The Inheritance Cycle, by Christopher Paolini (ages 10 - 15)

Two of our students came in two weeks ago so, so, so excited because Inheritance had just been published. I loved feeling this excitement, and so sat down with them today to ask them all about Christopher Paolini's Inheritance series.

Inheritance
Book 4 in the Inheritance Cycle
by Christopher Paolini
NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 2011
ages 10 - 15
available from your local library, your favorite bookstore, or on Amazon

Luca and Sebastiaan began reading Eragon in 3rd grade, drawn in by this complex fantasy. They share the feeling that Eragon is THE BEST BOOK EVER. Here are some of their thoughts about Eragon:

"It's so well written. You can tell he (Paolini) took his time with it."
"It has a lot of details, and a lot of action."
"I love the way he tells the story. You have no idea what's going to happen next."
"I really like the use of the ancient language to cast spells. You can read the spells at the back, to know what they mean. But you really want to remember them as you're reading, so you try to memorize them."

Luca and Sebastiaan's excitement is spreading in the school. Another friend also loves fantasies, and he's trying out Eragon for the first time today. Luca and Sebastiaan recommend this series to friends who are strong readers, who love fantasy and action in their stories. "You have to be a really strong reader because there are so many details," they explain to me. They like reading this series quickly, so they can absorb all the details and get to the action.

Their favorite parts? Oh, it's so hard to pick, but here are just a few:

• in the volcano with the tunnels inside of the mountain
• the creativity in the landscape and the description of the dragons
• Eragon's connection with his dragon Saphira - you can tell they really care about each other
• the life cycles of all the creatures, not just the dragons

You can get a sense of the drama from this book trailer:


I think my students will really enjoy this video of Christopher Paolini reflecting on his experiences writing the Inheritance Cycle:



If your child loves fantasies like Harry Potter or Percy Jackson, but is ready for a complex series - try out the Inheritance Cycle. Here are the books in order:

1. Eragon
2. Eldest
3. Brisingr
4. Inheritance

Many thanks to Random House for sending a review copy, and many thanks to Luca and Sebastiaan for sharing their enthusiasm for this series. If you make a purchase using the Amazon links on this site, a small portion goes to Great Kid Books (at no cost to you!). Thank you for your support.

Review ©2011 Mary Ann Scheuer, Great Kid Books.