The Golden Compass

The Golden Compass

Author: Phillip Pullman
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf 1996
ISBN: 0-679-87924-2

Plot Summary: Lyra Belacqua spends her days and nights at Jordan College. She plays and explores with Pantalaimon, her daemon familiar. Her Uncle Asriel arrives and as she and Pantalaimon hide in a bureau, she sees the school Master try to poison her uncle. Her uncle is in the process of investigating Dark Matter, and by many he is considered to be a heretic. He plans to continue his quest, regardless of the church scrutiny.

Mrs. Coulter comes to Jordan College and Lyra finds her enchanting and beautiful. She brings Lyra with her as she works on an experiment with children. Lyra watches as Mrs. Coulter tries to get the alethiometer, a tool given to Lyra by the Master. He told her it was her job to keep it safe. She does, and she learns to read it and decipher who is telling the truth.

Soon she realizes Mrs. Coulter is harming the children as they return separated from their daemons and they are like zombies. Lyra wants to protect Roger and tries to save him.

Along the way she meets an Armored Bear, Iorek Byrnison, and she advocates for him by tricking the king of the bears, Iofur Rakinson. She tells him she is Iorek's daemon and that he can trade for Ioreks' safety and freedom for Lyra. She draws on knowledge she learned from Seraffina Pekala the kind witch helping to care for Lyra, and tells Iofur that Mrs. Coulter made her for Iorek and she is like a witch's daemon and can travel far.

Then after freeing Iorek, she and her "team," move north. She wants to catch with Lord Asriel, whom now she knows is her father and that Mrs. Coulter is her mother. Lyra is just scratching the surface at understanding Dark Matter and the Dust.

Critical Analysis: We see Lyra move from a lying, sneaky little girl to learning the importance of truth. She uses the alethiometer to find out if someone is lying and reveals a certain irony. As Lyra continues to seek the truth about how she never knew Lord Asriel was her father, and then what Mrs. Coulter is really doing to the children, we see Lyra develop into a principled and independent young lady.

Annotation: Lyra sets out to protect Roger and other children alongside Panatalaimon, Lee Scorsby, and others to prevent the experimentation on children in the North by Mrs. Coulter.

Author Information: Phillip Pullman is an award winning writer. He still responds to e-mails though, and I found that to be awesome. For this book he won the Carnegie Medal in England and he lives in Oxford England. You can view more on his website: www.hisdarkmaterials.com and www.phillip-pullman.com.

Genre: YA/ JF fiction/ fantasy
Curriculum Ties: English Literature

Booktalking Ideas:
1.) Why does Lyra have the alethiometer?
2.) Do you feel Lord Asriel is good or bad? Is there really such a thing as being all one or the other?
3.) What do you think the Dark Matter and Dust represent? Why was this book challenged?

Reading Level/ Age interest: 12 and up

Challenge issues: This book was Challenged as being "anti-Christian."

When it was challenged, I e-mailed Pullman directly and he responded stating that he doesn't take a stance against Christianity, but he does encourage people to think on their own. I would tell patrons to go on his website and ask him any questions.
In addition, I would explain policies for selection for San Diego County Libraries:

http://dbpcosdcsgt.co.san-diego.ca.us/screens/Intranet/policy/sdcl-policy_O.41_material-selection.pdf
If after my working to convince the patron, they still were not satisfied and wanted to file a grievance, I would provide the needed paper work and then it would go to the “Challenged Materials” team for San Diego County and then onward until there is resolution: http://dbpcosdcsgt.co.san-diego.ca.us/screens/Intranet/policy/sdcl-policy_O.34_intellectual_freedom.pdf

Selection Reasons: Lyra is an inspiring female heroine. I also believe that while this book is for ages 12 and up, some of the subject matter is better understood by teens. I feel it is a great text to engage with in adolescence.