RNE Vermont: The Game of Sunken Places

Fall foliage in VT

Vermont is my favorite of all of the New England states.  My Grandmother had property in VT, which included a house before it sadly burned down when I was baby (as the story goes, right after my Mom spent a weekend cleaning the house).  Because of this, as a family we often took trips to Vermont to check out the property.  These trips could be boring to me as a child, which included looking at the spot where the remains of the old house remained and going to visit friends of my mother's that  had little in their houses to entertain small girls.  However now I love Vermont, especially in the fall.  Where else can you get such beautiful foliage, great hiking/skiing, and Ben and Jerry's!

I was excited to find that my chosen VT pick:  The Game of Sunken Places, mostly takes place in the woods in the fall.  It is an adventure story where two young boys begin to play a game they don't really understand (in fact they are not allowed to know the rules) that takes them into a world of magic and trolls and other-worldly creatures.  The story has a bit of a Jumanji-ish vibe to it as the boys become sucked into the world of the game.  However, there a few surprising twists and turns along the way.

Overall I had mixed feelings about this book.  I enjoyed the setting and the premise, and I especially liked the character of the troll.  However, the motivation for the boys to continue playing the game felt very thin to me.  They start playing because they are up in the woods of Vermont and they find the game and they don't have much else to do.  However, it is not perilous enough that they have to keep playing to stay alive, but it is perilous enough that you wouldn't expect them to keep playing without a good reason.  There are a couple attempts to justify the boys playing the game. The boys find out part way through that the fate of an alien race who have been displaced from their lands is dependent on the outcome of the game, but they are not personally acquainted with any people from the lands and this motivation does not feel very substantial.  A little bit later in the book the boy's cousin appears to be in danger but even this did not feel very convincing. The twists are great and finding out about the game is very intriguing but it still felt just a little lacking.  It is a YA adventure story, and usually I enjoy this type of book.  However, it is possible that I am not the intended audience for this book and that has affected my judgement.

Happy Reading!