Sally Estes (Booklist, Mar. 1, 2005 (Vol. 101, No. 13))
In the first book of the Land of Elyon trilogy, which was originally self-published in 2003 and became a sensation in the Pacific Northwest, 12-year-old Alexa Daley makes the annual trip with her father, the mayor of Lathbury, to Bridewell. She has always longed to see outside the wall surrounding the town, which had been built years earlier to keep out an unnamed evil. Indeed, Alexa does unravel mysteries outside the wall, which include a destructive threat to her world, as she discovers the magical power that is part of her destiny. Readers will easily identify with intrepid Alex, who tells her own story, and her tale is simple and exciting enough to appeal to both the usual fantasy crowd and children who may not otherwise be genre readers. Category: Books for Middle Readers--Fiction. 2005, Scholastic/Orchard, $11.95. Gr. 4-6.

Janet Crane Barley (Children's Literature)
Alexa, who is short and skinny with knobby knees, is well-endowed with intelligence and bravery. Those qualities, combined with her infinite curiosity, lead her into danger, but may not be enough to keep her safe. She lives in a walled world. Not only do the towns have high walls that obscure views of the world beyond, even the roadways connecting towns are walled. Walls make many residents feel safe and content, but Alexa is driven to discover what is beyond. She faces seemingly insurmountable challenges as she follows clues to explore outside the boundaries. Her perilous quest leads her through dark passages where she meets unusual allies and learns to talk to the animals who guide her. Then she uncovers an imminent danger that threatens her whole world. She learns a traitor lurks within her close community, so does not know who she can trust to help her save her homeland. This first book in the “Land of Elyon” series has a satisfying conclusion with enough threads remaining loose that the reader will look forward to future installments. 2005, Orchard Books, $11.95. Ages 8 to 13.

