Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award

Gabriel Finley and the Raven’s Riddle

on September 2, 2015
gabrielGeorge Hagen sets the tone for his exciting middle grade fantasy novel with the dedication, the first of many riddles you will have the pleasure of solving throughout the book. Gabriel loves riddles, as did his father before him and, as it turns out, so do ravens! On his twelfth birthday, with the astounding information from his father’s diary racing through his head and the special key his dad left for him for this very day, Gabriel begins to realize that the time has come for him to search for his father, missing now for three years. After rescuing a baby raven Gabriel begins this new phase of his young life–one in which he can paravolate with the bird and will begin a huge adventure. With a mismatched set of new friends at his side, Gabriel leaves his Brooklyn brownstone for Aviopolis, an underground world where he hopes to find his father and his uncle Corax, who has become more monster than man. “You’ll always see me first in a running race, third in a marathon, fourth in a tear, but never in a dash! Who am I?”

33 Responses to “Gabriel Finley and the Raven’s Riddle”

  1. makenna m says:

    I’m reading this book and I’m only on page 225 but I have to admit it might be my favorite one so far. Its about an 11 year old boy named Gabriel Finley. His aunt takes care of him since, when he was young his father and mother both went missing. He saves a raven, named Paladin, from getting eaten by a valraven. Little did he know that the raven and him would have such a strong bound they would be able to fly together and walk together by jumping into the others body. talk about amazing. Suddenly this man shows up at his door looking for a thing called a torc. Legend has it that it can grant any wish, but….
    everything has a price. Once you use the torc it’ll bring out the worst in you. Paladin, the raven, doesn’t trust them but when the man says he can help Gabriel find his dad he jumps to the opportunity with asking any questions. However Gabriel doesn’t know where the torc is so the man gets mad and captures Gabriel’s friend, Pamela. That’s just in the first hundred pages.

  2. Blueberry says:

    I like Gabriel Finley and the Ravens Riddle because I like how it tells riddles. Also I like how you solve the Riddles it gives you. I think you should read the book.

  3. Joey says:

    I really like the book because of all the riddles you can solve.Some of the riddles are really challenging.

  4. marygraf says:

    3 students in my DCF Book Group who have read Gabriel Finlay love this book because it was exciting and dramatic. They think it might win the DCF award.

  5. Anonymous says:

    If you like books that are a mystery and are heart stopping and make you want to read more. Then you are going to want to read more.

    Will he find the lock for the key?
    Will he ever catch the desk?
    What will he find inside the desk that the key opens?

  6. Oliver R. says:

    I loved this book because of the connection with ravens. Joining with a raven and flying would be amazing!
    The villain in this book is awesome.

  7. Grace Best says:

    Gabriel Finley and the Raven’s Riddle
    I loved Gabriel Finley and the Raven’s Riddle because it inspired me to like riddles and try to make up riddles myself. I liked that there were so many riddles in the book. I also loved Gabriel Finley and the Raven’s Riddle because my mom and dad named our land Ravenmoore. My mom says that, “Ravens fly high in the sky and we just can’t see them.” I think that Gabriel Finley and the Raven’s Riddle is going to be the best DCF book that I read this school year.
    A riddle I made up was,

    Some people think I exist.
    Some people think I don’t exist.
    Some people don’t want me to exist.
    Some people want me to exist but don’t me to happen to them.
    Who am I?

    I will write the answers and the guesses in three or less weeks.

  8. SamuelVT says:

    Dear BiancaVT
    you said:’near the end of Gabriel finley and the ravens riddle there is a scene where lots of birds like dodos, bluebirds and especially ravens are escaping form corax’s prison. I thought that it was amazing haveing thousands millions of birds flying overhead imagine all those colors. NOT to get on evil corax’s side but it must have been a lot of work getting all of those birds.
    WOW I AM IMPRESSED CORAX”
    I agree with you BiancaVT it would be a great sight to see all of those birds but what I don’t agree with you is that most of those birds came to him and refused to gion him and become a valraven so that is what I don’t agree with.

  9. SarahVT says:

    this book looks really good but every time i want to look at it at are school libray it is always checked out.

  10. hockey16GB says:

    Dear Grace Best

    How are you so good at answering riddles when I read that book I could not get any of them at all

  11. SamuelVT says:

    first of all there is not going to be a sequel to the book DEATHBOY IS DEADLY COOL and HANNAPEACOK it was just a mix up sorry. Second of all KieraVT I think I have a answer to two of your riddle the riddle was,” what lights up the sky at night was made ancient of the past and sailors use as a guide” and I think that the answer to the riddle is stars because a star lights up the sky at night sailors used them as a guide so that is why I think the answer is stars. I also think that I know the answer to another one of your riddles and the riddle is “as silent as a mouse.I move with the light. I have no mind of my own.I am known to copy I am like a clone. I think the answer is a shadow because a shadow is as silent as a mouse a shadow changes position as the sun [ or light] moves. A shadow copy’s your movement. those are the reasons I think that the answer to the riddle is a shadow.

  12. BiancaVT says:

    Dear coyahVT
    i am confused what question are you talking about at the end, i have finished the book but can not find the question you are talking about.please tell me at school or on the page.

