If you enjoyed Alice in Wonderland as a child, you will appreciate Landon Snow and the Auctor’s Riddle. This beautiful hardcover children’s book is R. K. Mortenson’s debut novel. You can read the first chapter here. It’s a .pdf download, so (on my computer) it takes awhile to load. Of course, I don’t need to read the download, because I have the book right here beside me 🙂
Landon is an eleven-year old boy who likes to have reasons for everything. In this story, his mind is occupied with this riddle:
That man eats cow eats grass eats soil
And then man dies, and when he lies
To soil he does return?
Landon learns that the word auctor is a Latin noun meaning creator or originator. Follow Landon’s adventures in a fantasy sub-world of his local library as he learns the answer to this riddle.
If you have an 8-12 year old child on your Christmas list, why don’t you look for this book? It would make a great gift. More Landon Snow adventures are forthcoming from Randy, starting with Landon Snow and the Shadows of Malus Quidam in the spring of 2006. I have no idea what a Malus Quidam is. Do you?
Karenee says
Hmmm… This looks readable, and very cute!
The Curmudgeon's Rant says
I agree, it was a nice book. As for the meaning of “Malus Quidam”. My Latin stinks but I think it roughly translates as “Evil Dude”.
Valerie Comer says
Evil dude, huh? Hmm. Karen, your daughter number one would probably love to have this read to her. 🙂
M. C. Pearson says
Hey! Here from the blog alliance. In my review, I also talk about Alice in Wonderland. How curious. 🙂
Karenee says
I’d love to read it to her, but our library is not as open to suggestion as yours… Maybe one day.