Aldo’s Fantastical Movie Palace by Jonathan Friesen

Genre- Juvenile Fiction/General

Aldo’s Fantastical Movie Palace by Jonathan Friesen

Published by- Zondervan

Copyrighted- 2012

Number of pages- 304

Age Group- 11 and up

Description of book- hardcover, list price $15.99, ISBN: 978-0-310-72110-9

Chloe takes refuge in her family’s theatre, because no one can see the scars on her face and her father is not there to ignore her as he does at home.  Her father had accidentally caused them when one of his inventions failed.

She meets Nick, who is blind.  They form a friendship over a movie script Nick has been working on.  When they are together in the theatre, they are suddenly transported to the script where they have adventures with dragons, elves, and a strange vapor that wants to destroy everything.

About the author- Jonathan Friesen lives in Minnesota with his wife and three children.  He is an author, speaker and youth writing coach.

My thoughts- I thought this book was quite good.  I always enjoy fantastical stories and this fits the bill with elves, dragons and sinister characters.

I’m not sure the younger readers would see the connection between Vaepor and Satan, but it was something that I noticed when I learned about everybody going into the pool.  Vaepor was taking away all of their memories and giving them a new life, and that is what Satan can do if we let him.

I am not sure what to make of Nick.  He doesn’t play a major part in the story and his character is dark.  And for me, his death wasn’t devastating, because I didn’t know much about him.

I would recommend this book to children who enjoy fantasies.

Disclosure of Material Connection- I received Aldo’s Fantastical Movie Palace by Jonathan Friesen for free from Zondervan. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255. All links were current when posted.