Ruth Latta (CM Magazine, May 13, 2005 (Vol. XI, No. 18))
The monster is not the collection of criminals who live in the Dark Hills. The monster is the wall itself." So says Anders the grizzly bear, king of the forest, in Patrick Carman's fantasy novel. Carman presses all the time-tested buttons to create a suspenseful tale. A decoding stone found in a forest pool, hidden letters, and talking animals—all add to the magic. There are some new elements: jewels in cat collars provide clues, and convicts are the source of fear in the kingdom of Elyon. Certain elements suggest to this adult reader that Elyon exists somewhere in the "New World," in the northern hemisphere, in the 1600s. Moveable type is available in this culture which has the wheel, but not the internal combustion engine. Place names are Anglo Saxon. "Bridewell" echoes Thomas Hardy and Evelyn Waugh. "Lunenburg" made me wonder about a Nova Scotia setting for a while until I realized that I was mistaken. Young readers, however, will probably not pick up on such words as clues to another level of meaning but will accept the story at face value. Carman begins in medias res, spinning his tale through the heart and mind of Alexa Daley, a strong female protagonist, 12-years-old. Alexa is travelling by horse drawn vehicle with her father who is one of a triumvirate administering the towns of Lunenburg, Lathbury and Bridewell, which make up the "kingdom" of Elyon. "Our kingdom was a wagon wheel made of stone," says Alexa, referring to the walled routes linking the three walled cities. Alexa's father is one of three co-rulers or administrators (not kings). Old Warvold, the founder and head of state, administers Lunenburg, and a man named Ganesh administers Bridewell. Old Warvold, who began life as an orphan in the nearby town of Ainsworth, travelled the world and, on returning, persuaded people to settle in the area "which everybody believed was haunted, dark and dangerous." This sounds like the North American wilderness as described by some of its earliest settlers. Good fantasy, like its cousin, science fiction, starts out from reality. One thinks of Gulliver's Travels or The Odyssey in which the hero starts out from an actual, real, historical place. The author of The Dark Hills Divide, however, does not explain where the "people" came from. Could they have come from Europe to North America? If so, there is an explanation for the presence of convicts in Ainsworth. Prior to the loss of the Thirteen Colonies, England transported prisoners to Virginia. Afterwards, they sent them to parts of Australia. Early in the novel, readers learn that Warvold, the founder of the "kingdom," offered to house 300 criminals from Ainsworth for 10 years and then return them. His offer was accepted, and he employed the convicts in building the walled roads and the walls around the cities. Alexa "burns to feel the freedom of forests and mountains." She is with Old Warvold, a grandfather figure, when he dies. Pervis, captain of the Bridewell guards, catches her with a spyglass looking over the wall to the forest and reports her to the triumvirate, but her father ignores the complaint and notes that some day, with Warvold's son, Alexa will run the realm. As the administration discusses the threat of domination by Ainsworth, Alexa finds a way out of the walled city and meets a little man, Yipes, who takes her into the mountains. There, she finds a magical rock which enables her to understand the speech of animals. In contrast to the walled city, with its dark passageways and human conflicts, the forest is charming. Such creatures as Darius the wolf, Ander the grizzly and Malcolm the squirrel, cry out to be in a Disney movie. Ander informs Alexa that the convicts never were returned to Ainsworth, but live in caves in the Dark Hills and plan to take over the cities. Can Alexa find the convict who has infiltrated the administration with a view to overthrowing the government? With Malcolm, the talking squirrel at her side, and the Bridewell Library as an unexpected resource, you bet she can! In a world where the Great Wall of China still exists (albeit as a tourist attraction) and where, in recent years, one great wall has come down and another is going up, a novel which advocates open societies is worth reading. Carman deserves praise for making the Bridwell library so central to the story, thus emphasizing the importance of literacy, history and general knowledge. Who cares if The Dark Hills Divide fails to rise to another level of meaning, as did its ancestors (like Animal Farm and Gulliver's Travels)? Patrick Carman wrote the novel as a story for his daughters who loved it. Other children will, too. Recommended. Rating: *** /4. Grades 4-7. (The Land of Elyon Book I) 2005, Orchard Books, 253 pp., cloth, $15.99. Ages 9 to 12.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, February 1, 2005 (Vol. 73, No. 3))
Thomas Warvold, founder of the land of Elyon, constructed walls around its four towns, ensuring, so he thought, his people's safety from the dangers in the surrounding countryside. Even before his sudden, mysterious death, Warvold chose 12-year-old Alexa Daley to succeed him. Driven by her curiosity about the world outside, Alexa finds a tunnel that leads her to the woodlands. There, with the help of the forest-dwellers, she passes three trials and garners information and allies to save her country. After a slow introduction, the plot takes off, and the book becomes a real page-turner. Alexa, with her brains, courage and grit, proves to be an appealingly strong female hero and the story, enriched by folkloric traditions and a solid mystery, is sure to engage reader interest. The resolution provides a satisfactory ending, but there are plenty of loose ends to be tied up in the second and third volumes of the trilogy. Here's a good high fantasy for the girls. Bravo! 2005, Orchard, 272p, $11.95. Category: Fiction. Ages 10 to 12. © 2005 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Claire Rosser (KLIATT Review, January 2005 (Vol. 39, No. 1))
First released as a self-published book, written by a father for his daughters, this fantasy, the first in a trilogy, has enjoyed popularity in the Northwest and has now been picked up by a major publisher for national distribution. It will have wide appeal to younger YAs who enjoy strong heroines who are courageous and highly intelligent. Alexa lives in a society carefully explained by Carman, who includes a map that helps the reader. The major features of her land are high walls around the cities and even along the roads that connect cities--and the claustrophobic nature of these walls. Alexa’s curiosity drives her outside the walls, where she encounters a strange pulsating stone that enables her to speak to animals, who tell her of the threat to her people. She must return home, try to determine the spy in her community, and somehow save her culture from catastrophe. The most endearing parts of the story are the relationships Alexa forms with animals who help her: Murphy the squirrel, Darius the wolf, Ander the grizzly. The vocabulary is challenging, the puzzles intriguing, and Alexa is an admirable character. (The Land of Elyon, Book 1) Category: Hardcover Fiction. KLIATT Codes: J--Recommended for junior high school students. 2005, Scholastic, Orchard, 251p. map., $11.95. Ages 12 to 15.

Ruth Cox Clark (Library Media Connection, April/May 2005)
In the first book of the Land of Elyon series, Patrick Carmen introduces feisty 12-year-old Alexa, the mayor's daughter of one of the four walled cities of Elyon. Alexa spends the summer with her father in Bridewell, exploring the wall for secret passages. When the elderly leader, Warvold, dies on an evening stroll with Alexa, she takes his silver key and discovers it opens a door to the outside world where Alexa is greeted by Yipes, a tiny man, and a cadre of speaking animals. They warn that the criminals who built the walls years before are preparing to invade Bridewell. Alexa deciphers the multipart secret code Warvold's wife left behind and learns of Sebastian, leader of the criminals. With the help of Pervis, the captain of the guard who had been her archenemy, Alexa convinces her father that the threat is real and they plan to trap the criminals. Alexa discovers that Sebastian is actually Ganesh, one of the other city mayors. He is seeking revenge for the harsh treatment the criminals received while building the wall. Although the walls are torn down and peace reigns, Alexa is not content. She remembers what the animals said about the powers of Elyon and will seek another adventure. Recommended. 2005, Orchard Books (Scholastic, Inc.), 272pp., $11.95 pbk. Ages 9 to 13.

