Sandra Jo Matusky
Dream Catcher Publishing (2007)
ISBN 9780978612023
Reviewed by Spencer Zaborowski (age 13) for ReaderViews (3/08)
“Queen Crystal and The Land” by Sandra Jo Matusky is a magically wonderful book about fairytale-like giant birds, animals that talk telepathically, wizards, powers, kings, queens, enchanted places, and anything else that you would ever expect or need in a dreamy, fairy-tale land. I really enjoyed this book because I love fairy tales.
This book is about a seventeen-year-old girl named Crystal. She is the only blood-related relative next in line for the throne of her land. After her power-hungry father tries to kill her, she sets off to try to save ‘The Land’ with a magical paper that her brother got trapped in. On her adventure, she meets a talking sword that is supposed to be her grandfather, many animals who try to help save her, small penguin men, a green frogman named Freddy, and a wizard father and his handsome son. Whew! It takes concentration to keep all of the characters straight! While she is on her quest, she travels to different palaces where her great grandparents have laid out tests for her. She meets a protector who was taking care of her on the quest. She falls in love with him but is never allowed to see him. When she finally gets back to the palace in ‘The Land,’ she finds that most of the men are dead and the servants are in the palace dungeon. Then she has to battle her evil father for the throne.
There is more to this book that meets the eye. I enjoyed this book because it was funny, sad, romantic and adventurous. I think there are some lessons in this story, also. It teaches how important patience is, because Crystal has many tasks to do on her quest. Things are not always as they seem, and sometimes family members can be deceptive. Crystal is a great hero, and you will not want to put down this book until you find out what finally happens! Does Crystal win and save the kingdom?
This book is easy to read, with good grammar and lots of description. I very much enjoyed this book, and I hope that when you read “Queen Crystal and The Land,” you will like it also!
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