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Children of the Lamp #1
The Akhenaten Adventure
Meet John and Philippa Gaunt, twelve-year-old twins who one day discover themselves to be descended from a long line of djinn. All of a sudden, they have the power to grant wishes, travel to extraordinary places, and make people and objects disappear. Luckily (and luck does have something to do with it), the twins are introduced to their eccentric djinn-uncle Nimrod, who will teach them how to harness their newly found power. And not a moment too soon...since John and Philippa are about to embark on a search to locate a monstrous pharaoh named Akhenaten and his eerie tomb. Standing in their way is Iblis-the most evil djinn in the universe. Will the twins be strong and skilled and clever enough to outwit Iblis and live to see another adventure?
355 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
About the author
P.B. Kerr
29 books206 followersAlso writes as Philip Kerr.
Philip Kerr (P.B. Kerr) was a British author of both adult fiction and non-fiction, most notably the Bernie Gunther series, and of children's books, particularly the Children of the Lamp series.
Kerr was educated at a grammar school in Northampton. He studied law at the University of Birmingham from 1974–1980, achieving a masters degree. Kerr worked as an advertising copywriter for Saatchi and Saatchi before becoming a full-time writer in 1989. He wrote for the Sunday Times, the Evening Standard and the New Statesman.
Philip Kerr (P.B. Kerr) was a British author of both adult fiction and non-fiction, most notably the Bernie Gunther series, and of children's books, particularly the Children of the Lamp series.
Kerr was educated at a grammar school in Northampton. He studied law at the University of Birmingham from 1974–1980, achieving a masters degree. Kerr worked as an advertising copywriter for Saatchi and Saatchi before becoming a full-time writer in 1989. He wrote for the Sunday Times, the Evening Standard and the New Statesman.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 757 reviews
May 11, 2020
This book has a lot of xenophobia and fatphobia in it. It constantly throws down on anyone who is not able-bodied, thin, gender-conforming, and white British/American. The main characters do black face to commit a crime because it was “suitable for carrying out a burglary.”
I didn’t like any of the characters. I didn’t care for writing or pacing. I did not enjoy this reading experience much at all, and I sadly don’t recommend this.
I didn’t like any of the characters. I didn’t care for writing or pacing. I did not enjoy this reading experience much at all, and I sadly don’t recommend this.
September 29, 2010
I found this an entertaining, quick-to-read adventure book, and the central idea, that some people in the modern day world are djinns of the ancient legends whose task is to protect the world, is nice enough. But the plot solutions were too facile and convenient, and so it was not really as exciting and fun as it could have been. However, what bugged me the most was the attitudes the author showed, through the narrative and the attitudes of the characters, towards, well, pretty much anything that was not American white upper-class and thin. Such xenophobia, especially towards the French and the Arabs, such disdain of everyone and everything not fitting the right kind of bracket, be it fat people or Nimrod's one-handed servant or anyone. I really couldn't wait to be rid of the author's thought world (it annoyed me enough that I'm not sure I'd have finished the book had it not been my only companion on a two-hour train trip when I needed something no-brainer to entertain me). Won't be reading the next books, I'm really not interested to learn what his attitudes are towards other European nationalities than the French. Had enough of this kind.
March 26, 2010
What a really cute book. I will definately let my daughter read this book when she is older. I've seen some criticism's about the issue of smoking in this book. In the book, the reason why Djinn smoke is because they are made of fire and they like heat and smoke. But the character, Nimrod, clearly states in the book that smoking is fine for Djinn but terrible for humans.
"But isn't smoking bad for you?" Objected John.
"It's terribly bad for human beings, yes. But not at all bad for djinn."
Personally, I don't worry that my daugher will read this and want to take up smoking.
Very likeable characters, adventure, humor and fun. Great book!
"But isn't smoking bad for you?" Objected John.
"It's terribly bad for human beings, yes. But not at all bad for djinn."
Personally, I don't worry that my daugher will read this and want to take up smoking.
Very likeable characters, adventure, humor and fun. Great book!
July 17, 2011
Have you read the Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan? It was like reading that but at the same time nothing fancy like that~ because i like this one better! I liked how it was written (I dunno, i really liked how UK writers write). It was like in the same boat as Red Pyramid, being Cairo and travelling in London and other parts of the world but not in a very hectic manner like Rick Riordan's throwing all information to you that you were sick of it and you cannot take it anymore.
This story was a fresh perspective from the source of magic of the magicians...made me remember Bartimaeus the whole lot because he is a Djiin too, and was trapped to Nathaniel's bidding. So here, siblings with a Djiin roots and on their puberty they have to acknowledge their powers as Djiin. So, "be careful what you wish for" was a saying that's always in my mind all the time.
It also wants me to read the Arabian Nights stories~ because this book promotes reading among children and adults alike. When I read the intention of P.B.Kerr in writing this book in his interview, it made sense. He intended this story for his son, to encourage him to read. If it did not work for his son, at least for me it did.
Six books of these adventures? I have 2 so far~ so , i will hunt for more.
This story was a fresh perspective from the source of magic of the magicians...made me remember Bartimaeus the whole lot because he is a Djiin too, and was trapped to Nathaniel's bidding. So here, siblings with a Djiin roots and on their puberty they have to acknowledge their powers as Djiin. So, "be careful what you wish for" was a saying that's always in my mind all the time.
It also wants me to read the Arabian Nights stories~ because this book promotes reading among children and adults alike. When I read the intention of P.B.Kerr in writing this book in his interview, it made sense. He intended this story for his son, to encourage him to read. If it did not work for his son, at least for me it did.
Six books of these adventures? I have 2 so far~ so , i will hunt for more.
May 30, 2018
Read aloud with daughter; this book has strong main characters and a great mythology, along with excellent descriptions of the locales (New York, London, and Cairo). It is the first of a series, and we plan to dig into the next book very soon.
This story is mythological fantasy, with magic, but set in our modern day world. This element, along with what is clearly well thought out folkore of the djinn is excellent. I also appreciated references to other books - Tales from the Arabian Nights and The Oxford Book of English Verse. The two main characters (twins) show excellent problem solving skills and teamwork. The supporting characters, while mostly caricatures, provide both knowledge and humor.
