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Summary: Sooooooo good!
Review: I first read this series in a reading competition (but i read book 2 first). This whole series is great, but this is a great book for introducing it and there is a LOT of adventure and wierd supernatural stuff that goes on. Anyone would love it.
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Summary: Dissapointing...
Review: Currently I'm reading Over Sea, Under Stone since it's one of the Battle of the Book's books. It has a very slow beginning and takes the pace up only one notch. From there it just goes downhill. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone but hardcore fantasy fans.
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Summary: The Search is on
Review: In the Book Over Sea under Stone By Susan Cooper the Drew children Barney, Simon, and Jane are on Vacation in Cornwall, England with their parents and great-uncle Merry. While exploring a hidden room in the old Grey House where they are staying, they stumble across an ancient map that throws them into a desperate search for an ancient grail which will unlock power to war against the Dark side. The Dark forces (real life people) are also looking for the grail that links back to the days of King Arthur and a fierce battle between good and evil that has ensued for hundreds of years.
I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone. This book sounds very exciting but it is very hard to get into and it never makes you not want to put the book down because it gives you so much detail and it drags on everything. If I had to recommend to some one I would defiantly recommend it for 1st-3rd graders but even they would get bored.
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Summary: The Concealed Mystery
Review: Over Sea, Under Stone, by Susan Cooper, supports the theme of the search for the Holy Grail, and the fight over good and evil. Like in the legend of King Aurthur, the Holy Grail is the key to winning the seemingly never-ending battle of good and evil in this amazing novel. This story is mainly about three children, Simon, Jane, and Barney Drew. The Drew children, visiting their great uncle Merry stumble upon a secret opening to the attic, where they have lunch. What they find in the attic begins a quest for the Holy Grail that results in a thrilling and suspenseful novel. The excitement in this story makes it a must read for junior high students interested in the Arthurian legend.
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Summary: Curiscity
Review: ...Curiosity Over Sea, Under Stone is set in the 1980's,mainly along the harbor in an old gray house. There are 3 Drew kids who are brothers and sisters named Barney, Jane, and Simon, and of coarse their Uncle Merry. The 3 Drew kids find a manuscript in the attic about where the Holy Grail is. But first the Drew kids have to find the other half, of the manuscript. The journey for the Grail leads them to a extremely large cold, wet, and really dark cave. The Drew kids still run into some problems along the way through. They have to beat other people to the
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Summary: The Everlasting Fight
Review: The novel, Over Sea, Under Stone, by Susan Cooper, takes place in the village of Trewissick in modern time. The main characters are Barney, Jane, and Simon. Barney was the youngest of the three and their Uncle Merry. This is a story of a never ending fight between good and evil.
The book is about three kids and their uncle, who find a map in a house they're renting called "The Old Grey House". The children know that the treasure they have found is quite special. The dark or evil side is also looking for it and they will do anything to get the treasure.
I would strongly recommend this book because it has a great adventure and it will keep you reading. This is the first volume and is recommended for 12 years of age and older.
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Summary: The Everlasting Fight Between Good and Evil
Review: The Everlasting Fight Between Good and Evil
Ben Shaver
Lit Period 6
"The ever lasting fight between good and evil" was a quote from Merlin. The book OVER SEA UNDER STONE is mostly about the fight between good and bad.
This unique Book is set in the modern time. they spent most of the tome looking for clues to find the holly grail. At a time they didn't know it they would be able to keep the clue. I recommend this story to anyone that likes adventure and mysteries.
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Summary: The Search
Review: The Search Matthew Sugrue
Lit. period 8
Throughout the years the search for the holy grail has become nothing but a myth. However in Over Sea Under Stone by Susan Cooper three children find a map which they believe will lead them to the holy grail. As they embark on their quest they soon learn that there is an evil side who will follow them to the end in their own search for the grail. In this mystery the Author shows the never ending struggle of good vs. evil after the fall of Arthur's kingdom. Though the book does not tell much of Arthur it does put a modern twist on an ancient quest. I would recommend this book to anyone over the age of eleven and enjoys a mystery.
