The Bronze Pen by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
Reviewed by KeriRatings
Content Ratings based on a 0-5 scale where
0 = no objectionable content and
5 = an excessive or disturbing level of content
LANGUAGE
VIOLENCE
SEXUAL CONTENT
ADULT THEMES
Ratings Explanation
Language: No language is mentioned , but Audrey’s bird has learned some rough language from its previous owner.
Violence: Audrey finds herself tied to a chair with course ropes cutting into her wrists. Pirates are making their way towards her.
Adult Content: Audrey’s father is diagnosed with a heart condition. He cannot exert himself and needs to be watched. Audrey watches over him when her mom is at work. Because of this she is rarely able to play. Family finances are very tight.
Synopsis
Audrey is a 12-year-old girl who secretly dreams of being a writer some day. Her dad used to write for a big newspaper until he had a heart attack and had to quite. Now Audrey spends her afternoons watching over her father until her mom gets home from work. On one rare occasion when Audrey is able to get out of the house, she decides to explore the property behind her house. She comes across a familiar cave that she and her friends used to play in years before. Here she meets an old women who seems to be able to read Audrey’s thoughts and feelings. The woman gives Audrey a strange bronze pen and tells her to use it for a wise purpose. Days later, Audrey tries the pen out on one of her stories. Shortly after, she notices strange things happening. It seems that her pet dog and bird can communicate with each other. On another occasion, Audrey thinks she sees a dragon from one of her stories peering out from under her bed. Although not certain, Audrey feels that the pen has magical powers. She is excited and frightened at this prospect and ponders what to do with it next, when the words from the old woman come back to her, “use it wisely and to good purpose”. Audrey is determined to find out what the pen can do and is faced with her greatest challenge of all, finding that good purpose.
Who wouldn’t want a magic pen that could make your stories come to life? I enjoyed the real life experiences related through the characters and the hint of magic that made it a fun read.