The Land Without Color

The Land Without Color by Benjamin Ellefson; illustrations by Kevin Cannon   168 pages

I tried to find the email where the author contacted me about reviewing his three-book series, “The Land Without Color.” The first book’s title is the same as the series. When it first arrived, I saw that the main character (who turns out to be Alvin) was African-American and that the title referred to race. I was so wrong!  This is a highly imaginative tale that was a lot of fun to read.

When the gang wants to go fishing, leaders Brandon and Steven needs something to cut the string that they will use as poles. Since Grandpa Alvin lived close by the pond, the gang of about six to eight kids jump on their bicycles and race over…as boys are wont to do.

Grandpa pulls a small Swiss Army knife from his pocket, a knife that he has had since he turned twelve. Grandpa Alvin tells that Brandon that the knife was given to him by Brandon’s great-great-grandfather Otto and it “saved my life many times.”

Then the story switches to Alvin’s twelfth birthday. His parents take him to visit Grandpa Otto. Grandpa Otto gives him the knife as a present. While Alvin is waiting to go home, he starts to chew a stick of never-popping gum his parents gave him earlier in the day.

As he begins to blow a bubble, it grows, and grows, and grows, and grows. It really is never-popping and soon the giant bubble begins to float, taking Alvin with it. Once he manages to land, he doesn’t recognize the place. Nothing looks familiar and it’s colorless. Everything is gray. Everything!

As he begins to explore, he runs into a small snag, but it’s how he meets a talking squirrel named Permiella, Permy for short, and learns that he has landed in the Kingdom of Color. Permy tells him how the color from the land has been stolen. Alvin decides that is unacceptable and vows to restore color to the kingdom.  And off they go on their grand adventure, meeting a charming little rat named Ronaldo, “battle man-eating plants, outsmart the bumbling Crimson Guards, cross the Sugar Desert, overcome the two-headed dragon, and find the color-stealing goblins.” The story is a lot of fun.

The story is framed with Brandon and his pals, which was totally unnecessary. For that reason, “The Land Without Color,” receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.