Book Details
Title: Libertalia Lost Fortunes
Author: Mel Lewis
Published: June 2019
Pages: 164
Genre: Children’s Fiction, Fantasy
Summary
Best friends, Karabo and Isla are drawn into age-old family feuds and ancient legends when the mysterious William joins the school at half term. Karabo finds herself drawn into a plot that involves not only William, but also Isla’s long-time crush Mzi Khumalo – Dayeton College’s dream head boy.
As ancient battles reveal themselves in a smoke-filled sangoma hut, Karabo and Isla are on a mission to interpret the messages of the ancestors, and uncover why William and Mzi’s families are pitted against each other, as they navigating their way through rugby derbies, holidays, the end of year school dance and exams.
Libertalia is a melting pot of pirate dreams, African legend and mystery that takes four very different young people on a journey of friendship and adventure.
My Thoughts
The writing style is easy, fast paced and I really enjoyed it. I think it works well for the intended audience. I love the way Mel defined her characters, making it easier to relate with them, hate or fall in love with them. And the diversity portrayed on this book is just amazing.
The story-line: so this book tackles a topic of history that funny enough I didn’t know the details around it. So it was fun reading about it because I learned something. With that said, I think this book is the perfect balance of allowing teens to learn a bit about history and still get to enjoy this adventure through these characters. I think its a fun book to read with your teen so that they can ask you questions 😅.
Another aspect that really stood out for me were the relationships (both friendships and parents and child relationships). You get different types which i think exposes the audience to fact that we do not only have these perfect relationships but others exists as well.
One thing I did not expect was how the main character Karabo reacted to some instances that required her to make a decision. I felt like she just easily agreed to something she did not understand. I expected her to fight it at the beginning and not just accept.
But other than that, it was a good read and I’d highly recommend it especially if you have a teen.
Rating
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