Official Review: Trankarri by Christopher Dean

Brittster · Post by **Brittster** » 07 May 2016, 16:29

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Trankarri" by Christopher Dean.]

4 out of 4 stars

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Christopher Dean really ignites your senses in his very imaginative book, Trankarri: The Boy With a Magical Pen. Stepping into Inkworld is like walking through the wardrobe and into Narnia for the first time. It is filled with wonder, excitement, and exudes creativity.

Nathaniel is a young boy with a natural talent for drawing, which his PaPa tries to encourage. PaPa gives Nathaniel a special pen as a gift and challenges him to draw a masterpiece with it. Nathaniel soon discovers that this is no ordinary pen. Its drawings not only come to life, but also serve as a portal to the illustrious Inkworld. Inkworld is an entire universe created from the pen and ink drawings that are sketched by The Pen. As Nathaniel explores its depths, he encounters the most whimsical places and characters. His adventures in Inkworld lead him into some impossible predicaments, but allow him to meet the most compelling and devoted friends.

There is so much to love about this book. The author does a superb job at descriptions and making the imagery come to life in your mind. This is one of the only authors I have read that uses the sense of smell so well. One time when Nathaniel was able to really relish in the new land he was standing in, he considers how it has “ the smell of fresh ink on fresh paper… but with the added excitement of a new book about to be read.” Any book lover knows exactly what he is describing here and may even stop to remember the last time they enjoyed that pleasure.

Without a doubt the most impressive thing about this story is the imagination and creativity that went into creating its places, characters, and the various details. This is rather fitting considering the entire theme of the book is trying to encourage people to not allow others to squelch their creativity. Another interesting concept that was explored throughout the book was if one person’s imagination could influence another’s. One of the unique tools he used for writing was to use an extreme form of alliteration for a full paragraph, which just added to the intrigue of the book. Something else I thought was very ingenious was having Nathaniel become covered in a sticky substance when he passed through a drawing, because it had a sealant on it that was now on Nathaniel. My absolute favorite place in this book was The Valley of Orbs. Oh, it is such a wonderful place. It has music and beauty and the soothing sound of the rain. I find myself sometimes in the middle of the day thinking of this place and feeling joy and peace wash over me.

I believe this book would appeal to many types of people; however, at the top of the list are children, those who adore whimsical or fantasy lands, and artists.The author goes into detail about specific strokes and drawing techniques being used, that make the story and the drawings within, feel authentic.

I would give this book a 4 out of 4 stars. The only negative thing I can think of is that there was one part, where Nathaniel was talking to some twins, that was a little too long and redundant. Although, I do love the characters and their uncommon hobby. I only noticed one typo in the entire book.The imagination this author uses is refreshing and the story is so compelling. I wish I could take the time to describe the characters and their many unique-to-Inkworld characteristics. The author does a better job anyway, so reading the book yourself is the best way to discover it!

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Trankarri
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Rachaelamb1 · Post by **Rachaelamb1** » 19 May 2016, 02:45

Love the sound of this book! Going to add it to my to-read list. Thanks for the great review!

Christopherdean · Post by **Christopherdean** » 19 May 2016, 12:35

Thank you Brittster for your review of my book. I have 23 reviews on Amazon and none of them said what you said. I am very appreciative that you noticed the description of the smells, the smell of the book and my use of alliteration. It shows me that you really took the time not only to read the book but to also craft a really good and honest review. I tried very hard to weave many literary devices throughout the book because it is not done a whole lot in today's books. Thanks again, Christopher. I hope you noticed on the last page I left some room for another adventure.

Brittster · Post by **Brittster** » 19 May 2016, 19:09

Christopherdean wrote:Thank you Brittster for your review of my book. I have 23 reviews on Amazon and none of them said what you said. I am very appreciative that you noticed the description of the smells, the smell of the book and my use of alliteration. It shows me that you really took the time not only to read the book but to also craft a really good and honest review. I tried very hard to weave many literary devices throughout the book because it is not done a whole lot in today's books. Thanks again, Christopher. I hope you noticed on the last page I left some room for another adventure.

Thank you for taking the time to respond to my review! It was such a pleasure to read and write the review. In fact, I have been having a difficult time getting into other books I am currently reading because I miss Inkworld! I absolutely did notice the room for another adventure and can't wait. Thank you for writing such a great piece!

kimmyschemy06 · Post by **kimmyschemy06** » 20 May 2016, 05:25

Sounds very interesting and enjoyable. It actually reminds me of another children's book, The Gallery of Wonders by Marc Remus, only instead of a 'special pen' it was a 'magical brush' that was passed on to the protagonist. I wish I get the chance to read it. Great job on the review. Congratulations to Christopher Dean on such an obviously well-written book.

Brittster · Post by **Brittster** » 20 May 2016, 05:55

kimmyschemy06 wrote:Sounds very interesting and enjoyable. It actually reminds me of another children's book, The Gallery of Wonders by Marc Remus, only instead of a 'special pen' it was a 'magical brush' that was passed on to the protagonist. I wish I get the chance to read it. Great job on the review. Congratulations to Christopher Dean on such an obviously well-written book.

Thank you for the tip on the Gallery of Wonders. I should look into that as well. If its even close Im sure I'll enjoy it!

Christopherdean · Post by **Christopherdean** » 20 May 2016, 08:07

It is interesting that you mention that book because Marc and I connected on Twitter by complete accident and found out we wrote our stories at the same time. He is a world-renown painter and attended the Institute of Children's Literature and I am a local landscaper/designer in Austin and I attended the same institute about the same time but we didn't know it. We became electronic pen pals about six months ago. Yes you should read his book it is very well done and his design on the cover and interior is amazing.

Vermont Reviews · Post by **Vermont Reviews** » 21 May 2016, 06:04

Excellent review. Well written.

Vermont Reviews

Christopherdean · Post by **Christopherdean** » 26 May 2016, 11:50

Brittster does the onlinebookclub allow you to post your review on Amazon? I would really appreciate it if you could post to amazon and b&n. I could send you a free paperback for your time.

Brittster · Post by **Brittster** » 01 May 2017, 16:32

Christopherdean wrote:Brittster does the onlinebookclub allow you to post your review on Amazon? I would really appreciate it if you could post to amazon and b&n. I could send you a free paperback for your time.

I apologize for not seeing this until now. I took a break for a while when life got busy. I cannot post the same review, but I can post a separate original review. I'm going to have to refresh myself on the book and I will try to do that. I love the book after all!