The Silver Crown, Reissue: Amazon.ca: Robert C. O'Brien: Books

Product Description

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6--Alyssa Bresnahan provides a dramatic reading of Newbery Medal-winning author Robert C. O'Brien's fantasy (Atheneum, 1969) about a girl who receives a mysterious present for her tenth birthday. Ellen wakes to find a silver crown on the pillow beside her, and though she is not surprised by the gift (since she always imagines herself as a queen), she is curious about the gift's giver. Before she can discover the answer to this mystery, Ellen's life changes in a dramatic fashion when her house burns down and her family disappears. A man in a strange green mask shoots a police officer who tries to help, and soon Ellen finds herself traveling across the kingdom on a magical quest to unravel the silver crown's secrets. Evil agents who will stop at nothing to steal the crown pursue her throughout her travels. Alyssa Bresnahan, who captures the personality of the young heroine, enjoyably narrates this thrilling, fantastical adventure. Public and school libraries wishing to increase their audio collections for this age group will find this a suitable purchase.--Shauna Yusko, King County Library System, Bellevue, WA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Book Description

"It lay beside her on the pillow, shinier than silver, glowing softly, with twinkling blue stones set all around....It did not occur to her to wonder from whom it had come; she was merely aware that it was hers by right."

Ellen awakens on her tenth birthday to discover a silver crown on her pillow. She delightedly wears her strange new crown to the park that morning, but when she returns she is horrified to find that her house has burned down and her family has disappeared. Dazed, Ellen knows she must somehow reach Aunt Sarah's house, but the only way to get there is to travel over the unforgiving mountains on foot.

Her journey turns treacherous when she and her travel companion, Otto, stumble across an ominous castle where evil rules and everyone who enters falls prey to the darkness within. Everyone, that is, except Ellen. She alone must conquer this mysterious force -- but how?

In this gripping and memorable fantasy, Robert C. O'Brien, acclaimed author of the Newbery Medal-winning Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, creates a world where good and evil are locked in battle and the balance between the two can only be restored by one young girl's determination to set things right.

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First Sentence
SHE had known all along that she was a queen, and now the crown proved it. Read the first page

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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover

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Customer Reviews

24 Reviews

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Average Customer Review

4.8 out of 5 stars (24 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Still captivating after all these years, Jun 14 2004

By	Stephanie Case (Pasadena, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Silver Crown (Paperback)

Like many of the people who have written reviews here, "The Silver Crown" was read to our class by my third grade teacher when I was 10 years old. I was absolutely fascinated by the story -- completely enthralled with it -- and once we finished reading it as a class I immediately went to the school library, checked it out, and read it again. In my mid-20's I suddenly remembered the book and the tremendous impact it had on me as a child, and I embarked on a campaign to find a copy of my own that I could someday share with my children. Easier said than done! But it was heartwarming to see that so many people have had a similar experience with this remarkable book. Fortunately I now own a copy and have re-read the story several times. Even as an adult I still find it full of mystery, excitement, and intrigue.

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3.0 out of 5 stars Not our favorite, Jun 2 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Silver Crown (Paperback)

While the general plot is intriguing and some of the characters are appealing, this book starts out with far too much unexplained violence prior to setting the stage and providing context for events. We are non-TV watchers, so haven't grown accustomed to senseless murder and arson! Because of the starkness of the violence, we found the beginning of the book disturbing. Maybe the point, but we did not enjoy it. The travel adventures of the two children are better written, and the characters Mrs. Fitzgerald and Mr. Carver are sympathetic (whatever happens to Mrs. Fitzgerald?). We found the final chapter of the American version to be poorly written and unsatisfactory. The several-page monologue explanation of possible events by Mr. Carver seems totally out of character and not in the same tone of earlier chapters. Our edition (the one sold here) has a second alternate ending that was used for the British edition of the book. We definitely prefer this much shorter wrap-up, but still found it lacking. Also surprising were the number of typos in the book. We much prefer "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH," and would choose Edward Early, Cornelia Funke and Rowling over any more of this author's books.

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5.0 out of 5 stars This book made me be a writer, May 26 2004

By	April Henry "mr_e_ryter" (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Silver Crown (Paperback)

I read this book shortly after it came out. I loved it so much I stole it from the school library (I eventually 'fessed up and donated some money to replace it). Now I have the joy of reading it to my eight-year-old - and it reminds me of why I became a writer. I would recommend this to all children third grade or older, even though it definitely has some frightening and sad moments. It also has a strong female lead character - something the book world needs more of.

(...)

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Unforgetable!
I first saw this book in a book store, I was looking through the shelves of books to find one for my 11th birthday. Read more

Published on Jul 14 2003 by Anna

5.0 out of 5 stars The Silver Crown
If you like books that begin and end exitingly or interesting then get this book The Silver Crown.There are many terific and unthinkable things lurking behind each page in this... Read more

Published on May 6 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Book
This is such a great book, I read it when I was in elemtary school and have been waiting for it to be in print again so I can share it with my own children. Read more

Published on Mar 4 2003 by Tierney Shelton

5.0 out of 5 stars Reality Fantasy
I first read this book when I was 11 and have read it continually since even though that was 10 years ago. Read more