So why wasn't it awesome? The first part of the book felt very slow, with not a lot going on. If not for the humor and occasional in-jokes, we probably would have put the story down. Perhaps that was needed for the first book in this series - a lot of exposition.
Overall result, recommended!
This story is mythological fantasy, with magic, but set in our modern day world. This element, along with what is clearly well thought out folkore of the djinn is excellent. I also appreciated references to other books - Tales from the Arabian Nights and The Oxford Book of English Verse. The two main characters (twins) show excellent problem solving skills and teamwork. The supporting characters, while mostly caricatures, provide both knowledge and humor.
So why wasn't it awesome? The first part of the book felt very slow, with not a lot going on. If not for the humor and occasional in-jokes, we probably would have put the story down. Perhaps that was needed for the first book in this series - a lot of exposition.
Overall result, recommended!
March 10, 2009
Huaaaa...kalian bisa belajar banyak tentang dunia jin!
Misalnya kek gini :
- Jin baik namanya marid sedangkan jin jahat namanya Ifrit atau iblis *lirik lelembut hippo,rada2 mencurigakan memang!*
- Kalo jin masuk ke tubuh mahluk hidup, mereka harus menyediakan parfum karena pas balik ke tubuh semula, bau makluk hidup yang ditumpangi bakal nempel di badan (apalagi kalo u masuk ke tubuh unta, disarankan mandi parfum aja!)
- Kalo u berhasil mensegel ifrit (dalam hal ini memasukannya dalam botol ato kaleng ato lampu ato bahkan kotak korek api, pasti sudah bisa nebak contohnyakan?! baiklaaaah jaga2 kalau kalian lupa : lampu aladin!) masukan dalam freezer karena kalo dia berhasil keluar, dia ga bakalan bisa langsung ngamuk.
...You've heard of the great Fire of San Fransisco in 1906, which was caused by an earthquakes? that was Iblis. Mind you that was nothing compared to what Iblis's father, Iblis senior, did in 1883. He destroyed a whole island near Indonesia. A place called Krakatau...(page 299)
Nah, itu salah satu contoh kalo bandel ga mao masukin ifrit yang sudah di segel ke frezeer
Di samping manusia dan jin ada mahluk2 halus lain yang jelas ga kalah menarik.Pokoknya banyak hal yang bisa kita pelajari dari buku ini. Kalian harus baca sendiri tentunyah hehehe...
NB : Thx to uyut 'syl' yg dah repot2 minjemin&ngirim,ini jadi referensi yang sangat berguna loh yut?! *grin*
NB lagih : G sekarang curiga ma tsunami aceh, gempa yogya ma lapindo! Awas kalo ktauan siapa yang kurang hati2 nyegel Ifrit?! *geram*
Misalnya kek gini :
- Jin baik namanya marid sedangkan jin jahat namanya Ifrit atau iblis *lirik lelembut hippo,rada2 mencurigakan memang!*
- Kalo jin masuk ke tubuh mahluk hidup, mereka harus menyediakan parfum karena pas balik ke tubuh semula, bau makluk hidup yang ditumpangi bakal nempel di badan (apalagi kalo u masuk ke tubuh unta, disarankan mandi parfum aja!)
- Kalo u berhasil mensegel ifrit (dalam hal ini memasukannya dalam botol ato kaleng ato lampu ato bahkan kotak korek api, pasti sudah bisa nebak contohnyakan?! baiklaaaah jaga2 kalau kalian lupa : lampu aladin!) masukan dalam freezer karena kalo dia berhasil keluar, dia ga bakalan bisa langsung ngamuk.
...You've heard of the great Fire of San Fransisco in 1906, which was caused by an earthquakes? that was Iblis. Mind you that was nothing compared to what Iblis's father, Iblis senior, did in 1883. He destroyed a whole island near Indonesia. A place called Krakatau...(page 299)
Nah, itu salah satu contoh kalo bandel ga mao masukin ifrit yang sudah di segel ke frezeer
Di samping manusia dan jin ada mahluk2 halus lain yang jelas ga kalah menarik.Pokoknya banyak hal yang bisa kita pelajari dari buku ini. Kalian harus baca sendiri tentunyah hehehe...
NB : Thx to uyut 'syl' yg dah repot2 minjemin&ngirim,ini jadi referensi yang sangat berguna loh yut?! *grin*
NB lagih : G sekarang curiga ma tsunami aceh, gempa yogya ma lapindo! Awas kalo ktauan siapa yang kurang hati2 nyegel Ifrit?! *geram*
July 27, 2010
The book, inspired clearly by Harry Potter if not Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson books, was ok. The two protagonists, a set of twins who discover that they are djinn with magical powers, felt cookie cutter and never really seemed to break out of the mold.
To make things worse, there were a fair number of xenophobic comments spread throughout the book, the French receiving a good number of shots (hygiene being the number one thing attacked) though Egyptians were not far behind.
Coming at the book with adult sensibilities, I was clearly more sensitive than my 10 year old daughter who just breezed by these blissfully unaware.
That said, the combination of fairly mediocre writing and near-bigotry (or to be generous just poorly honed humor) was tough to get past. The final straw was the author, who is quite prolific and this is nowhere near his first, or even tenth, book made a mess of the pacing. A major new villain was introduced in the last few chapters and dealing with them felt hurried and poorly executed, neatly solved by a little deus ex machina.
Nowhere near the worst book I've ever read, hence a non-one star rating, it was bad enough that I have no interest in reading the rest of the series.
To make things worse, there were a fair number of xenophobic comments spread throughout the book, the French receiving a good number of shots (hygiene being the number one thing attacked) though Egyptians were not far behind.
Coming at the book with adult sensibilities, I was clearly more sensitive than my 10 year old daughter who just breezed by these blissfully unaware.
That said, the combination of fairly mediocre writing and near-bigotry (or to be generous just poorly honed humor) was tough to get past. The final straw was the author, who is quite prolific and this is nowhere near his first, or even tenth, book made a mess of the pacing. A major new villain was introduced in the last few chapters and dealing with them felt hurried and poorly executed, neatly solved by a little deus ex machina.