Karen Ford (The ALAN Review, Fall 2005 (Vol. 33, No. 1))
Patrick Carman’s The Dark Hills Divide is Book 1 in a series of fantasy books from The Land of Elyon collection. While the book gets off to somewhat of a slow start, the reader soon becomes involved in the mystery surrounding the walls of Bridewell and the heroic young lady, Alexa, who will one day assume her place as one of the co-rulers of the kingdom. Led by her new friend Yipes, Alexa travels territory unknown even to adults, bravely facing dangers in order to save the kingdom. Category: Fantasy. YA--Young Adult. 2005, Orchard Books, 251 pp., $11.95. Ages young adult.Holton, KS

Myrna Dee Marler (The ALAN Review, Spring/Summer 2005 (Vol. 32, No. 3))
This book began as a series of bedtime stories for the author’s children and was originally self-published in Seattle, Washington, where, apparently, it did well enough to be picked up by Orchard Books for national distribution. Projected as the first book in a trilogy, the fantasy tale recounts the adventures of 12-year-old Alexa, who lives within a complex of walled cities unable, along with her compatriots, to experience the world outside. Alexa, in the spirit of fantasy protagonists everywhere, is too curious and bold to be held back from exploration of the forbidden by rules, guards, culture, and custom. Indeed, she finds her way beyond the walls to discover talking animals and a plot to destroy the kingdom. She is, of course, with the aid of her animal allies, ultimately able to save the day by bringing down the walls. However, her adventures are apparently to be continued . . . . Young fantasy readers will enjoy this story of a small female heroine although the adventures are far from as engaging as those in Narnia or Hogwarts. The underlying message that sneaking around leads to great deeds may be disturbing for some adults, yet it taps into the covert desire of all children to have a hand in saving the world. Category: Fantasy. YA--Young Adult. 2005, Orchard, 251 pp., $11.95. Ages young adult.Laie, HI

Timnah Card (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, January 2005 (Vol. 58, No. 5))
Alexa, the twelve-year-old daughter of the mayor of Lathbury, has the run of the government buildings and main library in the principal city of Bridewell. What she doesn't have--what none of the citizens of the four Walled Cities has--is free access to the lands outside the walls: the Dark Hills, harsh, frightening terrain full of wild beasts and a legendary magic. Alexa's unique privileges allow her to uncover a secret way outside the walls, where she is recruited by a cadre of wild animals (headed by the bear Ander, King of the Forest) to search out and bring to justice the founder of an evil plot that will enable escaped convicts to infiltrate and overpower the citizens of Bridewell. Alexa's warm relationships with nearly every adult male she knows set up her world as a quiet and protected one, and her eagerness to get outside the walls and her intelligence in deducing the answers to the clues left for her define her as a likable, spunky heroine. However, her baseless willingness to follow a complete stranger into the forest and her quick acceptance of talking animals stretch the reader's disbelief. Additionally, the psychological power of the danger and mystery is defused as the animals themselves, rough coats and sharp teeth notwithstanding, manage to be more fuzzy playmates than inspiring icons, and the convicts turn out to be misunderstood, misled unfortunates just looking for a home. A series of puzzles and an illustrated chess game lighten the overall mood, creating some confusion about the tone of the tale but offering readers an easy way to enter into the story. A map and a note from the author are included. (Reviewed from galleys) Review Code: Ad -- Additional book of acceptable quality for collections needing more material in the area. (c) Copyright 2005, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2005, Orchard, 272p, $11.95. Grades 4-6.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2005)
After discovering secrets behind her peaceful life in her walled community, Alexa Daley, twelve, escapes and travels beyond the walls, gaining the ability to speak to animals and uncovering the identity of a traitor in her town. Intelligent, inquisitive Alexa's first-person narrative is involving and fast paced, and her dilemmas and decisions ring true in this strong fantasy. (Land of Elyon series). Category: Intermediate Fiction. 2005, Scholastic/Orchard, 257pp, 11.95. Ages 9 to 12. Rating: 3: Recommended, satisfactory in style, content, and/or illustration.

Ann Welton (VOYA, April 2005 (Vol. 28, No. 1))
Alexa Daley may be twelve years old, but she is puny, far more child than adolescent. Despite the fact that she is in line to become a member of the ruling council of the walled cities, she is still childishly inquisitive and stubbornly bent on investigating the wild lands outside the walls of Bridewell. Never mind that such exploration is strictly forbidden. Her chance comes after Warvold, the ancient explorer who built the walled cities and who has been her friend since birth, dies while walking around Bridewell with her. Before reporting his death, she takes from his locket a silver key that does, indeed, prove to be essential to making her way beneath the walls and out into the wild. Once there, befriended by dwarves and wolves and possessed of an unexpected power, she begins to comprehend the danger faced by the Land of Elyon and to understand the concerns that Warvold expressed about having walled danger in rather than out. Characterization is sound, with a protagonist who is fully human, full of doubts and concerns, and impetuous to a fault. The supporting characters are equally well drawn, as is the setting. Few books express so clearly the love of libraries, their hold over people, and the capacity of literature for changing lives. The pace is swift, and the plot is involving. Middle and upper elementary students who read the Spiderwick and Unfortunate Events books will be drawn instantly into The Land of Elyon series and will look forward eagerly to new installments. VOYA CODES: 3Q 3P M (Readable without serious defects; Will appeal with pushing; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8). 2005, Orchard, 272p., $11.95 Trade pb. Ages 11 to 14.