Book Review: The Dark Hills Divide, Land of Elyon Series

The Land of Elyon is a series of books written by Patrick Carman, the books in the series are as follows.
Book 1: The Dark Hills Divide
Book 2: Beyond the Valley of Thorns
Book 3: The Tenth City
Prequel: Into the Mist
Book 4: Stargazer

I loved this book and plan to read the rest of the series. It is the story of a 12 year old girl who lives in a walled world. Three cities all walled and connected by walled roads. Why? A misunderstanding gone much awry. Can curious Alexa find her way out of the walls to satisfy that burning curiosity of what is out there and why is it so scary? Does she even know the purpose her young life is going to play to forever change the world she is in? The book is captivating, I picked it back up every chance I got. The characters were developed enough for me to really get attached to them and to feel glad and sad for them and with them. It is a good mystery set in a sort of fantasy theme of yesteryear or other landness as you will. There are surprises unexpected in many chapters leading up to the conclusion. I especially love the way she described the woodland animals. There is enough description to form the characters and town but not too much that you can not make it up yourself. The story does not wallow in details you can imagine for yourself. It carries well and is intriguing. It was a fast read for me (an adult). I would say this book is reading level grade 4th to 8th and would be appropriate content for a super good second or third grade reader.

Here is the official review of this book by the publishers:
"This enthralling new series is set in a fantasy world in which animals can talk and enchanted stones can predict the future. In Book I, The Dark Hills Divide, the heroine, 12-year-old Alexa, has spent her life living behind the four-story walls that surround her village and the three others that make up Bridewell Common. Even the roads between the towns are walled in to keep its citizens safe from the unknown. But Alexa's curiosity for what lies in the hills and forests on the other side sends her on a daring adventure into a secret world in which nothing is as it seems to be.
Children love this lush story, because it's filled with mystery, unforgettable characters, intriguing plot twists, and moral issues that are relevant to their own lives.
The exciting new Land of Elyon series was crafted by the father of two young daughters who conceived it both for their entertainment and to impart important moral lessons he and his wife wanted to convey."

You can learn more about the series here on Scholastic and play some games and learn more on it's very own site, here. You can even read the first chapter on this site.