Nowhere near the worst book I've ever read, hence a non-one star rating, it was bad enough that I have no interest in reading the rest of the series.
July 19, 2013
I remember this book. It's been years since I read it, but I also remember that it was a thoughtful gift from a friend. She said she knew I loved book with talking animals, but couldn't find any so she hoped this was alright. To be honest, I always been fascinated by 1001 Arabian Nights so this was a nice little discovery since it involved two children learning that they were djinns. The fantasy world opened up and expanded upon the usual locations of fantasy middle grade novels. Therefore, I consider this more of a "four star" read than a "three star" one because I was not as in love with the plot as I would have liked but the setting meant everything to me. The same with the characters. The setting, the background information and the fact that they were djinns meant a lot more to me.
My memory of the novel is mostly of the end and haunted feelings of the climax. It was fun. I enjoyed the novel. If I ever find it again then I would take the pleasure of re-reading the book. It's not the best because I remember almost nothing of the characters and plot. I do still remember ow much fun I had and how in love I was with the world it was set in. That. Is important.
My memory of the novel is mostly of the end and haunted feelings of the climax. It was fun. I enjoyed the novel. If I ever find it again then I would take the pleasure of re-reading the book. It's not the best because I remember almost nothing of the characters and plot. I do still remember ow much fun I had and how in love I was with the world it was set in. That. Is important.
April 19, 2021
When a middle grade book is written well, has good pacing, excellent characters and a fun, fresh premise, it can be better than YA or adult books. This was really weird and fun.
April 6, 2011
I really enjoyed reading this book and after reading negative reviews on Amazon, it just strikes me as funny as to what I don't notice when reading a book or things I automatically pass over. Maybe I too am a racist and sexist individual but I thought that people would have larger issues with other subject matter than what they did. I enjoyed the book and felt that I got to know the characters enough to care about them and love experiencing their adventures with them. As a piece of fiction I see the author doing what he had to do for the story. Is the subject matter and language in pieces of fiction automatically representations of what the author believes? If a character has racist leanings is that the author's real feeling coming out? If that's the case then it justifies people choosing to ban books but if not, people need to relax the hell down. Its a book, written by a fallible man living in a fallible country, in a fallible world.
April 26, 2008
Two american children find out that they are actually Jinn (or Genie) and set off to London to help out their Uncle, er, Nimrod.
Not a bad book, slightly action-adventurish, but spolied by stilted writing and a quite bizarre hatred for the French, which might be ment to be humerous, but instead comes off as quite xenophobic.
The former might be because the author tends to write for adults and was trying to write "down" for children - the latter, I have no explaination for, unless his English-Scot hertiage gives him some sort odd long historical memory.
Not a bad book, slightly action-adventurish, but spolied by stilted writing and a quite bizarre hatred for the French, which might be ment to be humerous, but instead comes off as quite xenophobic.
The former might be because the author tends to write for adults and was trying to write "down" for children - the latter, I have no explaination for, unless his English-Scot hertiage gives him some sort odd long historical memory.
December 12, 2012
Semua hal yang tidak mungkin terjadi di dunia nyata dengan mudah terwujud di dunia fantasi. Tidak heran jika ratusan cerita bahkan mungkin saja kini jumlahnya mencapai ribuan bermunculan. Imajinasi setiap orang dengan dibiarkan bebas menciptakan karakter demi karakter yang dilengkapi dengan keistimewaan yang mengundang decak kagum.
Setidaknya semua yang saya tuliskan diatas ada pada karakter di buku ini. Lihat saja Layla, wanita cantik yang menikahi Edward Gaunt, seorang pria baik hati dan kaya rayaserta memiliki anak –anak yang cerdas dan sehat, John dan Philipa. Seakan ingin melengkapi keberuntungan yang dimilikinya, di rumah ia memilii dua ekor anjing yang benar- benar luar biasa. Saya pikir tak satupun orang di dunia ini yang sepandai Alan dan Neil, yang bisa memahami keinginan tuannya untuk mengganti saluran televisi, pergi ke toko kue dan mengambilkan sekantong bagel tanpa memakannya, mengisi meteran parkir, dan yang pergi sendiri ke dokter hewan. Dari semua anggota keluarga,hanya Mrs gauntlah yang dengan mudah membuat keduanya patuh. Rasanya akan membuat paragraf ini menjadi lebih panjang jika membahas kelebihan – kelebihannya yang lain. Fuh...
Hal ini tak hanya membuat saya bertanya-tanya. Bahkan John dan Philipa, anak-anaknya, kadang – kadang tak habis pikir dengan keistimewaan yang dimiliki ibunya itu. Namun rasa bangga yang jauh lebih besar dibandingkan rasa penasaran membuat mereka lama kelamaan menganggap semua itu adalah hal yang wajar.
Berbicara tentang John dan Philipha, mereka adalah dua anak kembar yang berusia dua belas tahun. walau kembar, tak satupun kemiripan yang tampak dari wajah keduanya. Hal – hal yang mereka sukai pun berlainan. Dari postur tubuh, warna sampai hobby yang mereka geluti pun berbeda. Walau Yang anehnya, walau memiliki begitu banyak perbedaan, mereka sering memikirkan hal yang sama dan keduanya juga mengidap Claustrophobia, ketakutan berada di ruang kecil yang tertutup. Tak heran mereka selalu menghindari lift.
Selain lift, John dan Philipa juga tak pernah suka dengan kunjungan rutin mereka ke dokter gigi di awal musim panas. Tak seperti kunjungan sebelumnya, kali ini ada sesuatu yang cukup membuat keduanya khawatir. Mister Larr, dokter gigi mereka, menemukan beberapa geraham bungsu di gusi mereka. Hal ini tidak wajar bagi anak seusia mereka. Karena dianggap membahayakan, maka diputuskan bawa John dan Philipha harus menjalani operasi dengan bius total.
