Pullman, Philip. 2001. The golden compass. New York: Random House Children’s Books.

Pullman has created a world that mirrors our own with one significant difference. Every person is paired with a daemon, an animalistic alter-ego that is able to communicate with their human and changes shape until their human reaches adulthood. Lyra Belacqua considers herself lucky to live in this world where she resides at Jordon College in the care of her often absent uncle, Lord Asriel. Tutored by the many scholars who also reside at the college, Lyra finds herself bored with lessons, yet entertained by her avid curiosity which leads her and her best friend, Roger through many adventures, which are all steps along the road to Lyra’s ultimate destiny—one which she does not and cannot know about. Lyra becomes very concerned about the disappearance of her friend Roger, whose disappearance like that of other children is blamed on a group of people known only as “the Gobblers”. These Gobblers take children as subjects for unknown experiments, and the children are never seen again. When Lyra’s uncle also disappears, she is given an artifact by the master of Jordon College, and is put into the care of Mrs. Coulter, a fascinating and beautiful woman who wants Lyra to act as her assistant. When Lyra discovers that Mrs. Coulter is part of the Gobblers, she runs away and goes North with the nomadic gyptians to rescue her friend, her uncle, and other children who have been taken. Lyra’s journey brings her into contact with witch clans, an armored bear, a Texan who flies a hot air balloon, and Dust, a material that reacts with certain humans, and is also suspected to transport people to alternate universes. Lyra’s journey is fraught with discovery of self, family, and her past. Her growing ability to read the alethiometer, the artifact that will answer any question truthfully if only she can learn to read it makes her a heroine for readers of all ages and genders. Pullman has written the first in a series that will have readers eagerly anticipating the next book before they have even finished the first.