Review of Escape From Mercy Hall by Garth Edwards

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

My son is getting to that age where he kind of secludes himself from everyone else. This is normal, right? It is almost like the pre-pre-teen weirdness. It makes you realize that the baby you once did EVERYTHING for, is getting a little more capable of doing most things *gulp* on his own. In an effort to do something together, and get him reading, I applied and was accepted through Tomoson to review a book perfect for his interests and a little above his reading level: Escape From Mercy Hall by Garth Edwards. The story takes place in an orphanage for abandoned kids named Mercy Hall (surprise, surprise?). Some weird things happen when the main characters, Sam and George go on a search for their friend Milly, who made an attempt at escaping Mercy Hall in search of her brother Tom.

Right from the get-go this book ropes you in. I loved reading this with my son because I could see his comprehension wheels turning when we would discuss what was going on and what might happen next. This book is a little over his reading level (he is only in third grade, this book is written more for Middle School aged kids) which is why I made sure we read this one together. We took turns reading, and we discussed when we came across a word he didn't know or understand. What was great about this was the fact that several of the special vocabulary words they have hanging on the wall in his classroom were in this novel, and he got so excited each time that one came up. Plus, the chapters are the perfect length. It was simple to sit down and read a couple of chapters together before bedtime.

The world that emerges beyond the hedge of the Mercy Hall, called Littlewich, is full of twists turns and surprises that are out of this world - Literally, the characters (both people and animals) are quite intriguing! Luckily, there are few illustrations throughout the text to give you a bit of a visual representation of what is being described. I love this aspect about the book because at some point in life, we grow up. We leave behind the creativity and the imagination that makes childhood such a magical and innocent time. So quickly that is stolen away. My son still has a wild imagination (which most of the time I am truly thankful for), but Middle School tends to be the time when that changes. I love that we have this book on our Kindle now, and hope that my son will continue to read, and re-read it as he grows. We are looking forward to purchasing the other two books in the trilogy to see what excitement and adventure they hold!

We give Escape From Mercy Hall 9 out of 10 stars:

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If you are interested in grabbing yourself, or that special child in your life a copy, you may do so from Amazon.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.