Keanehan yang terjadi karena memiliki geraham bungsu ternyata berlanjut ketika operasi berlangsung. Baik John maupun Philipa mengalami mimpi yang sama. Mereka bertemu seorang pria aneh yang mengenalkan dirinya sebagai Nimrod, paman yang sengaja tak pernah dikenalkan oleh ibu mereka karena suatu alasan. Sebelum berakhir ia berpesan agar meminta kedua orang tuanya mengirim mereka ke London untuk menghabiskan liburan musim panas, bukannya ke Alembic House seperti yang direncanakan sebelumnya.
Tak disangka, ketika John dan Philipha menyampaikan keinginan mereka, serta merta Mr Gaunt menyanggupi keinginan mereka. bahkan menawari tiket pesawat British Airways kelas utama. Keanehan kembali berulang. Setidaknya tingkah ayahnya, Mr Graunt menambah daftar keanehan pasca operasi. Itu juga setelah menambah hilangnya jerawat di pipi John dan tinggi badan mereka yang bertambah hanya dalam beberapa hari. Keanehan terus menerus terjadi bahkan ketika mereka berada di atas pesawat sekalipun.
Untunglah segala sesuatunya akhirnya terjawab oleh penjelasan Paman Nimrod. Sebagai tambahan Paman Nimrod juga memberitahukan satu rahasia besar yang merupakan awal dari petualangan yang berbahaya yang kapan saja bisa membahayakan jiwa mereka..
Rahasia apakah itu?
Rahasia yang tentu saja hanya akan diketahui dengan menyelesaikan buku yang ternyata masih memiliki beberapa seri. Setidaknya ada 4 buku yang terlihat di http://www.childrenofthelamp.web.id. Sayangnya website tersebut belum rampung seluruhnya.
Masih penasaran?
Mungkin bisa sedikit terjawab dengan memperhatikan sampul buku ini. Walaupun sebenarnya tak banyak membantu. Lampu yang bentuknya sama dengan lampu ajaib milik aladdin yang didalamnya berisi jin. Lampu, Jin, John dan Philipha? Bagaimana menghubungkan keempatnya? Semua ada di dalam buku ini. Gaya bahasa yang terkadang lucu dan konyol membuat buku dengan ketebalan 416 ini terasa lebih ringan. Tak butuh waktu lama untuk menghabiskannya. Walau di dalamnya terdapat beberapa lembaran yang cetakannya begitu tebal hingga berpengaruh ke halaman selanjutnya, yang saya akui sedikit menganggu.
Yang jelas buku ini membuat saya semakin mengenal lebih banyak sosok jin, walaupun dalam versi dunia fantasi. Terlebih di halaman terakhir di buat lampiran khusus yang menjelaskan secara mendetail mengenai makhluk yang diciptakan dengan beragam kemampuan yang tak dimiliki manusia. Setidaknya mengingatkan kembali bahwa jin berada di sekitar kita bahkan tak menutup kemungkin hanya berjarak beberapa cm.
Dan yang tak kalah menarik adalah kalimat yang diucapkan oleh salah satu tokoh
“Berhati-hatilah dengan apa yang kau inginkan. Bukan karena kau akan mendapatkannya, tapi karena kau tidak terlalu menginginkannya bila sudah mendapatkannya”,
membuat saya berpikir. Entah berapa banyak keinginan yang sebenarnya tak pernah sungguh –sungguh saya butuhkan. Walau semua akhirnya terucap begitu saja. ^_^V
Sekarang tinggal menunggu kisah John dan Philipha yang berikutnya.
Setidaknya semua yang saya tuliskan diatas ada pada karakter di buku ini. Lihat saja Layla, wanita cantik yang menikahi Edward Gaunt, seorang pria baik hati dan kaya rayaserta memiliki anak –anak yang cerdas dan sehat, John dan Philipa. Seakan ingin melengkapi keberuntungan yang dimilikinya, di rumah ia memilii dua ekor anjing yang benar- benar luar biasa. Saya pikir tak satupun orang di dunia ini yang sepandai Alan dan Neil, yang bisa memahami keinginan tuannya untuk mengganti saluran televisi, pergi ke toko kue dan mengambilkan sekantong bagel tanpa memakannya, mengisi meteran parkir, dan yang pergi sendiri ke dokter hewan. Dari semua anggota keluarga,hanya Mrs gauntlah yang dengan mudah membuat keduanya patuh. Rasanya akan membuat paragraf ini menjadi lebih panjang jika membahas kelebihan – kelebihannya yang lain. Fuh...
Hal ini tak hanya membuat saya bertanya-tanya. Bahkan John dan Philipa, anak-anaknya, kadang – kadang tak habis pikir dengan keistimewaan yang dimiliki ibunya itu. Namun rasa bangga yang jauh lebih besar dibandingkan rasa penasaran membuat mereka lama kelamaan menganggap semua itu adalah hal yang wajar.
Berbicara tentang John dan Philipha, mereka adalah dua anak kembar yang berusia dua belas tahun. walau kembar, tak satupun kemiripan yang tampak dari wajah keduanya. Hal – hal yang mereka sukai pun berlainan. Dari postur tubuh, warna sampai hobby yang mereka geluti pun berbeda. Walau Yang anehnya, walau memiliki begitu banyak perbedaan, mereka sering memikirkan hal yang sama dan keduanya juga mengidap Claustrophobia, ketakutan berada di ruang kecil yang tertutup. Tak heran mereka selalu menghindari lift.
Selain lift, John dan Philipa juga tak pernah suka dengan kunjungan rutin mereka ke dokter gigi di awal musim panas. Tak seperti kunjungan sebelumnya, kali ini ada sesuatu yang cukup membuat keduanya khawatir. Mister Larr, dokter gigi mereka, menemukan beberapa geraham bungsu di gusi mereka. Hal ini tidak wajar bagi anak seusia mereka. Karena dianggap membahayakan, maka diputuskan bawa John dan Philipha harus menjalani operasi dengan bius total.