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Summary: over sea under stone
Review: I love the book over sea under stone!It is an adventure from from when the kids find the map to when Barney meets the vicar(Mr.Hastings).The Drews are very risky and almost get into trouble with the grail.I think Susan Cooper put alot of work into the characters.They each have there own oppinion and lifestyle.I like the part when Barney and Simon go into the dark cave.This book leaves you on the edge of your seat.Over all I really like the book.It makes me wonder if there is a grail near me.You should read this book.
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Summary: My Personal Favourite in the Series
Review: 'Over Sea, Under Stone' is the first book in Susan Cooper's series 'The Dark is Rising' and the title refers to the location of the legendary Holy Grail. The siblings Simon, Jane and Barney Drew come to stay with their elusive Great-Uncle Merry during the summer holidays in Cornwall and during a rainy afternoon that they discover an old map that Merry tells them will direct them towards the hiding place of the Grail. Though it may sound like just another holiday-adventure story, other occurances are already on the move to suggest that other beings are also on the hunt for the Grail - and not entirely natural beings either. With each day that passes the stakes are raised higher and higher, and the race becomes more and more desparate as the two side struggle to be the first to reach the treasure. The three main protagnists are used very well in putting together the pieces of the story - Susan Cooper makes it clear in her use of their individual strengths and weaknesses that they had to work together, each pulling their own weight, in order to reach a successful conclusion. They each have little adventures of their own that contribute to the storyline and reflect their personalities - eldest child Simon *tries* takes the role of responsible leader, Jane is sensitive and practical, and Barney the youngest is typically devil-may-care, but yet also oddly spiritual. The author carefully balances these positives with negatives - Simon can get arrogant, Jane is a worrier, and Barney often acts implusively: all of which help the reader see the three of them not only as real characters, but as individuals.
She also creates quite strong supporting characters, the main one being Great-Uncle Merry, who obviously knows more than what he's saying, and is more than what he seems. The agents of the Dark are also intriguing, whether it be the tall-dark-and-sinister (and very scary) Mr Hastings, the Wither siblings who hide behind their smiles, or the bulky, sullen Bill Hoover. For many reasons, 'Over Sea, Under Stone' is my favourite book in the series, whereas other readers seem to think it is the weakest book. The basis for this judgement would appear to be a lack of fantasy and supernatural elements (especially when compared to the other books), as well as a lack of understanding in the Drew children as to what they are truly up against. This however, is *precisely* why this book is my favourite! The children are naieve for much of the novel's progression, and though the reader can bask in the knowledge that not all is what is seems, they too are kept in the dark as to the 'baddies' true nature, giving a remarkable edge to the book. Upmost satisfaction is to be had as the children experience light touches of supernatural occurances (the prime example being the dog Rufus's eerie howl at the exactly the right moment...but I won't give it away) and the entire atmosphere of the book can be summed up in Jane's realisation - "it was though they were not fighting people, but a dark force that used people as their tools". This passage sent shivers up my spine, and is indeed the entire tone of the novel - a sunny holiday and adventure story with the children dealing with forces just beyond their understanding. This is a very subtle and clever way of telling a story.
The gradual building up of tension and desparation was such a major factor in my enjoyment of the book that I was rather alarmed when I came to read the second book 'The Dark is Rising' and was launched immediatly into a fanatistical story involving time-travelling, magic and a more clear-cut version of the two sides - the Light and the Dark. It took a while to get used to this sudden change in story-telling technique, though still enjoyed the book overall. Lastly, there was a complaint that the children said 'jolly-good' and 'smashing' a few too many times. The book was first printed in 1961, of course they're going to talk like that! If anything, the language adds to the time period the book is set in, and no doubt our children's children will be scoffing at Ron Weasley's use of the word 'Wicked!' when they read the Harry Potter books.
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