Book Jacket

 

rank 5657
word count 43524
date submitted 02.12.2011
date updated 15.12.2011
genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Children's, Young...
classification: universal
complete

Simon Song, Healer's Apprentice

Laura E. Horning

There are strange beings in Grandma’s woods, but Grandma is the strangest. And now she wants Simon to follow in her footsteps. Great. Just great.

 

It’s the first day of summer and Simon’s already sucks. His goldfish is flushed alive. Then Simon’s sent to Grandma’s in the middle of nowhere for vacation. Life can’t get any worse. But then there’s no TV, no computer, no cell service and not much to do but read a book. Simon might just die of boredom.

But outside Grandma’s house Simon might just die. Bird-lions soar. Monsters swim the lake. The woodland animals think they can talk to Grandma and, what’s worse, she talks back.

Things can’t get any weirder. Then Simon is swarmed by yellow jackets and is saved by a Gryphon. The woods are full of strange creatures but Grandma is the strangest of all. Making medicines from herbs and other weirder stuff, she’s their healer. And she wants Simon to be one too.

There’s a lot of studying and between that, a new pet to take care of, and thwarting a pixie prince bent on revenge, there’s a lot on Simon’s plate. But when Simon learns his parents are separating, he knows of something he can make to fix it. But does he have the skills? Or even all the ingredients?

 
rate the book

to rate this book please Register or Login

 

tags

beasts, fantasy, gryphon, healing, middle grade, separation, summer, teen, vacation, woods

on 2 watchlists

3 comments

 

To leave comments on this or any book please Register or Login

subscribe to comments for this book
nimoz wrote 122 days ago

Laura, I am so very sorry you are no longer on the site. I just wanted to say that I am an old adult, not a young adult, but I have just finished reading your book all the way through. It was an absolute and utter delight. Hopefully, the reason for your no longer being active on the site is that it has been published.


I really appreciate you're taking the time to come and visit and write such a nice comment! It was such a pleasant surprise in my inbox. It is true I have not been around; the pace of authonomy was such that I had a hard time keeping up. I currently am buried alive by two young children and a newborn and living that story but I am hoping as the get older to get back to Simon with fresh eyes. Your words encourage me!

Spilota wrote 123 days ago

Laura, I am so very sorry you are no longer on the site. I just wanted to say that I am an old adult, not a young adult, but I have just finished reading your book all the way through. It was an absolute and utter delight. Hopefully, the reason for your no longer being active on the site is that it has been published.

Lisa Lawton wrote 538 days ago

Hi, Laura, just got around to reading your first couple of chapters.
I found your story interesting and I liked it very much, but at times I stumbled over some things and have pointed out those things which stalled me, but I want you to know that all the following is in my opinion only, and, if you wish, you can ignore it all:

Chapter one:
“It was the best thing that (had) ever happened to Gus the (G)oldfish.” Lose (had) and use lowercase (g) on goldfish. Lose (He was flushed) the next paragraph explains that, no need to say it twice.

“One morning he was swimming in place in his tiny fishbowl”
Lose (he was) put in (while) lose (in place) it’s awkward.
One morning, while swimming in his tiny fishbowl...

You need to sort out some punctuation issues also, like this one:
“Simon’s parents spent most nights after they thought Simon was sleeping arguing about money.”
Should read:
Simon’s parents spent most nights, after they thought Simon was sleeping, arguing about money.
Or better still:
Most nights, when they thought Simon was sleeping, his parents would argue about money.

If they saw Grandma twice a year, it couldn’t have been six years + since his last trip to see her.

Chapter two:
You mention in the first paragraph that during the three-hour trip, the train stopped more times than the green-line train did over five blocks. Yet, in paragraph two, after only one hour, Simon fell asleep. Meaning, that for two of those hours, Simon wouldn’t know how many times the train would stop.

“Weird,” Simon breathed.
This sounds like he wasn’t breathing before he saw the chipmunk. Perhaps change to thought, or mused?
“There was no where else to put them...” should be one word (nowhere).
“Well, poke around,” she said, gesturing with a sweep of her hand. (The next line needs to be a new paragraph, as we are back with Simon’s thoughts.

“Oh, I just like fresh air in the house.” (Then new paragraph)

Simon scrambled back onto the roof just as the giant bird turned in the sky and swooped back towards Simon. (change the last Simon here to (him) too many Simons in one sentence.)
In fact, too many in the rest of this paragraph.

I hope the above helps you, Laura. And as I said, you can ignore my comments/changes if you so wish.
I’m going to continue reading as I am enjoying it, but I won’t further comment, unless something literally screams at me.

Best of luck,
Lisa. x

1