Back by Sunrise: A Magical Realism Story

Eternal Light, Book 1

By: Justin Sloan

Narrated by: Rebecca Greene

Length: 2 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

A young girl learns that love and family are forever, with the help of a magical necklace that transforms her into a bird.

Movie rights recently optioned!

Back by Sunrise illustrates a thoughtful coming-of-age story, which shows how a child might interpret - and subsequently deal with - loss when tragedy strikes.

©2014 Justin Sloan (P)2015 Justin Sloan

fairytale quality of the writing

This story was a lovely parable about the nature of death in the life of a young child.
Brooke absolutely adores her father and when he goes away on active duty for the military and doesn't come home, she's distraught. He promised her that he would come home to finish painting birds and woodland creatures on the mural in her bedroom but now he can never do that.

As you can tell from the synopsis, Brooke turns into a bird when she puts on the necklace she finds from her father following his death and when she doesn't make it back home by sunrise as the note she finds with it instructs her to do, she cannot turn back into her human form.

While she is stuck in her bird form, she feels an even greater sense of helplessness than she's been feeling since the death of her father. She finds that making new friends eases her burden, especially when faced by a greater evil hat stands between her and becoming human again to rejoin her family.
She meets Roy, a kind young bird who teaches her how to use her wings and shares with her the loss of his father and Timmy, a mouse with his own sad story who teaches her to think about the feelings of her family as well as her own.

The message in this story comes through loud and clear, that friends and family are important in times of bereavement and that though the pain feels personal and lonely, other people have gone through the same thing too and others may be sharing in your grief.

What I like most about this story is that it doesn't come across as sad, it is the story of a child on a magical adventure and coming across challenges but coming through the other side. The fairytale quality of the writing takes the edge off the painful topic and feels comfortably familiar.

I would definitely recommend this story for a primary aged child going through a bereavement or even to children in general to help them understand the concept of loss.

Rebecca Greene brought a great energy  which would easily keep a child's attention and lightened the mood of the story. Her character voices were very entertaining and she made Brooke's grief seem very real, her performance and the production quality of this audiobook were second to none.

Audiobook was provided for review by the author.

Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog

[If this review helped, please press YES. Thanks!]

A kid's tale that deals with a tough subject

This story is primarily about Brooke and how she deals with a very difficult time in her life. She and her dad have been working on painting a mural in her bedroom. Unfortunately, they aren’t able to finish it together before he is called out to serve his country over seas. Brooke awaits her father’s return only to hear the sad news he will never return. Yet she has this necklace from him, which turns out to be magical. Through her adventures, she learns to let go of some of her anger and to carry the sadness.

This was a rather touching little piece of magical modern-day fantasy. I’ve listened to several other Justin Sloan books and this one is the tamest and perhaps the slowest of pace. Brooke is a typical kid, occasionally arguing with her brother, not always obeying the parents right away, painting on walls, etc. The first part, which sets the scene for the family dynamics, goes by very quickly. Once Brooke finds out her necklace has the power to change her into a bird, the story picks up.

Her adventures as a bird start off pretty small. She stays close to home, makes a friend or two, and learns to eat bird food (which her human brain tells her isn’t very tasty at all). There’s some humor, a little action. Mostly, this part of the story is tame exploration of Brooke’s new world. It is a bit slow at this point and that is my only mild complaint on this book. But then Brooke wants to be a human again and that turns out to be a bit challenging.

My favorite part of the story was the last bit. The action really picks up, Brooke has foes to face (in bird form), and has to figure out how to turn into a human again. This is where Brooke’s emotions towards her mom and her now-gone father really bubble to the surface and she has to make an active decision as to how to deal with them. I really liked this aspect because it shows a kid making an adult decision and I think many of us have had moments like that when we were kids.

The final ending was very satisfying. After Brooke’s sadness and anger, all her adventures, we get this ending that tied up the story nicely. The story started with that bedroom mural and we get to return to it. That really closed the loop on this story, or at least this installment of it, for me.

I received a copy of this audiobook from the author at no charge in exchange for an honest review.

The Narration: Rebecca Greene did a very nice job. She was a very good fit for Brooke. She had these very believable little kid voices, which she used for the kids, but also for the young animals bird Brooke befriends on her adventures. She had an excellent way of imbuing quite the range of emotions into Brooke’s character.

So touching

Where does Back by Sunrise: A Magical Realism Story rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I've listened to audio books off and on over the years and I can't exactly rank this with any kind of justice to it over any of the other book's I've listened to because honestly its younger than what I've listened to previously. But in saying that for a kids book its awesome.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I loved Timmy because he was just too cute not to love. I don't usually like mice but he was adorable.

Have you listened to any of Rebecca Greene’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I've never listened to her before but she did great and really made this story come alive.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

I'm not really sure but it would involve a little girl searching for answers to a situation that's honestly hard for anyone to ever really understand.

Any additional comments?

Such an amazing and heartfelt story. The sadness from Brooke just eats at you and her joy helps you soar with her. A truly wonderful story with such a child-like wonder and an amazing view on her world.

