In "The Golden Compass," we follow the journey of Lyra Belacqua, a young girl living in a parallel universe where every person has a daemon, a symbol of their soul that takes the form of an animal. When her friend Roger goes missing, Lyra embarks on a daring adventure to the Arctic to rescue him, guided by a mysterious device known as the alethiometer or golden compass. Along the way, she encounters witches, armored bears, and the malevolent General Oblation Board, all while uncovering a dark secret that threatens her world and beyond. With courage and determination, she seeks to uncover the truth behind Dust and her own destiny. [Generated by language model - please report any problems].
This book is the winner of numerous awards
This book features in the following series: Golden Compass, His Dark Materials, His Dark Materials; Thorndike Press Large Print Young Adult, I Can Read .
This book is aimed at children at US 5th grade+.
This book has been graded for interest at 8-12 years.
There are 432 pages in this book.
It is aimed at Young Adult readers. The term Young Adult (YA) is used for books which have the following characteristics: (1) aimed at ages 12-18 years, US grades 7-12, UK school years 8-15, (2) around 50-75k words long, (3) main character is aged 12-18 years, (4) topics include self-reflection, internal conflict vs external, analyzing life and its meaning, (5) point of view is often in the first person, and (6) swearing, violence, romance and sexuality are allowed.
This book was published in 2015 by Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers .
Philip Pullman is one of the most highly respected children's authors writing today. He lives in Oxford.
This book contains the following story:
Northern Lights
Northern Lights is book 1 of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials Trilogy . The opening instalment, sees Lyra and her shape-changing daemon embark on a dangerous quest. In Oxford, Lyra learns that children are being kidnapped by the mysterious Gobblers. When her friend Roger vanishes she determines to find him, and is given a powerful alethiometer which can reveal the truth in all things. After discovering that the adults around her are not what they seem, Lyra and Pantalaimon join forces with a band of Gyptians. Travelling north they encounter witch-queens and armoured bears, before being captured and taken to Bolvangar where children are being used in terrible and secret experiments.
This book is in the following series:
Golden Compass
His Dark Materials
His Dark Materials is a trilogy by Philip Pullman's which tells of a parallel world where people's souls have physical form in the shape of a daemon. This spellbinding adventure featuring armoured polar bears, magical devices, witches and daemons, is also a re-imagining of Milton's Paradise Lost. The books are as follows:
Book 1 - Northern Lights. The opening instalment, sees Lyra and her shape-changing daemon embark on a dangerous quest. In Oxford, Lyra learns that children are being kidnapped by the mysterious Gobblers. When her friend Roger vanishes she determines to find him, and is given a powerful alethiometer which can reveal the truth in all things. After discovering that the adults around her are not what they seem, Lyra and Pantalaimon join forces with a band of Gyptians. Travelling north they encounter witch-queens and armoured bears, before being captured and taken to Bolvangar where children are being used in terrible and secret experiments...
Book 2 - The Subtle Knife. Lyra finds herself in a shimmering, haunted otherworld Cittgazze, where soul-eating Spectres stalk the streets and wingbeats of distant angels sound against the sky. But she is not without allies: twelve-year-old Will Parry, fleeing for his life after taking another's, has also stumbled into this strange new realm. On a perilous journey from world to world, Lyra and Will uncover a deadly secret: an object of extraordinary and devastating power. And with every step, they move closer to an even greater threat and the shattering truth of their own destiny.
Book 3 - The Amber Spyglass. We're going to the land of the dead and we're going to come back. Will and Lyra, whose fates are bound together by powers beyond their own worlds, have been violently separated. But they must find each other, for ahead of them lies the greatest war that has ever been and a journey to a dark place from which no one has ever returned.
I Can Read
I Can Read is a widely recognized premier beginning reader series. The books are organized into 6 color-coded levels. The series includes hundreds of titles featuring award-winning authors and illustrators, and the most beloved character friends in the history of children's literature.
His Dark Materials; Thorndike Press Large Print Young Adult
This book has been nominated for the following awards:
The Audies
This book was recognised by the The Audies.
Nappa Gold Award - Family
This book was recognised in the Family category by the Nappa Gold Award.
Parents' Choice Award
This book was recognised by the Parents' Choice Award.
Carnegie Medal
This book was recognised by the Carnegie Award. The CILIP Carnegie Medal is awarded by children’s librarians for an outstanding book written in English for children and young people.
This book features the following characters:
Mrs Coulter
Mrs Coulter is Lyra’s mother although she did not raise her. She has risen to power in a patriarchal society against the odds. Intelligent and manipulative, she always needs to be in control, but her motivations are rarely as they seem.
Lord Asriel Belacqua
Lord Asriel Belacqua is a brilliant scholar and a fearless explorer. Asriel is one of few who dares to undermine the powerful forces of Lyra’s world. His ambition is limitless, and he will stop at nothing to achieve his ends.
Roger Parslow
Roger Parslow is the 12-year-old kitchen boy of Jordan College and Lyra’s best friend. Where Lyra is a natural liar, Roger is naturally honest and kind. Roger often acts as Lyra’s moral compass.
Ma Costa
Ma Costa is a fiercely maternal, high-ranking Gyptian. The disappearance of her youngest son Billy is the latest of an increasing number of missing children, and acts as a call to action for the Gyptian people to find and rescue them.
The Master
The Master of Jordan College is Lyra’s guardian as she grows up in Oxford until the politics of the outside world begin to threaten her idyllic childhood.
Lee Scoresby
Lee Scoresby is an aeronaut-for-hire who can keep his head in a crisis... although he is often getting himself embroiled in trouble.
Lyra Belacqua
Lyra Belacqua is the daughter of Lord Asriel and Mrs Coulter. She was raised as an orphan in the sanctuary of Oxford’s Jordan College. Tough, likeable heroine Lyra, brave, independent and intensely loyal to her friends, is at the centre of Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy in which she is drawn into a war between several parallel universes. The significance of her own role gradually becomes apparent and questions of destiny and free will come into play.
