this was the first Anne McCaffrey book I ever read and it remains one of my favorite books of all time.

I loved the world of Harper Hall that McCaffrey created and I really felt a kinship with Menolly even though I am nowhere near as gifted as she was or even that musical. The character of Menolly is just perfectly written to appeal and reach out to anyone who feels out of place or unaccepted for just being who you are.

And even though the Harper Hall Trilogy books are some of the shortest she has written, for me the actually held the most strength and emotional punch of all the rest. I felt invested in Menolly's adventures and well being and just felt that her world just came alive and felt real. ( )

Just as good as the last book, though in a different way. Instead of following Menolly's life at Half-Circle Sea Hold and later her days of trying to survive in the wilderness, we're following her day-to-day life in the Harper Hall. ( )

Again as a teenager I could relate to Menolly’s insecurities of fitting into a new environment. Not being sure of her place and being the victim of some rather nasty girls. I loved the fact that although these books are set on another world the problems were the same as the ones I was facing (also I wanted a firelizard). ( )

This book is interesting because its 200 or so pages only cover a seven day period. Its a coming of age story that continues directly on from Dragonsong, and overlaps somewhat with The White Dragon (if only peripherally). This book has parallels with Pawn of Prophecy in my mind, mostly because they're both about young children being taken under someone's wing and given the time they need to develop their talents.

I liked this book, which gives me hope for the rest of the series.

http://www.stillhq.com/book/Anne_McCa... ( )

One of the most tantalizing elements to McCaffrey’s works of fantasy is that she’s created a world in Pern with its own life. All of the rules and regulations, the traditions and histories, and the social structures as a whole are unique to this world, let alone that it involves dragons and fire lizards. The Harper Hall trilogy is a great addition to the world of Pern because rather than focusing on the glorious lives of the Riders, its main characters are simple folk with simple, but important dreams. They take the reader from the bird’s eye view of the world straight into focus on everyday people, living and working in Pern. It really makes the world feel entirely alive. I recommend this trilogy to any readers 11 .-Lindsey Miller, www.lindseyslibrary.com ( )