THE IRONWOOD TREE by Tony DiTerlizzi

Summary:

   Jared and Simon Grace went to Mallory's fencing match and noticed that after she fenced, she went missing. They went into an abandoned quarry. The two of them climbed down to a cave that they guessed Mallory would be in.  They walked into a room that was old and had cobwebs everywhere.   Suddenly, they fell into a cart.  Jared and Simon were wheeled into a room where a throne sat.  In the throne sat a troll with a crown on his head.  They made a deal that the trolls would give Mallory back if the boys would give the trolls the guide.  Jared remembered that he made a fake guide and put it in his backpack.  He looked in his backpack, pulled it out and handed it to the king troll.  They took Mallory out of the case, carried her to a treasure room and wheeled Jared and Simon there as well.  The trolls stood Mallory, still asleep, up against the wall.  "You wished for your sister and you gave us the guide," the trolls said.  "You never said you wanted to get yourselves free from this cart, fair and square. "  The boy slowly sat down feeling deflated and frustrated with themselves.

Will the boys escape from the cart.  Will they get out of the cave?  Will they make it back home?


Favorite Part of the Book:

My favorite part of the book was when the trolls made a deal with Jared and Simon while in a cart which they couldn't escape from.   Jared and Simon would give up a fake guide and they would get their sister back.  The trolls took the fake guide, not knowing it was fake and gave Mallory back to them in a glass case.  Simon and Jared got Mallory, but they forgot to get themselves out of the cage.                                                  

Recommendation:

  I would recommend this book to both girls and boys ages 8-13.

Dylan