Review of Julu

[Kristen Barenthaler]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Julu" by Jan Anderegg.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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In Julu by Jan Anderegg, Jack and Mia join forces with Julu, the dragon, and other characters throughout history to save the land of Jirvania from the evil forces trying to invade. Jirvania is the land of all magic, imagination, and stories, so its destruction would impact the World Beyond (our real world). As the two children travel throughout time and space to unfold the story of Jirvania’s destruction, they meet with family and friends who have both good and evil tendencies. Readers will join Jack and Mia in uncovering the stories that intersect throughout to understand how Jirvania’s destiny will be created and changed.

Some of the positives of this novel include the exciting backstories of each character, great cliffhangers at the end of each chapter that keeps readers coming back for more, the portrayal of well-rounded protagonists, and the effects of getting audiences interested in other forms of literature and history. I’ll be honest in saying that I found myself going through the character lists from the end a few times to find out who a referenced historical figure was. Overall, Anderegg does an excellent job of enticing readers into this magical world by creating characters that we can see ourselves reflected in.

However, Anderegg does have a few instances where characters or other important pieces of information are dropped on readers without any warning, making for a difficult read. Other times, the plotline is blatantly explained ahead of time, taking away from the suspense of solving the mystery of time along with Jack and Mia. However, since this is a children’s book, I can understand the need for blatancy and overly simplified explanations to keep young readers aligned with the story.

Overall, I would give this story a 2 out of 4 for its simplistic storytelling style and often confusing jumps between time and place. While the story itself is well-written and pleasing to read, it can sometimes become too confusing, jumping back and forth without actual reasoning or explanation. Also, the way each chapter is divided by a quote made me find myself often coming out of the magically realistic worlds Anderegg created; thus, it wasn’t delightful overall to read.

The recommended audience for such a tale would be young children, in my opinion, as it has very childlike themes, explanations, characters, and descriptions of the world. Younger children will find the mythological creatures entertaining, the childish characters endearing, and the storyline fascinating.

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Julu
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