The Land Without Color by Benjamin Ellefson

[MsTri]

"What's your favorite color?" is a popular question during the 'getting-to-know-you' phase, for people both young and old. Unfortunately, in Benjamin Ellefson's book, The Land Without Color, there is no color! Alvin is a twelve-year-old preteen who, through the use of magical never-popping gum, finds himself in a land where the color has been stolen, leaving everything gray. With the help of animal friends, Permy and Ronaldo, can Alvin find the color thief and restore the ironically-named Kingdom of Color to an actual kingdom of color?

One of my favorite books growing up was The Wizard of Oz, and this book is certainly comparable. With funny companions and formidable enemies, this book has everything that a middle-school reader - or young-at-heart adult - will love. The pacing is perfect for those who are easily bored, as there's so much going on that a reader won't get a chance to get bored. As soon as one problem is solved, here comes another.

Alvin is also a great protagonist. He's very intelligent, and I loved his creative solutions to the conundrums presented to him. By his side are the adorable gray squirrel, Permy, and a field mouse, Ronaldo. They're the perfect animal sidekicks, and I loved their witty quips as they followed or led Alvin along. The "bad guys", on the other hand, are suitably bad. They never go over-to-top in such a way that they'll frighten young readers, yet they certainly fit the bill for a young boy's enemies.

The illustrations in this tome were wonderful as well. There aren't as many as there are in books for elementary-aged children, yet they're not so sparse that they're practically nonexistent. They're the perfect icing to this delicious tale. I was a little disappointed, though, that all of the pictures in the .pdf version are in gray-scale, as I think it would have been far more impressive to have certain parts of the book in color, thereby giving the book a wonderful contrast between worlds and lands.

I'll also note that there's a subtle lesson in the importance of eating one's vegetables as opposed to gorging on just sweet stuff. It's not preachy or too obvious, but it's definitely there.

Finally, I did notice a handful - if that - of grammatical errors, but they were very non-intrusive and definitely did not take away from my reading enjoyment.

Even though this isn't an official OBC review, I'll still rate The Land Without Color and give it 4 out of 4 stars. I've just received a copy of the second book, The Great Sugar War, and I'm sure it will be just as awesome (I'll review it here, too, when I'm done). I definitely recommend this tale for middle-school children and adults who are young-are-heart, though high school youngsters may enjoy it as well.

[sareyn]

This sounds like an interesting story! I would have to agree that in a book titled The Land Without Color, the illustrations could really make a difference. Good review! It sounds like a book my family and I would enjoy!

[CryptQueen]

This book sounds pretty cool. Good review!

[Noraine Alissa Poria]

This sounds like a really good book, it is unique and has an original plot. I will love this.