Keanehan yang terjadi karena memiliki geraham bungsu ternyata berlanjut ketika operasi berlangsung. Baik John maupun Philipa mengalami mimpi yang sama. Mereka bertemu seorang pria aneh yang mengenalkan dirinya sebagai Nimrod, paman yang sengaja tak pernah dikenalkan oleh ibu mereka karena suatu alasan. Sebelum berakhir ia berpesan agar meminta kedua orang tuanya mengirim mereka ke London untuk menghabiskan liburan musim panas, bukannya ke Alembic House seperti yang direncanakan sebelumnya.
Tak disangka, ketika John dan Philipha menyampaikan keinginan mereka, serta merta Mr Gaunt menyanggupi keinginan mereka. bahkan menawari tiket pesawat British Airways kelas utama. Keanehan kembali berulang. Setidaknya tingkah ayahnya, Mr Graunt menambah daftar keanehan pasca operasi. Itu juga setelah menambah hilangnya jerawat di pipi John dan tinggi badan mereka yang bertambah hanya dalam beberapa hari. Keanehan terus menerus terjadi bahkan ketika mereka berada di atas pesawat sekalipun.
Untunglah segala sesuatunya akhirnya terjawab oleh penjelasan Paman Nimrod. Sebagai tambahan Paman Nimrod juga memberitahukan satu rahasia besar yang merupakan awal dari petualangan yang berbahaya yang kapan saja bisa membahayakan jiwa mereka..
Rahasia apakah itu?
Rahasia yang tentu saja hanya akan diketahui dengan menyelesaikan buku yang ternyata masih memiliki beberapa seri. Setidaknya ada 4 buku yang terlihat di http://www.childrenofthelamp.web.id. Sayangnya website tersebut belum rampung seluruhnya.
Masih penasaran?
Mungkin bisa sedikit terjawab dengan memperhatikan sampul buku ini. Walaupun sebenarnya tak banyak membantu. Lampu yang bentuknya sama dengan lampu ajaib milik aladdin yang didalamnya berisi jin. Lampu, Jin, John dan Philipha? Bagaimana menghubungkan keempatnya? Semua ada di dalam buku ini. Gaya bahasa yang terkadang lucu dan konyol membuat buku dengan ketebalan 416 ini terasa lebih ringan. Tak butuh waktu lama untuk menghabiskannya. Walau di dalamnya terdapat beberapa lembaran yang cetakannya begitu tebal hingga berpengaruh ke halaman selanjutnya, yang saya akui sedikit menganggu.
Yang jelas buku ini membuat saya semakin mengenal lebih banyak sosok jin, walaupun dalam versi dunia fantasi. Terlebih di halaman terakhir di buat lampiran khusus yang menjelaskan secara mendetail mengenai makhluk yang diciptakan dengan beragam kemampuan yang tak dimiliki manusia. Setidaknya mengingatkan kembali bahwa jin berada di sekitar kita bahkan tak menutup kemungkin hanya berjarak beberapa cm.
Dan yang tak kalah menarik adalah kalimat yang diucapkan oleh salah satu tokoh
“Berhati-hatilah dengan apa yang kau inginkan. Bukan karena kau akan mendapatkannya, tapi karena kau tidak terlalu menginginkannya bila sudah mendapatkannya”,
membuat saya berpikir. Entah berapa banyak keinginan yang sebenarnya tak pernah sungguh –sungguh saya butuhkan. Walau semua akhirnya terucap begitu saja. ^_^V
Sekarang tinggal menunggu kisah John dan Philipha yang berikutnya.
April 29, 2024
je me rappelle l’avoir lu mais 0 souvenir de l’histoire???? a part le délire des dents de sagesse
de ce que je lis des autres reviews le livre est super problématique MDR la honte (javais 9 ans pardonnez moi🤡)
de ce que je lis des autres reviews le livre est super problématique MDR la honte (javais 9 ans pardonnez moi🤡)
December 19, 2016
John and Philippa are no human children. They are Djinn: powerful, magical beings that are much like the genies in the old stories. They have a dream about their uncle nimrod, which their uncle sent to them as a message. It turns out their uncle and their mother also are djinn. After some lessons and training, they set off on a quest to egypt to find the tomb of akhenaten, an evil spirit who once was a wicked pharaoh. Unfortunately they are encountered by Iblis, the most evil djinn of all. He will thwart them until they drop. Want to know how it ends? READ THE BOOK!!
Children of the lamp, the Akhenaten Adventure by P.B. Kerr is good for people who like books with fantasy & adventure genres. I recommend to children who have read the Harry Potter books and liked them. I also recommend this to readers of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. This has a similar plot to the harry potter books, only it is modern and doesn’t take place at hogwarts. It has humor in places, which I like. I also like how the author based the idea of djinn off genies. Djinn can turn into animals, make things appear and disappear, grant wishes, and even fit in lamps! Djinn can grant more than three wishes, but if you ask for a fourth one, it undos the first three. I feel this is in comparison to the Harry Potter and Percy Jackson books because they do not realise who they are until they are told who they are. Plus, in all of the books, the main characters are all are really powerful and sometimes do not even realise their own strength. Some key themes in this book are 1) identity, 2) mystery 3) excitement! I also like how the author sort of goes into a character’s shoes and writes it as if he actually is the character in that situation. Here is an example of that writing on page 135-137:
“What?” exclaimed Philippa. “But I don’t want to be a camel. They’re so gross.” Her disgust at the idea of being a camel increased rapidly as one of the camels started to pee on the ground. “Nonsense,” said Nimrod. “These are very beautiful camels. The best in Cairo. What is more, the camel is a very important animal to our tribe of djinn. The Marid have been turning themselves into camels for thousands of years. Besides, this sort of experience is going to be very useful to you when you’re djinn.”
For those of you reading this, Children of the lamp, the Akhenaten Adventure is a wonderful 355 page book for all ages. (unless you’re too young to read) This book was published in 2004 by Scholastic Inc. Enjoy!
