Published Information
| Author: | Obert Skye |
| Series: | Pillage #1 |
| Published: | August 2008 |
| Genre: | Fantasy |
| Pages: | 312 |
Plot Summary
Beck Phillips has had a difficult life. He doesn't remember his dad, his mom is a bit crazy, and he tends to act first and think later, which gets him into trouble all on his own. When his mother dies, his uncle sends for Beck to come live with him. His uncle is fairly well off and owns a mansion in the hills, so Beck thinks things are looking up. That is, until he reaches Kingsplot, where his uncle lives. Turns out, his uncle doesn't know he is there and won't come out of the attic of the house, there are only a couple of stewards in the entire house (six including himself), and worst of all the butler, Thomas still lives in the 50s and doesn't believe in modern conveniences such as TVs, video games, and regular toothpaste.
Additionally, like the rest of his family, his uncle is quite crazy himself and laughed at by most of the people in town. That being the case, many of the kids at school also laugh at him. But Beck hasn't never backed down from bullies or others that have tried to pick on him and he very quickly gets into trouble. However, plants have begun helping him. In one case, vines wrap up some boys who are picking on him and take them out of the school. In another case, the salad on everyone's plates in the cafeteria rise up and try and smother the boys. The rest of the school realizes something is different about Beck, but aren't sure what to believe.
Fortunately, Beck does make two friends: a boy, Milo, that he runs into in his yard while he is exploring, and a girl, Kate, that he met on the train ride up. Since Beck's uncle hasn't been to forthcoming on speaking with Beck, they decide to explore the grounds (something that has been forbidden) and look for the basement (something that he has been told doesn't exist). In there adventures, they discover some of the truth about the Phillips family. Specifically, they can make plants grow faster than normal and do things that plants normally can't (which explains the plants that attacked the bullies). Also, there is a curse on the family that is related to dragons. Only the Pillage line can awaken them to enjoy the plunder of the dragons. But the curse states the women in the family will go crazy and the men will be killed by the dragons before they can enjoy the riches.
Of course, with Beck's propensity for trouble, he finds the eggs and allows them to hatch without realizing the full portent of the curse.
Comments
The book is simple and full of humor, most of it coming from Beck's mouth and getting him into trouble. The first chapter is one of the funniest chapters I have ever read. The rest of the book is a little more mellow than the first chapter, but just as entertaining. Many times, when he got himself in trouble with his choices, I found myself sitting in his stead. How many times have you been tempted to do something dumb, try to talk yourself out of doing it because nothing good with come of it, and then go ahead anyway. I know I have done that many times in the past, and it is great to be able to laugh at myself through the eyes of Beck.
Beck, though he does not think about what he does before hand does believe in finished what he starts and in taking responsibility. In this case, Beck decides he has to destroy the dragons once they start pillaging, even though he was tricked into releasing the dragons in the first place.All in all, the book is an easy read that most young children will enjoy, but is full of humor based on human nature and modern culture that will get adults to laugh.
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