  13. KieraVT says:

    CoyahVT I think you’re right about the sequel. The question Gabriel asks at the end of the book could turn into another adventure. As a reader I have the urge for it to be another book. I do hope that something special happens to Somes if there is a sequel.

  14. Grace Best says:

    I want to answer Kierra’s riddles.
    1.a river
    2.a mood ring
    3.a constellations
    4.shadow
    Great riddles!

  15. KieraVT says:

    The answers for my riddles are a river, the sky because its always blue, constellations and the last one is a shadow.

  16. CoyahVT says:

    Thanks SamVT I think you are right valravens probably took that curse in when they became valravens and stopped thinking riddles were funny anymore.

  17. BiancaVT says:

    Ner the end of Gabriel Finley and the Raven’s Riddle there is the scene where lots of birds like dodos blue birds and especially raven`s are escaping from coraxs prisons. I thought that that was amazing thousands millions of birds flying of birds flying overhead imagine all those colors.
    Not to get on to evil coraxs side but that must have been a lot of work catching all those birds.
    WOW i’m impressed corax.

  18. BiancaVT says:

    Throughout the whole story Gabriel and Paladin can talk and have the bond that they do.
    I thought it would be awesome if we humans could do that too not just in the story but in real life like ashely be able to have kind of like a spirit animal not just spirit animal Ravens.
    If that could happen and you could choose your spirit animal i would choose a panda because they are strong vigorous animals they have sharp teeth and clues that would help climb fight bonus be a good fork.

  19. KieraVT says:

    I think the valravens are like cannibals to the raven kind and are much more greedy that ravens. The valravens give the story its suspense. Without them, all the ravens would be nice and there would be no reason to be cautious of the ravens. The valraven are the antagonists of the story. I also think that the Valravens lack emotion, particularly compassion, that’s why they never laugh.

  20. KieraVT says:

    I think the sequel should include more about the robin and Gabriel’s
    mom. It would be awesome if Pama could get a raven too.

  21. SamuelVT says:

    CoyahVT I do agree with you but I think I can answer your question. You said “there are somethings that I don’t get like why valravens cant laugh”. What I think is that valravens don’t like riddles so that is why valravens don’t laugh at them.

  22. SamuelVT says:

    I like the riddles in the book that challenge my brain to think more deeply while I am reading.

  23. CoyahVT says:

    I do agree with Tom it’s a great work of fiction .I don’t agree that there are to many birds. Ok so maybe there is a lot of birds but the book is about birds it says it in the title. But I guess the author could have cut down on the amount of different birds like owls and their puns but the book is about ravens.

  24. CoyahVT says:

    I love all of those riddles KieraVT they are very hard to think about. I tried to figure them out with my mom. My mom and me did not do so great.They are super hard and I can’t wait to here the answers.I hope you loved the book as much as I did. Maybe now I will write a riddle.

  25. deathboy is deadly cool says:

    I want the sequel really badly. It will be the best.

  26. deathboy is deadly cool says:

    There is going to be a sequel!? That’s awesome! This book is the best!

  27. deathboy is deadly cool says:

    I love this book so much, I read it three times! It’s full of riddles and action. I want to read it again. I would recommend it to people who like riddles and birds. There is an under ground world.

  28. Anonymous says:

    This book is awesome! I read it three times I liked it so much!

  29. hannahpeacock says:

    Apparently there will be a sequel!

  30. KieraVT says:

    I connected to the main character Gabriel in Gabriel Finley and the Raven’s Riddle because I like riddles and solving them. Gabriel Finley and The Raven’s Riddle is full of riddles and inspired me to write riddles of my own. My favorite riddle in the book was

    “I shine like a dagger or a diamond in a
    dragon’s maw. I grow larger as the cold
    nights come, and shorter in the thaw.
    What am I?”

    I liked that riddle because it made me think. Inspired by the book, I wrote these riddles:

    “What runs ,but never walks.
    What murmurs, but never talks.
    And what has a bed but never sleeps?”

    “What feels sad and glum.
    Differs in color with each mood.
    But can not move or live?”

    “What lights up the sky at night,
    was made by ancients in the past,
    and sailors use them as a guide?”

    “I’m as silent as a mouse.
    I move with the light.
    I have no mind of my own
    I’m known to copy
    I’m like a clone.
    What am I?”

    If you liked the riddles in the book as much as I did, please take a guess at the answers to my riddles. I will post the answers at the end of the month.

  31. CoyahVT says:

    I really loved reading this book. Not just because it is a fantasy but because it makes you think. Most of the time when a riddle comes up you want to figure it out before you find out the answer. Most of the riddles in this book are hard to figure out. So I do recommend this book to anyone who likes a puzzle or likes to figure things out. Also anyone who likes ravens,birds or mystery this is the book for you.

  32. CoyahVT says:

    I really enjoyed this book. All of the riddles are supper funny.There are some things that I don’t get like why cant valravens could not laugh ? There are so many great things about this book.I do feel really sorry for Somes when we find out something about him. I don’t really know why they put in Gabriel’s question at the end though. I wonder if the author did that to say he is making a sequel to this book. I do hope so because this was a really great book.

  33. Tom says:

    A great work of fiction.But…to many birds.

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