Children of the lamp, the Akhenaten Adventure by P.B. Kerr is good for people who like books with fantasy & adventure genres. I recommend to children who have read the Harry Potter books and liked them. I also recommend this to readers of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. This has a similar plot to the harry potter books, only it is modern and doesn’t take place at hogwarts. It has humor in places, which I like. I also like how the author based the idea of djinn off genies. Djinn can turn into animals, make things appear and disappear, grant wishes, and even fit in lamps! Djinn can grant more than three wishes, but if you ask for a fourth one, it undos the first three. I feel this is in comparison to the Harry Potter and Percy Jackson books because they do not realise who they are until they are told who they are. Plus, in all of the books, the main characters are all are really powerful and sometimes do not even realise their own strength. Some key themes in this book are 1) identity, 2) mystery 3) excitement! I also like how the author sort of goes into a character’s shoes and writes it as if he actually is the character in that situation. Here is an example of that writing on page 135-137:
“What?” exclaimed Philippa. “But I don’t want to be a camel. They’re so gross.” Her disgust at the idea of being a camel increased rapidly as one of the camels started to pee on the ground. “Nonsense,” said Nimrod. “These are very beautiful camels. The best in Cairo. What is more, the camel is a very important animal to our tribe of djinn. The Marid have been turning themselves into camels for thousands of years. Besides, this sort of experience is going to be very useful to you when you’re djinn.”
For those of you reading this, Children of the lamp, the Akhenaten Adventure is a wonderful 355 page book for all ages. (unless you’re too young to read) This book was published in 2004 by Scholastic Inc. Enjoy!
December 12, 2015
Really good starter to the Children of the Lamp series. John and Phillipia find out they are Djinn and can grant wishes. It all starts when getting their wisdom teeth out. They have a vision where they talk to their uncle and he tells the to visit him in England. John and Phillipia do as they are told, on the plane they meet a nice couple who wish they accidently grant. They find out they are Djinn and go into the desert to practice their powers, but an evil source is stirring up trouble back home. After killing a friend of the uncle's, Uncle Nimrod leaves to find out how. The twins find their uncle trapped in a tomb. They go to the library with a fellow French Lady who turns out to be possed by the evil man Iblis. Iblis traps them in glass jars. Nimrod comes to the rescue and saves the day. You may be saying what does this have to do with the Akhenaten Adenture? Don't worry,I'm getting their. They go to a museum and find the 70 lost Djinn and Akhenanten who turns out to be evil, Akhenaten took their uncle captive. They end up trapping him in the same jar as their uncle is in! They freeze them, go in the bottle get Nimrod out, and then they shut the lid on Akhenanten when he trying to get out. The end is the start to the next book. At the end Phillipia is learning to play a Djinn luck/dice rolling game. I recomend this book to anyone who likes fantasy, adventure, and plot twists. This book is definately going to keep you on your toes. Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!
February 24, 2012
This series was highly recommended to me by a couple of my library students several years ago. It was also recommended to me by a librarian friend. So this first book in the series has been on my to-read list all that time. I probably never would have actually read it if I wasn't participating in a challenge to read ten books this year that have been on my TBR the longest.
I'm glad I finally got around to reading this, and I did mostly enjoy it. But I didn't fall in love with it. I thought the ideas were very clever and may inspire some children to want to know more about Egypt and the Arabian Nights and djinn. But I could never really warm up to Nimrod - which is funny (or sad?) since the author says in the notes at the end that "Nimrod is bits of me. Pompous. A little bit." I listened to parts of this as an audiobook and I found the narrator's voice for Nimrod to be quite annoying as well. Towards the end I did find myself getting caught up in the story and really hoping that all went well for Philippa and John. I don't know if I'll rush out and read any of the sequels, but I will recommend this to library students who are looking for a really interesting fantasy. 3.5 stars.
I'm glad I finally got around to reading this, and I did mostly enjoy it. But I didn't fall in love with it. I thought the ideas were very clever and may inspire some children to want to know more about Egypt and the Arabian Nights and djinn. But I could never really warm up to Nimrod - which is funny (or sad?) since the author says in the notes at the end that "Nimrod is bits of me. Pompous. A little bit." I listened to parts of this as an audiobook and I found the narrator's voice for Nimrod to be quite annoying as well. Towards the end I did find myself getting caught up in the story and really hoping that all went well for Philippa and John. I don't know if I'll rush out and read any of the sequels, but I will recommend this to library students who are looking for a really interesting fantasy. 3.5 stars.
August 31, 2017
have an issue with the fact that 99% of the characters in the story were white, and I also was not a fan of the blatant racism from one of the characters that went completely unchallenged.
The plot also moved in weird leaps and bounds and the explanations for a lot of the "magic" was unsatisfactory. I get that this is targeted at younger audiences, but still.
Also, the two main characters have magical powers, but when they need space suits, they just happen to buy them at a department store? Like actual NASA space suits?
The plot also moved in weird leaps and bounds and the explanations for a lot of the "magic" was unsatisfactory. I get that this is targeted at younger audiences, but still.
Also, the two main characters have magical powers, but when they need space suits, they just happen to buy them at a department store? Like actual NASA space suits?
April 18, 2008
When i first picked this book up, I thought`it looks interesting.` But boy was I in for an adventure. From London, to Egypt, this book tells about 2 young kids who discover that they are djinn(genies). They must fight the evilest djinn in the world, and defeat an evil ancient Egyptian pharaoh named Akhenaten (we learned about him in history this year.).
January 25, 2009
I just discovered this wonderful fantasy series about 12 year-old boy-girl twins who live in New York City and discover that they're djinns. In this first book they accompany their English Uncle Nimrod to Egypt to learn about djinn culture. I've always been a sucker for books that take place in Egypt and this one is very well written.
February 27, 2022
Eins dieser Bücher, die ich als Kind geliebt habe und jetzt deutlich differenzierter sehe. Während die Geschichte an sich zwar interessant/spannend und sehr einfach zu lesen war, mochte ich es gar nicht, wie alle nicht-amerikanisch/englische sowie auch behinderte Menschen beschrieben worden sind. Es wurde mit einer Menge negativer Stereotypen gearbeitet, die mich beim Lesen sehr gestört haben.
