It’s like writing an essay about the importance of language, but with characters on an adventure instead.

It makes you aware of language use today, how it has changed and how it could change further. While reading an actual dictionary is quite dry (not to mention the epitome of nerdiness), making it into a story in the realms of speculative fiction brings every word to life. The thing I love most about this book is that Earls and Whidborne have made words interesting in an incredibly engaging way. What follows is the story of their adventures through time as they find the origins and variations of words like “hello” and “water”, discovering a world of history far richer than either had ever thought possible for words. They are twelve-year-old twins who have very little to do with each other at school until they find a mysterious old book: The Curious Dictionary. Word Hunters is, in fact, the story of a Al and Lexi. But when I saw it was written by Nick Earls and illustrated by Terry Whidborne, I thought it could be more than that. At first I though the subheading “The Curious Dictionary” meant that it would be some sort of dictionary for adolescents, perhaps with amusing words in it. But these were not just any books, they were the 50 Books You Can’t Put Down, sent to me courtesy of Get Reading and Mamamia.Īmong the first of three boxes was a handsome cover with “Word Hunters” embossed in gold on the front. This week I received a shipment of books.

Querious dictionary