Entertaining story perfect for a family car trip

I thought this was a pretty good book. It is a bit sad in the beginning, as it deals with a tough subject (grief and loss), but it is tempered with the fun and magic in the story. I think that my kids (ages 5 and 6) would enjoy the book, and we'll probably listen to it over summer vacation on a car trip, but I think it is more geared toward middle-grade. I thought the writing style was engaging and the narration was enjoyable (I listened to the Audible Audiobook). Overall, I liked the book, and I think kids would like it, too. I will definitely add the book to my family-friendly rotation of audio books, and if you are looking for a family-friendly audio book, I would recommend giving this one a try.

Loved this book!

This is a beautiful story about a young girl facing the death of her father. With a touch of magic, the author weaves a lovely story about the girl growing and dealing with her problem.

A magical story of healing and strength.

If you could sum up Back by Sunrise: A Magical Realism Story in three words, what would they be?

Back By Sunrise is a story about a young girl named brooke who receives a magical necklace ffrom her father who has left to serve in the military. The necklce gives Brooke powers but along the way she finds enemies and firiends. It's a subtrly moral story about finding true friends and strength in hard times.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I loved all the animal characters because they really brought the story a unique bent. Narrator Rebecca Greene did a great job of differentiatng them with different voices.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

This would be a great film for families! Country mouse vs City Mouse comes to mind...

A terrific magical adventure - a touch of reality

Any additional comments?

BACK BY SUNRISE: A Magical Realism Story: Eternal Light - Book One

Author: Justin Sloan

Type of Book: Audiobook - Unabridged

Narrator: Rebecca Greene

Length: 2 hours, 38 minutes

Genre: Children's Book - Ages 5-7

Release Date: May 27, 2015

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

* I received a free copy of this audiobook from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Brooke is disappointed when her father is once again deployed to active military duty. They had been working together on painting a mural in her bedroom and had planned to finish it before he had to go back to duty.

The author does a good job of portraying the complex emotions that children go through with a military parent who has to go off to war.

Many months later Brooke is excited that her Dad will be home soon, but her world is turned upside down when two soldiers deliver the news that her Dad will not ever be coming home again.

Brooke is sad and angry. She is especially angry at her mother for allowing her father to leave and go away to war.

In her young mind she believes that her mother should have stopped him from going. She doesn't understand why he would choose to leave his family to go fight in a country far away from home. I imagine that these feelings and thoughts are realistic for children of military parents to experience.

Brooke then discovers a magical necklace that transforms her into a bird.

Her adventures as a bird teach her many things including the value of family.

This is a NEWLY RELEASED audiobook.

Another exciting thing to note is that the movie rights to this book have been recently optioned.

"BACK BY SUNRISE is a well written children's story. Rebecca Greene is a wonderful narrator for this audiobook. Her voice adds just the right touches of whimsy to the animal and bird characters. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to her and would recommend her to other authors of children's books.

Though this audiobook is geared to children I also enjoyed it. I rate it as 5 out of 5 stars.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

However ages 5-7 seems rather young for the subject matter, but that age group will enjoy Brooke's adventures as a bird. To really understand the entirety of this story I would recommend a target age group of 7 and older.

Tough topic tackled well

This was a touching story of a young girl coming to terms with the death of her father. With the help of a magical necklace and an escape to a fantasy world, Brooke makes new friends and learns about life's hardships and how to cope with them. Brooke has a hard time facing the death of her father and transforming into a bird is her way of dealing with that trauma. The creatures she meets along the way show her love and kindness and share their stories of love and loss. There are also many obstacles for her to overcome. With the help of her new friends Brooke is able to succeed and return to her real life while learning what loyalty and friendship is truly all about.
Timmy the mouse was my favorite character. He was fun and had a great back story. Even though he was small he had a big personality. He had also suffered a loss so was able to really understand what Brooke was going through.
The narrator did an excellent job. I felt the performance was very heartfelt. It was easy to distinguish between the characters based on their voices and how the narrator portrayed them. The performance gave the book that extra breath of life that really made it great.
Though this is a tough topic for kids, it is tackled well. It shows that even though sometimes we can be dealt an unfair hand, with the help of family and friends who care about us we are able to move forward and still hold onto those in our hearts who we have lost.

I was generously provided with a copy of this audiobook by the author/narrator/publisher. This is an unbiased review and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Life lessons for kids

Where does Back by Sunrise: A Magical Realism Story rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

For this type if a book its at the top of my list.

What other book might you compare Back by Sunrise: A Magical Realism Story to and why?

This book is similar to the The Invisible String because it teaches kids how to deal with difficult emotions in a way they can understand.

What does Rebecca Greene bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She made the book fun and vibrant. It was something a child could listen to and not be bored,

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

At the every end of the book the final message the father left for the children.

Any additional comments?

* I received a free copy of this audiobook from the author in exchange for an honest review.

A great coming of age novel.

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Sure. I thought that the ending was very meaningful, and we watched a young girl matures into an adult. Personally, I thought that was very satsifying.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I thought that after Brooke turned into a bird, her adventure was a little boring. But there shouldn't be any changes, since the slow pace is perfect for the overall meaning.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

I can't distinguish the characters, they all sound the same. And I nearly fell asleep, so....

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No. It was an interesting book, however not interesting enough to make me stand up and go to the cinema. I am simply too lazy.

Any additional comments?

Nope.