The Tiny Giant

Tiny Giants, Volume 1

By: Rebecka Ratcliffe

Narrated by: Steve Ogden

When sixth grader Dan impulsively planted a bean in his garden, he didn’t expect much. Then Zeeble, a tiny giant, appears carrying the baggage of a troubled past, and Dan finds out that the wooded nature trail behind his subdivision is full of hidden magic and danger. Will Dan and Zeeble find a path through the trouble that lies ahead, or will their adventures be cut short by a creature who shouldn’t be in the woods at all?

This suburban fantasy adventure for middle graders (and up) is a fast-paced introduction to the magic outside your door. Listeners will meet Dan and Zeeble, and their friends Norman and Marisol, finding new ways to look at nature and the hidden potential of the world around them. Older listeners will enjoy an escape to the lush green setting of the Pacific Northwest, a wonderful place to explore in real life.

This is the first book in the Tiny Giants series.

©2017 Rebecka Ratcliffe (P)2018 Rebecka Ratcliffe

Ready for more!

I really enjoyed the concept behind this book. Dan, our main character, faces not only the reality of the magical in his own backyard, but the reality of being a kid In the present-day United States. He has school, homework, and chores to deal with that get in the way of his exploring the magic around him.

I've given 4 stars because the first half or so of the book seemed... a bit more chaotic than I expected. Not that things weren't explained, but it felt like every moment, something new that seemed unrelated cropped up. It was a bombardment of things that didn't really give time to breathe. Everything did wrap up very well in the end, but I was kept far too off-balance to ignore it.

Unrelated to my overall rating, I wasn't a huge fan of the narrator. While his characters were pretty good, the narration felt... the only way I can describe it is "fake." Like he didn't want to be reading it and was falsely putting urgency and emotion behind what was going on. That is purely personal opinion, though.