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    Gabriel Finley and the Raven's Riddle
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    Gabriel Finley and the Raven's Riddle
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    Gabriel Finley and the Raven's Riddle
    Audiobook8 hours

    Gabriel Finley and the Raven's Riddle

    Written by George Hagen

    Narrated by Michael Goldstrom

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    "A first-rate fantasy for middle-grade readers," declares Booklist in a starred review, comparing Gabriel Finley to Harry Potter, Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series, and The Mysterious Benedict Society.

    A tangle of ingenious riddles, a malevolent necklace called a torc, and flocks of menacing birds: these are just some of the obstacles that stand between Gabriel and his father, Adam Finley, who has vanished from their Brooklyn brownstone. When Gabriel rescues an orphaned baby raven named Paladin, he discovers a family secret: Finleys can bond with ravens in extraordinary ways. Along with Paladin and three valiant friends, Gabriel sets out to bring his father home. They soon discover that Adam is being held captive by the evil demon Corax-half man, half raven, and Adam's very own disgraced brother-in a foreboding netherworld of birds called Aviopolis. With help from his army of ghoulish minions, the valravens, Corax is plotting to take over the land above, and now only Gabriel stands in his way.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateAug 26, 2014
    ISBN9780553396904
    Unavailable
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    Reviews for Gabriel Finley and the Raven's Riddle

    3.5/5

    40 ratings10 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Gabriel Finley loves riddles because of his father. Ever since his dad went missing, Gabriel has lived with his aunt, but wishes for his dad to return. For his twelfth birthday, he receives his father's childhood journal. In it, Gabriel learns about the connection some humans have with ravens. He's amazed by what he reads, and discovers this relationship runs in his family. A baby raven, named Paladin, becomes Gabriel's amicus (like a familiar). Together they must embark on a journey to rescue Gabriel's father from the evil Corax and the valravens (cruel birds) that have him locked away. In order to save his father, an old and dangerous treasure called a torc must be located. This leads them to meet some interesting companions, who windup joining the quest. They'll have to find an entrance to an underground city and answer riddles to pass a gatekeeper. Will the group be able to answer the riddles or will their words fail? Is Gabriel's father still alive? Can the Corax be defeated on his turf? You'll have to read the book to find out!

