In Book 1 of his “His Dark Materials” series, The Golden Compass, Philip Pullman creates an adventurous fantasy with a strong female main character in young Lyra. Despite the appearances of talking animals and the young ages of the characters, this book is not ideal for young readers. At times, the violence seems graphic, though it is probably nothing worse than readers view on television.
In The Golden Compass, Lyra joins many adults who head North to rescue kidnapped children. Along the way, she learns the truth about various aspects of their universe and about her own history. The book and the movie based on this book have been very controversial lately, but I did not see how this book could have created such controversy.
Rating (out of 5): 4
Posted by jwehrheim 
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