September 5, 2017
I read this book in... 2015, I think? I don't remember a lot about it except thinking, why tf did I read this. Don't take my word for it, as I'm clearly no expert on the book, but...... Just saying. I really struggled.
April 28, 2010
The name "Alan" means handsome and the name "Neil" means champion.
Read
November 28, 2015I didn't finish
January 16, 2023
So good!! I loved it. Can’t wait to read the rest !
October 25, 2014
There were a lot of things I liked about this book, but also a few things I didn't like.
The Good:
1. The Fantasy Element - I was impressed with the djinn folklore that was used as the basis of the story. It seemed well researched and was used intelligently, and I liked the references to literature such as The Arabian Nights, and the New Oxford Book of Verse (My daughter now wants to check out those books :)
2. Strong Protagonists - John and Philippa are strong, smart children who show quick thinking, teamwork, and problem solving skills.
3. Humorous Supporting Characters - genial Uncle Nimrod, xenophobic Mr. Groanin, and wise, meek Mr. Rakshasas made me smile.
The Bad:
1. The Pacing - UGH, in the first half of the book almost *nothing* happens! Lots of talking, lots of instruction about djinn history and what they are. I felt like I was reading my daughter a mythology article. The last third of the book, the action picks up and it gets more enjoyable.
2. The Writing - I won't say that the writing was all bad, but some of the dialog was a bit stilted and not particularly realistic for the 12 year old siblings. It helped to read it out loud with a child's tone of voice, but it just wasn't quite right. Some of the paragraphs were a bit convoluted and it was tough to get the right phrasing the first time when reading aloud.
Conclusion:
Overall I enjoyed the book. I hope that some of my complaints are a symptom of this being the first book in the series with exposition being a necessary evil. My 10 year old daughter really enjoyed it (in fact, when she read my review, she told me that she completely disagreed with my criticism) so we will be giving the second book a chance.
The Good:
1. The Fantasy Element - I was impressed with the djinn folklore that was used as the basis of the story. It seemed well researched and was used intelligently, and I liked the references to literature such as The Arabian Nights, and the New Oxford Book of Verse (My daughter now wants to check out those books :)
2. Strong Protagonists - John and Philippa are strong, smart children who show quick thinking, teamwork, and problem solving skills.
3. Humorous Supporting Characters - genial Uncle Nimrod, xenophobic Mr. Groanin, and wise, meek Mr. Rakshasas made me smile.
The Bad:
1. The Pacing - UGH, in the first half of the book almost *nothing* happens! Lots of talking, lots of instruction about djinn history and what they are. I felt like I was reading my daughter a mythology article. The last third of the book, the action picks up and it gets more enjoyable.
2. The Writing - I won't say that the writing was all bad, but some of the dialog was a bit stilted and not particularly realistic for the 12 year old siblings. It helped to read it out loud with a child's tone of voice, but it just wasn't quite right. Some of the paragraphs were a bit convoluted and it was tough to get the right phrasing the first time when reading aloud.
Conclusion:
Overall I enjoyed the book. I hope that some of my complaints are a symptom of this being the first book in the series with exposition being a necessary evil. My 10 year old daughter really enjoyed it (in fact, when she read my review, she told me that she completely disagreed with my criticism) so we will be giving the second book a chance.
Read
March 29, 2009The book is about twelve-year old twins named John and Philippa Gaunt.
They both live an upper class life in New York City,New York. But there lifes change when suddenly their wisdom(dragon)teeth are removed. After arguing to desire heat, they are sent to live with thier uncle Nimrod.
When they reach there, they have realized that they are djinns(genies). Then their uncle trains them how to use their powers before they take advantage. Nimrod, John and Philippa are trying to discover where the "Seventy Lost Djinn of Akhenaten" are hidden, which leads to the capture and binding of Nimrod,and a murder of a man called Hussein Hussaout.
After several adventures in Cairo,the book concludes with a battle in the British Museum where John, Philipa, and Nimrod successfully ensure that the djinn will not be used for certain purposes. But everything turns out wrong. While ensuring that the djinn will not be controlled by bad djinn to tip the balance of luck in the universe towards more bad luck, Nimrod gets confined in the same lamp as Akhenaten himself. it turns out he was a bad djinn. But it was a tough job for them to release Nimrod because they were afraid Akhenaten would escape. So they all went to the Arctic for cold temperature. As the coldness slowed Nimrod and Akhenaten, John and Philipa warmed up inside to get Nimrod as quickly as possible. At the end they succeed and go home.
This book is rated a 7. It can be for anyone and its intersting. I liked this book a lot. Children would like this book because of its adventureous magical about creatures that are unknown to mankind but this would be a raelistic to the children who have seen it before there live.
They both live an upper class life in New York City,New York. But there lifes change when suddenly their wisdom(dragon)teeth are removed. After arguing to desire heat, they are sent to live with thier uncle Nimrod.
When they reach there, they have realized that they are djinns(genies). Then their uncle trains them how to use their powers before they take advantage. Nimrod, John and Philippa are trying to discover where the "Seventy Lost Djinn of Akhenaten" are hidden, which leads to the capture and binding of Nimrod,and a murder of a man called Hussein Hussaout.
After several adventures in Cairo,the book concludes with a battle in the British Museum where John, Philipa, and Nimrod successfully ensure that the djinn will not be used for certain purposes. But everything turns out wrong. While ensuring that the djinn will not be controlled by bad djinn to tip the balance of luck in the universe towards more bad luck, Nimrod gets confined in the same lamp as Akhenaten himself. it turns out he was a bad djinn. But it was a tough job for them to release Nimrod because they were afraid Akhenaten would escape. So they all went to the Arctic for cold temperature. As the coldness slowed Nimrod and Akhenaten, John and Philipa warmed up inside to get Nimrod as quickly as possible. At the end they succeed and go home.
This book is rated a 7. It can be for anyone and its intersting. I liked this book a lot. Children would like this book because of its adventureous magical about creatures that are unknown to mankind but this would be a raelistic to the children who have seen it before there live.