      I read Gabriel Finley and the Raven's Riddle by George Hagen because I love trying to solve riddles, so the title pulled me in. The book includes a lot of riddles, so make sure you put on your thinking cap. Gabriel is a kind character who treats others fairly. I really liked his friend, Abby, and his Amicus, Paladin. I thought it was interesting to read a book with characters that had such a strong connection to ravens. I worried throughout the book, because Gabriel seemed to be very trusting of others, even when they hadn't proven themselves worthy. This story will appeal to people who enjoy fantasy, plus a little danger. A great read for those in fourth grade and up! The book ended on a bit of a cliffhanger, so thank goodness the second book is out. I look forward to reading it (I just hope it doesn't end on a cliffhanger too).
    • 3/5
      One of my 4th grade students gave this to me to read. It's an enjoyable animal quest fantasy. Many of the plot twists and rules of magic seemed convenient, and the characters are not well developed. Nonetheless, the story has enough ancient magic in our world to be interesting, and readers will surely find themselves looking at birds through a new lens. I would recommend Silverwing by Kenneth Oppel to anyone who enjoyed this book, as it's still the best animal fantasy ever written. Those who liked the riddles, puns, and wordplay in this book might also enjoy The Phantom Tollbooth.
    • 4/5
      Readers who loved The Phantom Tollbooth and The Mysterious Benedict Society will delight in the quirky characters and word play in this fun and fast-paced middle reader from George Hagen. While there is a bit of a formulaic quality to this fantasy tale of friends, foes, and adventures, the story arc is well-plotted, and the dialog credible and entertaining. I look forward to a sequel.
    • 4/5
      I am rating this for the targeted group. I am not in that group, but I think that the kids will like it pretty well. Harry Potter it isn't, but it has a lot of good reasons to read it. Gabriel Finley and the Raven's Riddle by George Hagen is a modern fairy tale with all the right touches. There is a boy and a girl who are good friends and love to share adventures. These adventures begin at the time of Gabriel Finley's twelfth birthday. This just happens Finley Family tradition.Gabriel rescues a baby raven, one day. This raven is familiar with Gabriel, as he was living in a nest nearby. The nesting spot was not entirely accidental, as the ravens mother knew very well that the Finley family had a history of bonding with ravens. They were able to share thoughts, words and even to become one being ind fly! This is called being an amicus.Ravens are all very intelligent birds, but they have a secret known by very few humans. Once, long ago ravens were separated in good ravens and bed, beginning when a single raven was told that he could achieve eternal life were he to complete a single task. That task was to eat the flesh of his master. This task was offered after a battle long ago, one where ravens were loyally tending to their knights and masters. A group of ravens was approached by a bird that looked like any other raven, but its eyes were all wrong and he was not there with a master. Most of the ravens were disgusted and fled, but one single raven, whose master was clearly dying, too on the challenge and bit off a piece of his master's flesh. This is when things began to go terribly wrong, not just for this raven, but for many others to follow.Once a raven takes a bit of the flesh of his master, he becomes a valraven, and is evil. Sadly, they cannot be seen to be any different from any other raven, even by ravens. The good ravens, had found that the way to tell if they were speaking to one of their own kind, or an evil valraven was to tell a riddle. The ravens loved riddles and would riddle back. Valravens never found a riddle to be funny and so all the others knew that by greeting each other with riddles, they could tell the good from the bad.Sadly, it wasn't the same with men. Those who had seen the valravens feasting on human flesh began to shun ravens, and everything changed for the ravens that fateful day. For Gabriel, who lived with his aunt because both his mother and his father had disappeared at different times during his life, Things changed the day he turned twelve. His Aunt Jaz gave him a key. A small key, and soon afterward a diary kept by his father when he was a boy. Also, Jaz invited friends to live in the house with them, due to sad circumstances. This is when the magic began, and the the adventures soon followed.As you may have guessed Gabriel was an amicus. He and the girl Pamela who had moved into his home became good friends and she shared the adventures, and helped to solve the mysteries. Many exciting and dangerous situations began to present themselves, But, with a magical item of furniture, and his fathers diaries to help him along, the two were determined to do the right thing. Gabriel's raven Paladin was there to help, and the story twists and turns and carries the reader along to an interesting ending. It also leaves the reader wondering if there will be more adventures with this threesome!This book is targeted to the 9-12 year old age group and that seems to be just about right. Just enough adventure, not too scary, and a lot of riddles!
    • 4/5
      Gabriel's mother disappeared when he was very young, and his father disappeared three years ago. And then there's his uncle Corax, who disappeared years before Gabriel was even born. That's a lot of disappearances for one family! But despite all of those mysterious disappearances, Gabriel lives a pretty normal life in his Aunt Jasmine's brownstone in Brooklyn. One day Gabriel asks his Aunt Jaz to tell him more about his father's disappearance -- a request he's made many times before -- and this time, she complies by giving him a small book. It is, in fact, his father's diary, and through it Gabriel learns many fantastical facts about his family, riddles, ravens, a valuable object, and a dangerous enemy. Gabriel is about to embark on the greatest adventure of his life . . . and it all starts when he rescues an orphaned baby raven named Paladin.I've seen this book pitched as the next Harry Potter. Well, it's not that, but it is an enjoyable read that will appeal to the same fan base. If anything, I'd say it's the next Gregor the Overlander. I'll probably continue reading the series, and I'll certainly recommend it to fans of juvenile fantasy.
    • 2/5
      My favorite thing in this book is the writing desk that moves around. My favorite quote was about Ulyssa the goose, "She sounded like a motherly librarian, so accustomed to answering questions that she never needed to hear the whole sentence (p 192)."
    • 3/5
      3.25 StarsAn appropriate book for middle-grades readers who like quests, riddles, and birds. It's light-hearted and has an intriguing plot, but sometimes the story drags. The characters are of a typical, hodgepodge variety, but satisfactory and familiar. The book may appeal to girls and boys since the main group of characters includes both sexes. Lots of potential and ends with the possibility of a sequel.Net Galley Feedback
    • 5/5
