The Golden Compass

Author: Phillip Pullman

Characters: Lyra, Iorek the Bear, Mrs. Coulter, John Faar and others

This was an interesting book. I enjoyed many things about the story line including the reading of the compass itself, the wondrous armored bears, the Gyptians, and the elusive topic of the Dust. I enjoyed the book in itself. I disliked the fact that Lyra's character was 2-dimensional and that the ending of the book, I would say the last 45 pages, seemed contrived. I felt as though Pullman was reaching for an ending rather than flowing into it. It was almost like he threw the ending on the table and said here you go! While I am still interested enough in finding out more about the Dust, I am leery of reading the second book. I suppose that I am hoping the second book gives Lyra some more dimension and I am more drawn into her character than I was in the first book. This was not a children's book, by any means. I would recommend this book for kids 15 and older depending on their maturity.