I was one of the kids that grew up reading the Harry Potter books. I learned a lot from those books including vocabulary, morals, about friendship, etc. So for this assignment I wanted to read a different book so I read the Golden Compass. I had seen the movie before and wanted to read the actual book to know more about it since they only produced the first movie and stopped.
I can definitely see the difference in the Golden Compass and a book like Lord of the Rings though it might be hard to put into words. The books take place in an alternate reality where peoples spirits or souls manifest themselves as animal companions. This I thought was a great concept in and of itself. Often when I am talking to someone or see a person on the street I make a comparison between them and an animal. Not just because of their appearance but mostly for their personality. So it was interesting to read about the different characters with different animals and seeing how their personality fit with their animal.
The book follows the story of this little girl that goes on an adventure to discover more about this 'dust' or 'space dust' against the wishes of the Gobblers. The Gobblers have attempted to silence and erase the knowledge of the existence of this dust, for unknown reasons at the beginning of the book but I believe is a way for them to keep control. She goes on the adventure with a golden compass which was told to tell her the truth and was given to her by the head of the college.
It is fun to make a comparison between The Golden Compass and the Harry Potter novels. Both tell stories of children, the age of the reading audience, and of a great evil they have to overcome but are told to stay away from. Both are told to stay away from this danger but are encouraged by a wise elder to take on the challenge but to be weary. They both go through a series of trials and make many close friends along the way. I could go on about the similarities but I now see how these types of 'spiritual education' books teach kids to take on challenges with a brave face and to value friendship above all else.
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