Sabriel

Bibliographic Information
Title: Sabriel
Author: Garth Nix
Type of Media: text
Publisher: Harper Teen
Copyright Date: August 23, 1997
ISBN: 978-0064471831
Genre: Fantasy
Reading Level: Lexile 1060
Interest Age: 14+







Plot Summary
Sabriel has grown up separated from the source of magic that runs in her veins as she attended boarding school within Ancelstierre. In the Old Kingdom she is a daughter of the abhorsen, a necromancer who, unlike other necromancers, wields bells that can send the dead where they belong. While in her final year of school Sabriel receives a message that her dad is stuck in death so she embarks on a journey to the Old Kingdom where the users of Free Magic and Charter Magic are fighting for control. Sabriel who is not ready to take over her Father's position goes on the chase of a lifetime trying to find him and bring him back to life.

Critical Evaluation
Nix does an incredible job of world building through a setting that is so different from what we know. He is able to use words like magic to paint a picture that is both beautiful and disturbing. When it comes to his characters there is no difference. He does not try to establish a heroine who has no blemishes instead he creates characters that we can all relate to because they have struggles of their own just as we do. It is no wonder that this book has kept up it's popularity for the last 20 years.

Reader's Annotation
The marriage between dark and light created by Nix is not to be missed.

Author Biography
Garth Nix has worked as a bookseller, book sales representative, publicist, editor, marketing consultant and literary agent. He also spent five years as a part-time soldier in the Australian Army Reserve. A full-time writer since 2001, more than five million copies of his books have been sold around the world and his work has been translated into 40 languages. Garth's books have appeared on the bestseller lists of The New York Times, Publishers Weekly (US), The Bookseller(UK), The Australian and The Sunday Times (UK). He lives in Sydney, Australia, with his wife and two children.

Garth Nix. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/Garth-Nix/e/B000AQ01XU/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

Book Talk Ideas

• Necromancy
• Levels of death (sort of like the levels of Heaven some believe in)
• Old magic vs new

Possible Challenges

• Fantasy violence
• Lots of talk about death
• Sexual content

Defense File

Have the library's selection policy and the Library Bill of Rights ready to hand out

Access to honest reviews from trusted sources

Know the awards, if any, the book has earned

Understand the material so you can explain the use of the book as a good talking point for serious and sensitive issues

A lot of times people just want their concerns heard, so make sure you listen

If they are still persistent be able to offer them a reconsideration form

 
Reason for InclusionThis is a darker fantasy novel that has held popularity and a following for almost two decades making it a clear choice for any collection.