      George Hagen does a masterful job of writing an interesting story while integrating riddles into this action packed middle-grade work of fiction. Designed to appeal to readers who enjoy wordplay and word puzzles, this book does a great job of keeping the reader's interest in the characters and plot as Gabriel seeks to solve the mystery of his father's disappearance.An example of one cleverly written passage includes the Chasm of Doubt which the children must cross in order to rescue Gabriel's father. Each child is plagued by a unique set of doubts and must figure out how to overcome these in order to make it successfully across the chasm. The book is full of great wordplay and lessons for children of all ages.
    • 4/5
      What a delightfully fun book! Filled with adventure, legends, evil vs. good, villains, quests and young heroes, this book is a great read for both guys and gals. Gabriel Finley's world was a normal human world just like yours and mine (almost). There was really nothing extraordinary about it at all (that he knew of). Gabriel lived with his Aunt Jasmine in a classic old brownstone house in Brooklyn. It had belonged to his grandparents and was filled with odd-looking furniture and pictures of odd-looking ancestors, including a creepy picture of his Uncle Corax. Gabriel didn't remember his mother because she disappeared when he was very little. But he remembered his father very well. He had only gone missing three years ago, leaving behind a mysterious note Gabriel's Aunt Jaz had found. He and his friends walked to school every day. Gabriel wasn't exactly hero material. He was even bullied once in awhile at school. He had no special talents except for one...he loved riddles. It was something he had in common with his father, who always said riddles were good for the mind. It was one of those normal days where Gabriel was trying to get more information about his father's disappearance from his Aunt Jaz when she finally relented and gave him his father's diary, called the Book of Ravens. Reading it was an eye opener because it related an experience his father had when he was Gabriel's age. Unknown to most humans of the day, ravens and humans had a history together. At one time, they were close friends. They spoke together as equals. Ravens sang lullabies to their friends' babies and accompanied their amicus everywhere. They even went to war and served as look-outs. But then something horrible happened to change the camaraderie to fear. It started with one bad raven who recruited other ravens to the same evil fate he suffered through temptations to become like him. Since then, there have been two types of ravens, the good ones and the evil ones. The evil ravens, called valravens were doomed to eternal torment and inner coldness, unable to die. To tell them apart, ravens would ask a strange raven a riddle. If the unknown raven laughed, he was accepted. Valravens never laughed. Their world was miserable, dark and humorless. Most of what he read didn't seem real to Gabriel until one day a raven chick asked him a riddle and he answered it. Then its next cryptic statement brought to focus all he learned in this father's diary, "Corax must not find the torc." It seemed the young bird, Paladin, Gabriel and his friends were destined for a long and dangerous adventure. As a parent, an elementary teacher, a tutor, and a special education teacher, I know this would be a book that would appeal to most boys and girls and young teens. It begins with humorous adventures as we become acquainted with Gabriel, Abby, Pamela and Soams. Then the story moves more into the fantasy arena when the young people begin to interact with ravens and those who befriend the ravens. Finally, we catch a glimpse of a grander scheme--the quest to keep a valuable and deadly item, the torc, out of the hands of Evil, and the rescue of Gabriel's father. The story moves from light and entertaining to more serious and intense activity. There is darkness, but never despair and hopelessness. The story moves along at a quick pace, and tension intensifies in the final third of the book. I would recommend this adventure for fourth graders up to young adults, although I enjoyed it myself. The caveat I have to mention is that the valravens are referred to as ghouls and they do participate in some ghoulish behavior. This may disturb more sensitive readers. However, there is no crude or lude language, no swearing or major moral complications. It is a great epic adventure. In fact, Gabriel Finley and the Raven's Riddle is a book with potential, in my opinion, to become a classic piece of literature. Not only does it read like a classic, I believe this book would make a wonderful children's cartoon movie. In its sweeping epic theme, we find the time-honored clash between good and evil, opportunities for young heroes to rise up and save the world, and a classic scary villain. There are world shattering stakes involved and lots of adventure, magic, and character building events. All the right elements are present. The scope of the story reminds me of the movie, "The Legend of the Guardians." I think this tale could become a similar type of movie. By the way the latter part of the book discussed issues between Gabriel and his father, it seems to me that there will be more books to follow this one in a series. If that's true, I am looking forward to reading more from this author. Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from NetGalley, on behalf of Random House Children's Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
    • 3/5
      Gabriel Finley is a near orphan...his mother is presumed dead and his father has been missing for three years. He lives with his dad's sister, who assures Gabriel his father will return eventually, but otherwise, gives him very little information. As Gabriel nears the age of 12, lots of things begin to happen at once. He learns more about his grandfather, uncle, and father, and their special relationship with ravens.It seems that long ago, ravens and humans communicated freely. In more recent times, his grandfather and his sons each had particular ravens that they had formed close bonds with and could communicate telepathically. They even had the ability to share one another's physical body from time to time, meaning that they could protect one another when they were in the presence of an enemy of either humans or ravens.Early in the story, Gabriel rescues a young raven named Paladin. Gabriel discovers that not all ravens are of good character. Some have become valravens, meaning they eat human or raven flesh. The valravens are immortal and serve the demon master of the Bird World, located far below the city where Gabriel lives. Gabriel and Paladin soon discover that they can understand one another's thoughts. Paladin shares lore from the raven world that sheds light on what might have happened to Gabriel's father and his uncle.Gabriel remembers his father and how much he emphasized analyzing riddles for hidden meanings. Turns out riddles are the key to distinguishing ravens and valravens, and Gabriel has learned the lessons well. The author George Hagen uses riddles and puns which I think should appeal to the middle school reader, not to mention the reluctant reader, many of whom should enjoy working out the riddle before reading what the solution is.Gabriel, some of his school friends and Paladin have a grand though somewhat scary adventure in pursuit of his missing father. Not every adult in the story is reliable, in fact, several are trying to outsmart Gabriel and take the treasure that Gabriel must use to rescue his father. But as the riddles have predicted, if Gabriel makes unselfish choices, he will be able to rescue his father....but those choices are not easy to make.I received an ebook from Netgalley and recommend the book for middle school readers and others who will enjoy this fast-paced magical fantasy.