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Vodník

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

When Tomas moves with his family to Slovakia, the Slovakian creatures from his youth come to life.

Teacups: great for tea. Really sucky as places-to-live-out-the-rest-of-your-eternal-existence. Very little elbow room, and the internet connection is notoriously slow. Plus, they're a real pain in the butt to get out of, especially when you've gone non-corporeal.

When Tomas was six, someone-something-tried to drown him. And burn him to a crisp. Tomas survived, but whatever was trying to kill him freaked out his parents enough to convince them to move from Slovakia to the United States.

Now sixteen-year-old Tomas and his family are back in Slovakia, and that something still lurks somewhere. Nearby. Ready to drown him again and imprison his soul in a teacup.

Then there's the fire víla, the water ghost, the pitchfork-happy city folk, and Death herself who are all after him.

All this sounds a bit comical, unless the one haunted by water ghosts and fire vílas or doing time in a cramped, internet-deprived teacup is you.

If Tomas wants to survive, he'll have to embrace the meaning behind the Slovak proverb, So smrťou ešte nik zmluvu neurobil. With Death, nobody makes a pact.

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    • School Library Journal

      May 1, 2012

      Gr 9 Up-Tomas, a teen with a mysterious scar and an even stranger ability to survive fires, returns to his childhood home in Slovakia after he and his parents are burned out of their apartment in the U.S. He has always been a bit of an outcast and finds that even in his homeland he is discriminated against because of his Roma heritage. While Tomas tries to find his footing back in Slovakia, he learns that he is also connected to another world, in which spirits and characters from Slovakian folktales live and connive. Moore includes several subplots and also packs his book with information about the country. In fact, the novel feels overstuffed and sometimes reads more like a history lesson than an enjoyable fantasy. Too many side plots bog down the pace and leave readers exhausted before Tomas solves the mysteries and saves his cousin. This book has a likable main character with a believable teen voice but the story needed paring to keep readers fully engaged.-Denise Schmidt, San Francisco Public Library

      Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Kirkus

      February 15, 2012
      An American teen encounters monsters both fantastical and human in the land of his birth. After a fire destroys their home, Tomas and his parents move to Slovakia, a country Tomas hasn't seen since he was 5 years old. He's unconcerned about the move; scarred from a childhood fire and painfully shy, Tomas hasn't got any friends to leave behind. Trencin, at first, seems wonderful. There's a truly fabulous castle, and he's made his first real friend: his cousin Katka. But Katka is dangerously ill, and Tomas' attempts to help are complicated by his first experiences with racism. In the United States, Tomas is white; in Slovakia, the olive skin he inherited from his Roma grandfather marks him as a Gypsy and a valid target for abuse. Nothing can help Tomas--and more importantly, Katka--except the mythical creatures Tomas started seeing almost as soon as he landed in Slovakia. It's unclear whether he can trust the watery vodnik or the fire vila, but they both promised to help. A first encounter with racism blends well with a compelling fantasy adventure (although Tomas's family, lacking any Romani culture or traditions, reiterates some of racism themselves; his mother explains how they are worthy of praise because they are "not like other Roma"). A shy boy blossoms in this surprisingly witty debut. (author's note, further reading) (Fantasy. 11-16)

      COPYRIGHT(2012) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • The Horn Book

      July 1, 2012
      Tomas's worries of culture shock upon moving to Slovakia are subsumed into larger concerns about saving his cousins life, stopping a Vodnmk from stealing souls, and outsmarting Death herself. The wry humor and likable protagonist are dulled a bit by too many convenient plot twists, but the unusual setting and intriguing elements from Slovakian fairy tales save the day.

      (Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Formats

  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • ATOS Level:4.4
  • Lexile® Measure:650
  • Interest Level:9-12(UG)
  • Text Difficulty:2-3

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