for a moment, A very rare feat is that Rebecca Nolens writing style is instantly accessible to all readers, no matter the age or background.
Another big plus point is the use of emotive language that makes us care deeply for Elliot, We want to be there with him on his journey and we want to find out what happens with him, If I had to give some critique and believe me, I am nitpicking here I would give more background and context to the happenings.
This will provide a more than solid base of understanding for the reader and it will increase the emotional resonance even more.
Maybe a

dash more character description but thats a minor gripe,
Marvelous, marvelous work Rebecca Nolen, You should rightly be proud of an outstanding book :
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