Wonderful at the Edge of the World

by Nicole Helget

Reviewed by Ankit Lakkapragada

Fall 2016

REVIEW: Wonderful at the Edge of the World by Nicole Helget

ISBN#: 9780316245104

THE STORY:

Hallelujah Wonder or Lu lives with her mom and sister in a quiet town in Kansas in the nineteenth century. Her dad was an explorer and found many unique artifacts and elegant items throughout his trips but when he was hunted down and killed by one of his partners, Hallelujah has a burden to not let her dad’s partner, Captain Greeney, obtain the one artifact he desires the most. The artifact known as the Medicine Head will give a magical power to those who destroy it. Hallelujah

must put everything on the line, including being separated from her family, to hide the powerful item from the wicked and evil Navy captain who would use it for his own good. Lu and her friend, Eustace, a runaway slave, must set of alone into the vast world, their only companion being Eustace’s dog, Fob, to defend the one thing that her dad died trying to protect. They venture far from their Kansas home and visit New Bedford, Massachusetts. From there they take a whaling ship in which they meet Captain Abbot and Nova, two great sailors who will lead Eustace and Lu to the coldest place on the planet, Antarctica to leave the Medicine Head there where it will never be found. In a thrilling quest around the world, they travel forward on a dangerous adventure, which will redefine what Lu’s assumptions about her family, loyalty, and friendship. Throughout the journey, Lu meets many new people who knew Lu’s father and who will help to stop Greeney from obtaining the sacred artifact. In a tense and nerve wracking journey Lu will find her destiny while protecting her father’s legacy. (276)

MY OPINION:

When I first opened the story it was confusing because in many parts of the beginning it was hard to understand what was going on and what was happening in the story. Though it was hard to understand, the author used descriptive language and I could picture the scene and it became easier to comprehend the story. The story is compelling and fascinating and it is also a page turner. The author develops characters and shows how the two main characters, Eustace and Lu, have their similarities and differences but they still get along.The story also has a deeper meaning and is expressed multiple times in the story where Lu has a goal and though she has obstacles in the way, she is able to be succesful because she never gave up. The story is easy to understand and does have good word choice. The story has only one minor weakness and that is the sophisticated vocab that can be hard to understand at places where there are no context clues. This book would be mainly for older middle schoolers and early high schoolers because of the sophisticated vocab and some profanity. Overall, I would rate this book nine out of ten because it was written well with a good plot and it was a very exciting and powerful novel. (221)

STUDY QUESTIONS AND VOCABULARY:

FIRST SECTION

1. Who is Fob and who does he belong to?

1a. Fob is Eustace’s dog and Lu is Eustace’s friend. (pg. 20)

2. Where does Eustace’s favorite rock in the cave come from?

2a. Eustace’s favorite rock comes from Australia. (pg. 47)

3. Which artifact does Captain Greeney want the most?

3a. Captain Greeney wants the Medicine Head the most. (pg. 68)

4. Why does Eustace run back to the city of Tolerone?

4a. Tolerone is burning down and his mom is in the city. (pg. 91)

5. Who does Lu meet and what did he do to Tolerone?

5a. Lu meets Captain Greeney and he burned down Tolerone. (pg. 104)

buttressed (pg. 11)

cocklebur (pg. 29)

bramble (pg. 64)

grimaces (pg. 105)

queer (pg. 117)

MIDDLE SECTION

6. Why does Lu get mad at Eustace?

6a. Lu thinks that Eustace wanted her to fill in the pile of manure. (pg. 136)

7. What mode of transportation is Lu afraid of that she has to ride to save the Medicine Head?

7a. Lu is afraid of trains but she has to ride one to save the Medicine Head. (pg. 158)

8. What does Lu see when she holds the Medicine Head?

8a. Lu sees her father discovering Antarctica. (pg. 189)

9. Where does Lu and Eustace enter when they first get to New Bedford?

9a. The chapel near the port of New Bedford. (pg. 209)

10. Who saves Lu, Fob, and Eustace from Captain Greeney and what is her profession?

10a. Nova saves them and she is the chief harpoonist on Captain Abbot’s ship. (pg. 239)

dipper (pg. 137)

rhythmic (pg 140)

prow (pg. 188)

abolition (pg. 206)

mincing (pg. 241)

                               

LAST SECTION

11. What powers does the person who destroys the Medicine Head obtain?

11a. The person that destroys the Medicine Head lives forever. (pg. 250)

12. What does Lu do to prove to Captain Abbot that she should be able to stay on the ship?

12a. She pulls out his infected tooth. (pg. 264)

13. What illegal act does Eustace and Lu see from the boat they are on?

13a. They see a slave trade boat heading toward America which is illegal. (pg. 280)

14. Who owns another Medicine Head other than Lu and what did he do with it?

14a. Captain Abbot owns another Medicine Head but he destroyed it to live forever. (pg. 309)

15. How does Captain Greeney die when sailing on his whaleboat?

15a. A large whale pushes him off his boat and he drowns in the cold water. (pg. 350)

grotesque (pg. 260)

remnants (pg. 277)

premonition (pg. 301)

tranquil (pg. 334)

sneer (pg. 356)