From Goodreads,"From the moment young Egan arrives in Instep for the annual fair, he is entranced by the fable surrounding the misty peak of Kneeknock Rise: On stormy nights when the rain drives harsh and cold, an undiscovered creature raises its voice and moans. Nobody knows what it is and nobody has ever dared to try to find out and come back again. Before long, Egan is climbing the Rise to find an answer to the mystery."
Goodreads - Kneeknock Rise
Awards and Nominations:
- Newbery Honor Award (1971)
*This review contains spoilers!*
Do you ever think about the things we do, but we don't know why we do them? Some people call them traditions, some call them superstitions, and some say that is just how it has always been done. This book is a great book to read that really makes you stop and think about why we do the things we do. I read Tuck Everlasting a few years back and was not disappointed with this book by Natalie Babbitt.
Kneeknock Rise starts with a young boy named Egan traveling to Instep to stay with his aunt, uncle, and cousin. Egan is excited to attend the annual fair for the first time. He wants to hear the moans and groans of the Megrimum, the creature that lives at the top of Kneeknock Rise. Everyone has their ways to protect themselves from the creature, but Egan is skeptical and decides to get answers for himself.
This book will definitely get you thinking about the things that we habitually do in life and why we do them. In the book, the people who lived in Instep feared the creature that lived at the top of Kneeknock Rise. Each person had an idea of a way to keep the creature away. Egan's aunt and uncle believed they should put a wishbone on the mantle to show the Megrimum that there is no food in the house. Egan ends up climbing Kneeknock Rise to find out what the creature is that everyone fears. It ends up that there is no creature, but instead it is a hot springs in a cave that makes noises when it rains. This whole book and concept of doing something without knowing why really got me thinking. Why do we do some of the things we do? Do we do them because someone tells us that is how it's always been done? I worked at a Girl Scout camp for two summers. The first summer I had never been there and had to learn the way things were done. I would inquire why things were done a certain way and I always received the answer, "That's how we've always done it." This was fine, but the second summer things changed. I was in a different position and I had a lot of control over how things were done. Some of the staff began questioning why I was changing the way things had been done for years. I asked why it was done that way and they always shrugged and said, "That's how it's always been done." I then promptly made the call to change things. It is so good to change things up especially when no one knows why you're even doing something. There are so many things in my life and that I experience that I do without even thinking about why I do it. We need to learn to break the habits and traditions, especially when we're not even sure why we're doing it.
This book really made me question things, but there were a few things that I didn't like about this book. One was that this book didn't have defined chapters. The book was separated by little designs. There was no Chapter 1, Chapter 2, etc. I didn't like that because I enjoy stopping at a chapter instead of stopping in the middle of the book. I also found the names somewhat confusing and difficult. It took a little bit before I sorted all the characters and knew their role in the book. I think the names were meant to reflect the time period at which the book was taking place.
This book was a very interesting book that really engaged my mind. It started off slow, but it really took off in the middle of the book. If you need a good mind bender then I recommend reading this to get you to question why you do what you do. I give this 3 stars. It was good, but I feel like it didn't come anywhere near Tuck Everlasting.
Do you ever think about the things we do, but we don't know why we do them? Some people call them traditions, some call them superstitions, and some say that is just how it has always been done. This book is a great book to read that really makes you stop and think about why we do the things we do. I read Tuck Everlasting a few years back and was not disappointed with this book by Natalie Babbitt.
Kneeknock Rise starts with a young boy named Egan traveling to Instep to stay with his aunt, uncle, and cousin. Egan is excited to attend the annual fair for the first time. He wants to hear the moans and groans of the Megrimum, the creature that lives at the top of Kneeknock Rise. Everyone has their ways to protect themselves from the creature, but Egan is skeptical and decides to get answers for himself.
This book will definitely get you thinking about the things that we habitually do in life and why we do them. In the book, the people who lived in Instep feared the creature that lived at the top of Kneeknock Rise. Each person had an idea of a way to keep the creature away. Egan's aunt and uncle believed they should put a wishbone on the mantle to show the Megrimum that there is no food in the house. Egan ends up climbing Kneeknock Rise to find out what the creature is that everyone fears. It ends up that there is no creature, but instead it is a hot springs in a cave that makes noises when it rains. This whole book and concept of doing something without knowing why really got me thinking. Why do we do some of the things we do? Do we do them because someone tells us that is how it's always been done? I worked at a Girl Scout camp for two summers. The first summer I had never been there and had to learn the way things were done. I would inquire why things were done a certain way and I always received the answer, "That's how we've always done it." This was fine, but the second summer things changed. I was in a different position and I had a lot of control over how things were done. Some of the staff began questioning why I was changing the way things had been done for years. I asked why it was done that way and they always shrugged and said, "That's how it's always been done." I then promptly made the call to change things. It is so good to change things up especially when no one knows why you're even doing something. There are so many things in my life and that I experience that I do without even thinking about why I do it. We need to learn to break the habits and traditions, especially when we're not even sure why we're doing it.
This book really made me question things, but there were a few things that I didn't like about this book. One was that this book didn't have defined chapters. The book was separated by little designs. There was no Chapter 1, Chapter 2, etc. I didn't like that because I enjoy stopping at a chapter instead of stopping in the middle of the book. I also found the names somewhat confusing and difficult. It took a little bit before I sorted all the characters and knew their role in the book. I think the names were meant to reflect the time period at which the book was taking place.
This book was a very interesting book that really engaged my mind. It started off slow, but it really took off in the middle of the book. If you need a good mind bender then I recommend reading this to get you to question why you do what you do. I give this 3 stars. It was good, but I feel like it didn't come anywhere near Tuck Everlasting.
