A prequel to the bestselling Merlin saga starring Shim, a young giant who must embark on a dangerous adventure when he's shrunk to the size of a man's knee.
Read it before you see it! The Merlin saga is soon to be a major motion picture!
Shim has only ever known a world of peace. Unusually big and strong even for a young giant, he lives on the magical isle of Fincayra, immersed in nature as well as tales of wizards, mer folk, and dragons.
Suddenly that world explodes in chaos. A terrible attack forces Shim and his mother to flee — and take a hazardous journey to reach the only person who could possibly help them, the mysterious Domnu. But when a wager goes horribly wrong, Shim shrinks down to a tiny fraction of his size. Now only as tall as a man’s knee, he finds himself lost in a deadly swamp. Worse yet, he has forgotten something important, something truly essential. But what?
As small as he is now, Shim must find giant-size courage. He embarks on a perilous quest to discover what happened, what secret he forgot, and what it really means to be a giant.
Combining his trademark passion, adventure, and spiritual depth, T. A. Barron tells the origin story of this beloved character from his highly acclaimed, international bestselling series, The Merlin Saga. As the Prequel to the Saga, this story is as big as a giant... and as magical as Merlin.---from the publisher
272 pages 978-0593203491 Ages 8-12
Keywords: fantasy and magic, giants, magical creatures, mother/son, action/adventure, part of a series, finding yourself, courage, risk, 8 year old, 9 year old, 10 year old, 11 year old, 12 year old
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Big Feet is the name they decided on when he was born...or as his mother calls him, "my little jellyroll." By the time he's 12 years old Big Feet's heart is so big he is saving lives and standing up for those who can't protect themselves against brutes. At a celebration held in his honor he receives the name he will carry with him as he becomes an adult giant..... Shim.
No sooner does Shim get his name than his city, Variegal, is attacked and every giant is hunted and killed. Vonya, Shim's mother, sneaks him out of the city and the two give everything they have to escape and find a way to hide from the enemy - an enemy who is determined to destroy every giant in Fincayra. Vonya has a plan. She heads to Domnu, a sorceress, and strikes a bargain. Vonya will become a servant to Domnu if the sorceress will use her magic to shrink Shim down to no taller than a man's knee....that way he will be safe.
One of the amazing things about a book by T.A.Barron is his description of the nature all around his characters. This book is no exception. To say the world is alive around Shim doesn't begin to touch it. Shim is connected to the natural world around him and it is connected to him. There is magic in this world for sure - fairies and unicorns and giants but even more magical are the trees and the roots and the smells and the sounds. It's truly an amazing, quivering, world of sense and sensation.
In the midst of the natural world of Fincayra is Shim searching for himself, searching for a plan, searching his memory for something...something that is just out of reach. You see, Shim's memories of his mother disappeared when Domnu shrank him. No memories of this person he loves so dearly...his motherly. How will he remember? How will he face the enemy now that he is small in stature?
Giants come in all sizes and shapes. Some might look small but they have giant hearts and giant courage. Our friend, Big Feet, now known as Shim, will have to test himself and find out just what he is made of... just how much of a giant he really is.
Classic Barron- when you read his stories you have the feeling you are listening to a silent voice that reaches you with a knowledge that goes beyond what we human beings know and remember of where we began. When you read his stories, you have the feeling he sees you and he is wisely asking you to look a little deeper, to try a little harder, to honor the truly magical place we came from....and promised as we stepped through the veil to become ourselves in this world. Merlin magic for sure!
Recommended by: Barb Langridge, abookandahug.com
