Amongst the Clouds

A James & Syvok Adventure (Book 4)

Children - Fantasy/Sci-Fi
58 Pages
Reviewed on 01/14/2015
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Author Biography

Wendy Nystrom is a wife and a mother of three wonderful children. Wendy grew up in St. Paul, MN, and has lived at different points in her life in Minnesota, Texas, Idaho, Colorado, West Virginia, and Iceland. She currently resides in Michigan (USA). Wendy is an avid reader of many different genres; she loves adventures; and devotes some of her time to being active in schools, the local library, and other community projects. She earned a BA in Geography concentrating on Urban Planning at Texas State University. Wendy began writing children stories in 2005 while living on the wonderfully imagination filled island of Iceland. Her writing paradise is sitting around a campfire deep in the mountains with a huge moon above with the mountain outlined all around while a story teller weaves a tale of adventure with a splash of fun as a pebble skips across the water.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Dinorah Blackman for Readers' Favorite

Growing up, we all had imaginary friends, but James’s pals are so awesome that one can easily believe they are real. It all begins with a beautiful and unusual cloud that seemed to be stuck in place. As James daydreams about its mysterious beauty, he is launched on an unexpected adventure in the company of his imaginary friends. As they try to discover the meaning of the cloud, they end up becoming key players in a battle in which rivals fight to take control. From flying on a blue dragon’s back to their eager search for a lost key that opens a spell book, James and his friends have a day packed with suspense and drama. However, they still manage to get him home by dinnertime so he can tell his family all about it. Amongst the Clouds by Wendy Nystrom is an awesome book that young and old will enjoy.

In Amongst the Clouds, author Wendy Nystrom does a brilliant job of describing how high a child’s imagination can actually fly. The main protagonist dozes off and ends up in the middle of a lucid dream that teaches him a number of valuable lessons about the importance of loyalty. The story is well written and contains a lot of characters with which kids can easily identify. At the same time, Wendy Nystrom shares a little bit of Icelandic culture with the reader, enabling him or her to easily grasp the context of the adventure. The language is vibrant and appropriate for children, and the book includes many illustrations that add to the mental image so aptly formed by her words.

Michelle Stanley

Amongst the Clouds (A James and Syvok Adventure Book 4) is a fantasy by Wendy Nystrom. James lives in Akureyri, Iceland, where everything seems unusual. He notices an odd, rainbow coloured cloud following him when he meets his magical friends, Syvok, a fairy, and Matthias, a blue dragon. Matthias takes them flying on his back. They examine the cloud that has a door, and Ranni, James' former teacher, opens it. Ranni tells them the cloud is her home, but needs their help to save it. She lost the key that opens her spell book and wants them to find it, or she will be stuck in one location. Old Hag, a witch, coveted the key and cast a transformation spell to steal Ranni’s home and do more evil. The friends discover what she is up to, but it may be too late to stop her malicious plan.

Amongst the Clouds (A James and Syvok Adventure Book 4) is a fun book young readers will like. Wendy Nystrom, who created this lovely story, writes wonderfully well. Her characters are unique and the plot is original. Although this is the fourth book in the series, the author included sufficient background information about the characters and previous events, so I was able to understand certain activities taking place. The personalities and antics of Old Hag, her cowardly husband, Ragamuffin, and pet, Yule Cat, are amusing. Wendy Nystrom will keep children entertained with her exciting fantasy stories. They will enjoy this Amongst the Clouds adventure.