1. In the Keifer textbook, they name several fantasy elements. I chose to read The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall because I have always enjoyed the supernatural. This book follows a young orphan as she moves in with her uncle and aunt and begins to be visited by the ghost of her late cousin. The main element of fantasy for this particular novel would be the supernatural element.
2. The author is able to make the story believable by making the main character relatable to many people and by taking time to build up the ghostly element. The main character is a young orphan named Florence, who is taken in by her standoffish aunt and her friendly uncle. Florence often feels lonely, sad and afraid, which are emotions that the readers can relate to all too …show more content…
debut, Michaelis tells a sweeping story about a thief-turned-hero named Farhad, who mounts a sacred white tiger and journeys across a desert to rescue the god Krishna's daughter from a demon king. Amid the chaos of colonial India, Farhad calls often on the Hindu gods, but different faiths live in close proximity. Among other people and places, Farhad is led to a beautiful, spiritual Englishwoman, to the Bodhi tree under which the Buddha found enlightenment and to an Islamic mosque. Farhad's quest is relayed as a story within a story, set into an overarching frame about a poor girl named Safia, married off to a rich man who may kill her when he discovers she is not a virgin. Readers may feel as if they've encountered one of the many tricksters populating this book when this thrilling frame first opens upon Farhad; a third of the novel will have elapsed before Safia reappears, just when Farhad's story is finally taking off. Fortunately, the evolution of the relationship between the sacred tiger and Farhad is ripe with emotion, and the eventual resolution between the two stories is satisfying. Michaelis's novel takes commitment, but proves thoroughly worthwhile. Ages 12–up.