Tuesday, July 6, 2010

The Pocket Watch by Ronnell Porter

Imogene Stromholdt was having strangely realistic dreams. She then notices someone following her. She hears her father arguing with a strange woman in her kitchen, and then a strange boy with a Scottish accent comes to live with Imogene and her father.


Imogene and her friends are thrown into a strange world of wraiths, magic, vampires and monsters. As Imogene learns about this world and adjusts to becoming a member of the House of Becker, she learns about herself and her history, the good and the bad. Imogene learns that being the only human member of the house of Becker is itself unique. She works hard to make her place.


In the end, she turns out to be the key to saving the world. Imogene has to make some hard decisions that have lasting consequences. She is seen by others as a hero, but doesn’t feel the hero.


The Pocket Watch has many of the elements of a great saga. The main characters are well developed. As you read, you feel connected to Imogene and her feelings. The action scenes are chock-full of action. The twists and turns and trying to discover who is good and who is bad makes you want to continue reading. There is even the hint of a love story.

Although there are places where the story becomes confusing, and there are a few spots when I had to flip back and go “Wait, how did we get here?”, I enjoyed the story. It was reminiscent of Harry Potter as Imogene learned about the magic world around her and worked to discover her place within it.

This book is appropriate for readers 4th grade and up . I would recommend this book to lovers of Harry Potter, Charlie Bone and other magic books. The paranormal elements will appeal to readers of that genre. I thought the back story behind vampires was unique. It will be interesting to see if the vampire story develops in subsequent stories.

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