The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

I just started The Golden Compass, and so far, I like it a lot. I can tell that this will be a very good series.

Most people in this world have a creature named a daemon that go through life with them, kind of like a permanent pet. The story is about a girl named Lyra and her daemon Pantalaimon, and her adventures with her living in a college (she was adopted by her uncle.)

Lyra lives in a college called Jordan College. This college has a very large set of rules, and the people in it are usually adults following the rules, and talking about all sorts of complex things. Lyra is a dedicated tomboy, always getting her clothes dirty and running around everywhere (even on the college roofs), so she is sort of an oddball in the college setting. Lyra has a very big group of kids that she hangs out with outside the college, so there is a sense of community there.

The book starts off explaining Lyra’s life. The first explaining that the book does about Lyra’s life is that she is caught in a twitchy situation. Her uncle, Lord Asriel is inviting some guests over. Lyra is in The Master’s (a person) room when she shouldn’t be. He comes in the room, Lyra hides in a wardrobe, and spies on The Master. Apparently, The Master doesn’t like Lord Asriel, so he slips some poison into Lord Asriel’s wine.

I like Philip Pullman’s style of writing. It is extremely descriptive, and uses words that you wouldn’t usually come across, thus expanding you’re vocabulary. Even though I have just started this book, I would recommend it to anyone.