The Five Jars
Montague Rhodes James
MP3 CD
(IDB Productions, Sept. 3, 2015)
The Five Jars – A Delightful Story for Brave and Adventure Loving Children and AdultsIt's a little hard to place The Five Jars. Written by M.R. James, a distinguished author known for his excellent depiction of (sometimes brutal) ghost stories, this book is somewhat on the tame side, and has been considered a children's book ever since it first came out. The Five Jars, however, presents the supernatural in James' characteristic, detailed manner, and is no stranger to creepy, dangerous threats. As a result, critics have labeled it as more of a story for adults, however, older children will probably find it to be quite thrilling.The story focuses on a simple, but quite engaging plot. It follows the adventures of a passerby, who, like in most of M.R. James' stories, stumbles upon a piece of ancient treasure. This time, it's a simple set of 5 jars of ointments, each with instructions to be applied to a certain part of the body during different times of the lunar cycle.To his amazement, our hero finds himself being able to see, hear, and eventually interact with ghosts, fairies and other creatures, as he gradually uses the ointments at the designated times and dates. However, danger looms quite near, and he and his friends need to be vigilant, since a group of strange individuals have set out to steal the jars, and there is no easy way to stop them...Not many people know that this engaging little story was an inspiration for quite a few fantasy shows and films, and it has enjoyed its fair share of popularity throughout the years for very good reason. The Five Jars is one of James' most distinguished and well-written stories, and if you have a son or daughter who enjoys creepy and exciting ghost stories or fairy tales, this is definitely one of the best books you could get them as a present.