La tour des anges, by Philip Pullman

Obviously, what follows Nothern Lights in my readings is its sequel, The Subtle Knife. In this novel, we discover Will Parry, a 12-year-old boy who lives in our world. He takes care of his mentally-ill mother and runs away from strange men from the secret services who seek information about Will's mysteriously disappeared father. As he is fleeing, he discovers a passageway, or rather an opening in the space that leads to a new world. In Cittagaze, gangs of children live together, without any adults because of the Spectres, bad creatures who attack matured people only (the dementors in Harry Potter, you know? Pretty much the same thing). Lyra and Will teams up and travel to Will's world in order to get more information about the Dust. Lyra is told by the Dust that her new mission is to help Will find his father. Meanwhile, we can follow the actions of some other characters such as Lee Scoresby and Serafina Pekkala and we hear a little more about the famous apparently-not-dead explorer Stanislas Grumman. Plus, Will became the bearer of the Subtle Knife, a powerful arm which can cut doors through the different worlds and can destroy anything. As the time goes by, Will gets to have an important role to play in the war Lord Asriel is launching against the Authority.

I think the very best thing about this sequel is the appearance of the character of Will. He is such a lovely boy. If I were 12 years old, I'd be madly in love with him. He is so young and has so much responsabilities. He is very caring and thoughful and courageous. I could go on like this for a couple of lines more, but that's not the point of my message. We can add new creatures that can be very frightful (the Spectres).

Then, the different worlds are very nice to discover. I think Pullman did a very amazing job in creating how they function and how you can go from one world to another using the Knife. I also like how he relates the sudden changes in their worlds that followed Lord Asriel's bridge to the climatic changes we observes in our world currently. We this sequel, we're also getting more into action and the war against the Church (or the Authority) becomes more real and imminent. Once again, we have some good philosophical content about morality and religious authority. We also get into Eve and the original sin. Should she have eaten the fruit or not? Should we have Knowledge or not?

Verdict: To buy. It's as good as its predecessor. A good reading for children as well as for adults. If you are very religious, maybe have a little talk about religion, reality and fiction with your children before letting them read the book.

Les Royaumes du Nord, by Philip Pullman

First of all, I have to say that I am so excited right now. I have just finished the book and I know what's going next and I need to read the sequels. I am still in that reading fever I get every time I fall into a very good book. I hope it is going to tell you how much I love this novel. I read it when I was in high school. I remember I could only stop to get some food and it was making my mother crazy (the same happened with the Harry Potters). I really loved it, but with the years passing by, I forgot why. Now, I remember.

So, it is the story of Lyra Belacqua, a young girl living in a parallel world in which people have deamons (small animals that are half of their souls and that they can't part with). She is an orphan who lives with the school staff of Jordan College in Oxford. Her life is filled with battles with the city children and with days of discoveries alongside her friend Robert. However, one day, she is unwilling witness of a conversation with her powerful uncle Lord Asriel and the staff about the Dust, a strange phenomenon which seems to scare the Church and the institutions of Knowledge. At the same time, the Gobblers appear in England and kids start to disappear mysteriously. When her friend Robert disappears too, Lyra's world changes abruptly. She receives a special gift from the master of Jordan College and leaves for a wonderful, but dangerous trip to the North where the Gobblers would keep the kids. There, Lyra will meet witches, speaking bears, and other mythical creatures and discover the truth about the Dust and the Gobblers.

I think what I like the most about this novel, except the amazing world the author created and the very endearing characters, is how the author brings up very interesting philosophical subjects such as the role and power of the Church. It is a very good insight to the behavior of the Church toward Galileo and other philosophers which were labelled heretics. I am not really into dissing religious institutions, but I think it is important to think about these subjects and to question their authority when necessary. The book also offers a good reflection about what's good and evil. Is it alright to do something evil when it's for a greater good? It is especially brought up by the unethical experiments of the General Oblation Board. I think it is a very good book to introduce children to philosophical thinking (as much as The Giver, I'll write about this one someday). Plus, the whole fantasy side is very entertaining and help to develop a little bit of creativity.

I also have to mention that the character of Lyra is very loveable. You can't help loving her. She is very smart and courageous. She's a good positive leader ans she fights for what she thinks is good. In brief, a good model for young children.

Verdict: Definitely to add to your personal library, especially if you have children.