The Grey Griffins Clockwork Chronicles: Book 1 – The Brimstone Key by Derek Benz and J.S. Lewis
Reviewed by: Chris Tilley
This is Part 2 of a the review. Read Part 1 here
Like father like son, I had to turn off the lights on him two nights in a row. One of those nights it was close to midnight. He had gone to bed, lights out and couldn’t sleep. So he turned on his light and started reading. I got up to get a glass of water and walked past his door. It was a little tough getting him up in the morning. The bottom line is he loved the book and had trouble putting it down.
What my son liked about the book
* What was your favourite part? Why?
This turned out to be a tough question because he liked all of the book. He kept thinking about what was the best part and finally settled on the end of it.
* Who is your favourite character? Why?
Ernie. Because he’s a changeling. He can go really fast. My son at this point bolts from the room, runs down the hall and back.
* Did any part of the book surprise you?
Yes. We had a good conversation about some of the twists and turns of the book that I won’t mention so others can be surprised as well. He was surprised by some of the same things that got me. For me that was part of the charm of the book was that it kept me guessing. I asked him if he found it hard to put down because of the twists and he agreed.
* Should we put the first three books on your Christmas list?
Yes. So they are now officially on my and my son’s Christmas lists.
* Did you find any part of the book scary?
Some but not too scary. Again we can not mention the scenes. Needless to say the book is an adventure and scary things happen.
* What was the coolest technology? Why?
The zephyr, a subway train that was alive.
My son also came up with three questions for author, Jon Lewis:
Question 1: What would you advise to an 8 year old who wants to be a writer?
To write whatever he/she loves to write about. If you love stories about sports, then write lots of stories about sport. Dragons? Then fill up a notebook with stories about dragons. Spies or detectives? Then write about them, too. Writing is like practicing a sport or an instrument, the more you do it the better you get — but you’ll work even harder if you focus on subjects you really like.
Question 2: What were your favourite books growing up?
Picture Book: Where the Wild Things Are
First Chapter Book(s): Narnia series
Novel(s): Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Question 3: What gave you the idea of Grey Griffin’s Series? Did the story change from your original idea?
Derek and I wanted to write a mixture of our favorite mythologies with our own exp