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Ship of Souls Zetta Elliott 9781612182681 Books

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Ship of Souls Zetta Elliott 9781612182681 Books

A young boy and his friends venture out on a magical-mystical journey, led by a mysterious bird as they travel from Brooklyn to lower Manhattan. What message did the bird in the park send to D, and do the boys complete their mission? What happened to D's mother, and does D get along with his foster mom? After D finally feels comfortable making friends, what secret does he share with them? I highly recommend "SHIP OF SOULS" to young readers, who enjoy urban fantasy. Zetta Elliott penned an enjoyable read from beginning to end, filled with suspense. The setting is picture-perfect for New York City, which provides for an interesting historical background. The story is inspiring as it defines true friendship, strength, and courage. The main character becomes unforgettable in this heartfelt story of loss and loyalty.


Tags : Ship of Souls [Zetta Elliott] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <p class= MsoNormal ><span>When Dmitri, an 11-year-old bird watcher and math whiz, loses his mother to breast cancer,Zetta Elliott,Ship of Souls,Skyscape,1612182682,Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9),Juvenile Fiction,HISTORY - United States - Revolutionary Period (1775-1800),JUVENILE FICTION - General,JUVENILE FICTION - People & Places - United States - African American

Ship of Souls Zetta Elliott 9781612182681 Books Reviews

This was a well-intentioned novel with a decently evocative sense of place that I found unfortunately too heavy-handed to be enjoyable to read.

The three main characters are the sort I wish there were more of in fantasy -- non-white characters who are centered in the narrative and who are clearly shaped by their race but not entirely defined by it. Unfortunately, they are never given the room to come to life. We are given the information encapsulated in the jacket description, and one or two offhand statements that begin the process of humanizing those descriptions (D giving up on dreams of college because his foster mother is unlikely to pay for it; Hakeem trying to figure out how to integrate his faith into his day-to-day life; Nyla's alternately manipulative and supportive relationship with her stepmother), but then the entire rest of the novel is spent developing one of the clunkiest love triangles I have ever had the displeasure of reading.

The setting was similarly disappointing -- there was just enough that piqued my interest for me to know that Elliott had a potentially fascinating world built up in her head, but somehow it never quite translated to the page.

But the element I found most cringe-worthy, that made the book nearly unreadable to me even at 124 pages, was the plot itself -- the magical bird with a glorious mission only D can complete. That was handled with all the grace of a Saturday morning superhero cartoon. Here is a representative sample of the bird's dialogue

"It's a long story, and I don't have the strength to tell it all tonight. I can, however, share some of my history."
"You have endured much for one so young."
"You should rest now. You'll need your strength for the task we must undertake."
"When it is time, all will be revealed."

Just absolutely the worst sort of not at all informative, vaguely mystical claptrap that always seems to come out of the mouths of poorly realized magical mentors in programs aimed at five year olds. The dialogue was so trite, in fact, that I was kind of hoping that the bird would turn out to be evil, manipulating the vulnerable, newly orphaned and unsure D with the things little kids want to hear. But, unfortunately, the bird was played entirely straight.

The second half of the book was a series of action sequences that, while not tremendously thrilling, were always clear about who was doing what and why. But overall, this felt like a novel that would have been stronger with significantly more space for the non-fantastical aspects of character and world-building, and needed an entire rewrite of the fantasy plot to remove the cliched dynamics and dialogue.
Wish I could return it....I liked D but lost interest when the bird entered the story and I love fantasy.
Excellent book! What a journey fir this young boy and what lessons are learned in such a short time. I couldn't stop reading once I started.
A different kind of read. Hard to classify, but very good.
Although I write romance, I love to read sci-fi and fantasy. I purchased this book for my tween grandson, but decided to read it first. I'm so glad I did. I enjoyed reading about non-traditional protagonists for this genre, as well as the history that the author highlighted. I can hardly wait for my grandson to read it, so we can discuss several issues in the book. Bravo to the author for giving us this platform.
Realistic characters, fantastic imaginative mission.

Our main character is D, who is an orphan after his mother died of cancer. His foster mother is good to him, but D is lonely, especially when his foster mom takes in a very high-maintenance infant ('crack baby'.) D makes his first friend, pleasant, fun, Nyla who is also beautiful. wisdom.

D is great at math, and is hired to tutor one of the most popular kids at school, Hakeem. Hakeem's love is basketball, and he has his eye on Nyla. Neither guy complains when she decides she likes being friends with both of them. Now D's adventures include his friends.

He shows them his biggest secret a bird that isn't a bird -- it can talk, take on different shapes, and has a lot of wisdom. The bird is here to help the GOOD African souls of soldiers of the civil war home to their resting place. Before that can happen, the ANGRY souls take an interest in D, so Nyla and Hakeem become key to D's survival and the "bird's" successful mission.
A young boy and his friends venture out on a magical-mystical journey, led by a mysterious bird as they travel from Brooklyn to lower Manhattan. What message did the bird in the park send to D, and do the boys complete their mission? What happened to D's mother, and does D get along with his foster mom? After D finally feels comfortable making friends, what secret does he share with them? I highly recommend "SHIP OF SOULS" to young readers, who enjoy urban fantasy. Zetta Elliott penned an enjoyable read from beginning to end, filled with suspense. The setting is picture-perfect for New York City, which provides for an interesting historical background. The story is inspiring as it defines true friendship, strength, and courage. The main character becomes unforgettable in this heartfelt story of loss and loyalty.