Fantasy & Reality Christy Au Published by Characters Publications Limited ISBN 9789888043156
Child prodigies such as Mozart have achieved a certain acclaim; that's why we remember their remarkable abilities centuries later. That's not to say that 12-year-old Canadian International School student Christy Au will become a literary Mozart - nobody can predict that - but it takes a special person to write a novel at such a tender age. Christy also worked on the illustrations herself, with the help of her father.
The book, Fantasy & Reality, tells the story of Georgia and Christopher, two bored kids who, one day, enter a portal into a fantasy world where their wildest dreams come to life.
The children explore the region, encountering such curiosities as a fruit store built in the shape of a pineapple and a creature that is half-bird, half-shoe. Eventually their wanderings take them to the palace of the king of Shoetania, who is under a mysterious curse, which Georgia and Christopher undo.
After they have helped the king, he gives them a dog and allows them to return to the real world. Here, the focus of the book switches to the dog, who ends up going on his own adventure. He gets lost in an airport and, just like Tom Hanks in The Terminal, manages to thrive there before returning home.
Fantasy & Reality is an interesting read, especially for pre-teens; the bickering of the two children is very realistic, and the ending is especially heartwarming. Indeed, the story displays an impressive command of language for someone so young. Let's hope we see more from this talented youngster in the future.