Gabriel Finley and the Raven's Riddle by George Hagen (Book Review)

*Disclosure of material connection. I received an advanced copy of the book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

About the book-

How can 11-year-old Gabriel find his missing father,who seems to have vanished without a trace? With the help of Paladin—a young raven with whom he has a magical bond that enables them to become one creature—he flies to the foreboding land of Aviopolis, where he must face a series of difficult challenges and unanswerable riddles that could lead to his father...or to his death.

My thoughts- 

I remember when I was in high school and my English teacher became obsessed with Harry Potter. I turned up my nose and thought "why is she reading a children's book?" A few years later when the first movie came out, I understood. I too fell in love with Harry Potter and still love that series to this day. I can not wait for my kids to read it! And I am so glad as an adult that I lost that uptight uppity attitude I had as a teenager. I get so much joy out of reading children's fantasy novels and as my kids get older and the prospect of reading them and enjoying them together makes it even more exciting!

Gabriel Finley & the Raven's Riddle has been said to be a cross of Harry Potter and The Phantom Tollbooth.I absolutely think that is an accurate statement. It is full of imagination and crazy fun story lines and mysteries. You will be cheering Gabriel along as he tries to figure out how to find his father. He, of course, has some friends along for the ride which only adds to the story. The book is full of great riddles that are fun to try to figure out. I will admit, I didn't get a lot of them until I read the solutions, but it was so much fun trying to figure them out, it definitely added another great layer to this great adventure story. There is a bit of history and folklore in these pages as well. I think kids will really enjoy Gabriel Finley & the Raven's Riddle. I know I did. 

About the author-

George Hagen is the author of two novels for adults.The Laments—a Washington Post bestseller and recipient of the William Saroyan International Prize for writing—has been compared to the work of John Irving and Ann Tyler and described by Publishers Weekly as "a funny, touching novel about the meaning of family." Tom Bedlam was called"a Victorian three-decker novel [that] shines with contemporary clarity and moves at the speed of 'The Sopranos'" by the Los Angeles Times. Hagen had lived on three continents by the time he was twelve. The father of three children, he now lives in Brooklyn. This is his first book for kids.

For more information, visit georgehagen.com.

Gabriel Finley and the Raven's Riddle will be available on August 26. You can pre-order it on Amazon.com.