I’ve always had a thing for stories about King Arthur. The cute guy who sat next to me in my Arthurian Legends class at UVA definitely encouraged my interest. But the old language of the classic tales has kept my kids from sharing my excitement about King Arthur and his knights – until now.
The Eighth Day, by Dianne K. Salerni, brings the mythology and magic of King Arthur to 21st century kid lit. If inquisitors, honor blades, and sorcerers grab your attention, this book is for you.
The Premise
The Eighth Day is often compared to Rick Riordian’s The Lightening Thief series. It has a similar blend of modern and magical, except the mythology is Arthurian in The Eighth Day, instead of Greek.
The main character, Jax Aubry, lives with his seemingly irresponsible guardian, 18-year-old Riley Pendare. Jax is lonely and miserable, until his thirteenth birthday. Then he discovers a mysterious eighth day wedged between Wednesday and Thursday when everyone seems to disappear, except for a strange girl in the house next door.
Jax also learns that he has the magical ability to make people answer his questions, whether they want to or not! (A power I wish I could have. Who broke the piano bench?) His guardian Riley can force people to do his bidding with the magical ability to command. (Again, why can’t I have this power? Put away your laundry. That would be handy with four kids!)
With Jax’s new found power comes knowledge of a secret magical world, where the descendants of Merlin, Arthur, and the Lady of the Lake battle against greedy and powerful enemies. And it turns out that Riley is much more than just a sloppy teen who forgets to pay the electric bill. Jax must quickly figure out who to trust if he – and the “normal” world – is going to survive.
What the Kids Say
I enjoyed the blend of action and mythology in The Eighth Day, and I’m glad Dianne included some visual aids to explain lineage! But don’t take my word for it; my three oldest kids read it too and shared their thoughts. (Note: The Eighth Day is labeled “middle grade”, which means it’s targeted to kids aged 8-12.)
- My 13-year-old son thought it was good because it used a new idea that he hadn’t seen in other books. (And he’s read A LOT of books.)
- My 12-year-old daughter liked that the plot wasn’t all action but included character building scenes. She also liked Evangeline, another main character, because she was smart and strong and wasn’t afraid to stand up to the evil guys.
- My 10-year-old son liked the action at the end but wished it had “more stuff going on” in the beginning and middle. Early in the book, Jax spends a lot of time learning about the magical world and the history behind it.
I agree with my daughter’s assessment, as I prefer a balance of action and story development like you find in the Harry Potter series. I only read the first book in The Lightening Thief series because there was too much action and not enough meat. The Eighth Day feels more like Harry Potter, and I’m looking forward to following Jax and his friends in the rest of the series. I’m hoping that in later books, Dianne includes even more mythology about Arthur.
You can find out more about The Eighth Day and Dianne Salerni by visiting these links:
Do you like stories with magic and mythology? Do you think you’ll give The Eighth Day a try?
Julia
This sounds like a book that I would love. And my 12 year old son, who reads only if I make him, would like it too. I’m adding it to his summer reading list – thanks!
Yay! Glad to help. It’s not too long and will hopefully appeal to your reluctant reader.
Julia — Thanks for such a lovely review and it’s high praise that you thought it was more like Harry Potter than Percy Jackson! (I felt the same way about The Lightning Thief, although I did venture further into the series and liked the later books much better.)
Thanks also for posting on Amazon! And I enjoyed the feedback from your children — especially the bit about Evangeline!
Happy Friday, everyone! I thought this work day was never gonna end …
Happy to do it! I’ll keep spreading the word. Good luck and enjoy your weekend.
I love Arthurian legends given an UF edge. The best I’ve read was Return to Camelot trilogy by Donna Hosie. I’m checking out The Eight Day right now.
Great! Thanks for the reading suggestion! I’ll have to check out Return to Camelot. And what do you mean by “a UF edge” Urban fantasy? I’m glad you stopped by and commented.
Cute guys encouraging literary interest! This sounds familiar to me. A very cute guy encouraged me to read the Hobbit and LOTR. I ended up marrying that very cute guy!
Sounds like a fun read, Julia. What a great idea to have a contemporary King Arthur!