Anthony Pardoe

Reviewed by Carla Trueheart for Readers' Favorite

What an adorable book! The Ride of Doom: Star Sapphire and the Land of Gems by author Anthony Pardoe is a children’s book with a fun protagonist, a cute talking pebble, and an action-packed tale from start to finish. Ten-year-old Star does not quite get along with her mother, and her father has gone missing. The story begins when Star meets Jasper, a talking pebble who becomes her best friend. Star sets out to find Pebble when he gets lost, and finds herself in a world filled with different talking gemstones. These gems have personalities of their own, some of them nice, some of them not-so-nice. Star becomes trapped in an old mine, and the adventure picks up from there with crystal lights, gleeful polished stones, and a train ride that does not end well for Star and Jasper!

There were many enjoyable moments in this book. Star is a character most children will be able to identify with and like, as she is a bit feisty when need be but has a tender heart as well. Jasper the pebble steals the show with his cute teeth and his bravery, and the connection between Star and Jasper is endearing. Author Anthony Pardoe has a brilliant imagination, and I truly did love the scenes with the crystal lights lighting up the tunnel and the funny polished gems tumbling over and over! The evil gems were done well, and I could see each of these characters clearly, sparks and all. The gems and characters all had different, distinct voices and personalities, making The Ride of Doom: Star Sapphire and the Land of Gems a five-star book. I recommend it to grade-school aged children who have an interest in gems and rocks, enjoy adventure books, or like reading about unique characters in imaginative places.… (mere)

Star is lost and Jasper, a pebble, accompanies her on the journey to the Crystal Cavern to ask the Great Sapphire for help getting home. On the way, they encounter villainous pitchblende, floods, a rouge oyster and more. The story is reminiscent of Dorothy’s travels in the Wizard of Oz. Although this was the final book in the series, there were some unresolved subplots, misspellings, and grammatical errors. The book references a website where an illustrated color glossary is available, but it would have been better to include some color illustrations in the book. Overall, it is a fun read for rock lovers.… (mere)