July 3, 2015
Alotettiin 11 v:n kanssa uusi iltakirjasarja.
olen lukenut kirjat jo kertaalleen, itse asiassa tämä sarja oli kirjastourani ensimmäisiä, varta vasten vinkkausta varten lukemiani fantasiasarjoja. Kiva lukea se nyt (n.seitsemän vuotta myöhemmin) uudelleen kohderyhmän kanssa.
Tarina kertoo kaksosista, jotka murrosiässä saavat yllättäen yliluonnolliset voimat ja aloittavat tietysti oitis taistelun hyvän puolella pahaa vastaan. Dzinni-äiti ei ole kertonut totuutta lasten syntyperästä ja uudet voimat rajoitteineen pitää salaisuuden paljastuttua ottaa haltuun vauhdilla. Onneksi on eno, joka on aina arvannut, että näin tässä vielä käy. Peruskuvio siis, mutta tällä kertaa tarina on sijoitettu keskuudessamme salaa asuvien, mystisten dzinnien maailmaan.
Tykkäsin itse sarjasta jo aikanaan, vaikka niihin aikoihin vasta opettelin lukemaan fantasiaa ja rehellisyyden nimissä pitää myöntää että asenteeni oli aluksi hivenen nihkeä. Asenneongelmasta huolimatta jäin koukkuun ja luin parissa viikossa koko "viisiosaisen trilogian" :). Oma testilukijani kommentoi sarjaa osuvasti suunnilleen kolmososan puolivälissä: "aika erikoinen sarja, kun tässä on kokoajan jännä kohta menossa".
Olen vinkannut sarjaa nelosille, vitosille ja kutosille ja vinkkaan edelleen, erityisesti Riordanin ystäville. Yleensä ykkösen tarttuneet hyvät lukijat ovat lukeneet koko sarjan. Sarjan kannet eivät valitettavasti ole kovin myyvät eli hyllyyn jää, jos ei joku vinkkaa.
olen lukenut kirjat jo kertaalleen, itse asiassa tämä sarja oli kirjastourani ensimmäisiä, varta vasten vinkkausta varten lukemiani fantasiasarjoja. Kiva lukea se nyt (n.seitsemän vuotta myöhemmin) uudelleen kohderyhmän kanssa.
Tarina kertoo kaksosista, jotka murrosiässä saavat yllättäen yliluonnolliset voimat ja aloittavat tietysti oitis taistelun hyvän puolella pahaa vastaan. Dzinni-äiti ei ole kertonut totuutta lasten syntyperästä ja uudet voimat rajoitteineen pitää salaisuuden paljastuttua ottaa haltuun vauhdilla. Onneksi on eno, joka on aina arvannut, että näin tässä vielä käy. Peruskuvio siis, mutta tällä kertaa tarina on sijoitettu keskuudessamme salaa asuvien, mystisten dzinnien maailmaan.
Tykkäsin itse sarjasta jo aikanaan, vaikka niihin aikoihin vasta opettelin lukemaan fantasiaa ja rehellisyyden nimissä pitää myöntää että asenteeni oli aluksi hivenen nihkeä. Asenneongelmasta huolimatta jäin koukkuun ja luin parissa viikossa koko "viisiosaisen trilogian" :). Oma testilukijani kommentoi sarjaa osuvasti suunnilleen kolmososan puolivälissä: "aika erikoinen sarja, kun tässä on kokoajan jännä kohta menossa".
Olen vinkannut sarjaa nelosille, vitosille ja kutosille ja vinkkaan edelleen, erityisesti Riordanin ystäville. Yleensä ykkösen tarttuneet hyvät lukijat ovat lukeneet koko sarjan. Sarjan kannet eivät valitettavasti ole kovin myyvät eli hyllyyn jää, jos ei joku vinkkaa.
August 2, 2015
The actual rating is probably closer to a 4.58 star rating, since I had a few slight problems with the story. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, despite how long it took me to read. It took a bit of time to get into the book, and I'm glad that I read through the book and didn't put it down like I might have.
So like most 'children's books' that I've read, the two main characters, John and Philippa, where more mature for their age, but I think that aspect fit in nicely with the rest of the story. Also, I loved how well thought out the world was (basically, the world building was fabulous). The plot was well-thought-out, but the scene at the end seemed a bit too convenient. I will be picking up the other books in the series, but probably not that soon, with school about to start and everything.
So like most 'children's books' that I've read, the two main characters, John and Philippa, where more mature for their age, but I think that aspect fit in nicely with the rest of the story. Also, I loved how well thought out the world was (basically, the world building was fabulous). The plot was well-thought-out, but the scene at the end seemed a bit too convenient. I will be picking up the other books in the series, but probably not that soon, with school about to start and everything.
June 15, 2020
My grandpa bought me this book for Christmas as he had read some of Kerr's adult novels and while on Amazon he discovered that Kerr had written some books for children. Apparently it has really good reviews and I can see why! I absolutely loved this book.
The story is about two twins; John and Philippa, who discover that they are djinn (kind of like a genie, although the word genie is repugnant to the djinn). All the characters are well developed and extremely likable. The plotline is clever and very enjoyable. My favorite parts were when John, Philippa and their Uncle Nimrod took the form of three policeman and the parts where they went inside the bottles.
I would recommend this to children and adults alike. It is an amazing adventure story and I will definitely be reading the next in the series. Thank you Gramps for introducing me to another fantastic story teller.
The story is about two twins; John and Philippa, who discover that they are djinn (kind of like a genie, although the word genie is repugnant to the djinn). All the characters are well developed and extremely likable. The plotline is clever and very enjoyable. My favorite parts were when John, Philippa and their Uncle Nimrod took the form of three policeman and the parts where they went inside the bottles.
I would recommend this to children and adults alike. It is an amazing adventure story and I will definitely be reading the next in the series. Thank you Gramps for introducing me to another fantastic story teller.
October 1, 2017
Corben and I really loved this book! We're definitely going to continue with this series. I love the way the author tied a lot of things in the world to the existence of Jin. There was a lot of smoking (Jin are made from fire so they smoke) and some possessing of others' bodies so I wouldn't recommend it for younger readers. We haven't come across many books having to do with Jinni so this was a nice change.
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