Newcomers should probably begin earlier in this fantasy series, but fans will no doubt enjoy reading the further adventures...
When nefarious excavators set off a volcanic eruption in Draconia, the country’s telepaths pool their skills to save the city in this latest YA fantasy series installment.
Purpus (The Girl, the Gryphon, and the Dragon, 2014, etc.) offers her sixth entry about the Four Nations (Draconia, Forbury, Granvale, and Sanwight), where humans bond magically with dragons, gryphons, unicorns, and dolphins, respectively. Chloe, the mage of the entire world and the head of Pathfinder Academy, finds herself mentoring two troubled teens: Rya, who’s come to live in the town of Havenshold with her bonded partner, Artemis the fox, for a carpentry apprenticeship; and Arryn, who turns up on the doorstep of the library where Chloe lives. The townsfolk work to integrate them both into a more supportive environment for learning and healing. Havenshold’s leaders discover that a shopkeeper, who recently kept Arryn prisoner, is in cahoots with greedy miners who plan to extract riches from the dormant volcano underneath the town. When Rya establishes contact with the mind of the sentient volcano—named Jaluhz—she realizes that it’s reawakening. Soon, the miners’ detonations release a lava flow that threatens to engulf the town. Havenshold’s mage and a group of telepaths of all species must devise a plan to shift the flow away from their homes and channel it to the sea in the most nondestructive way possible. This story has a good heart and provides a pleasant alternative to the dystopia and aggression of other recent YA tales. However, its vast number of characters is unwieldy—more than 60, nearly all carried over from previous installments—and readers may wonder if everyone needed to be in on the present action. Although it’s evident that the author wants to demonstrate a world of consensus, consideration, and eco-awareness, the resulting interminable committee meetings and recapitulations of back story often slow the plot to a snail’s pace. It also wouldn’t have hurt to model productive disagreement instead of a stark dichotomy between a united front of good guys and the selfish, individual bad guys.
Newcomers should probably begin earlier in this fantasy series, but fans will no doubt enjoy reading the further adventures of old friends.Pub Date: March 16, 2015
ISBN: 978-0692354728
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Purpus Publishing
Review Posted Online: April 20, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.
A fifth-grade New Orleans girl discovers a mysterious chrysalis containing an unexpected creature in this middle-grade novel.
Jacquelyn Marie Johnson, called Jackie, is a 10-year-old African-American girl, the second oldest and the only girl of six siblings. She’s responsible, smart, and enjoys being in charge; she likes “paper dolls and long division and imagining things she had never seen.” Normally, Jackie has no trouble obeying her strict but loving parents. But when her potted snapdragon acquires a peculiar egg or maybe a chrysalis (she dubs it a chrysalegg), Jackie’s strong desire to protect it runs up against her mother’s rule against plants in the house. Jackie doesn’t exactly mean to lie, but she tells her mother she needs to keep the snapdragon in her room for a science project and gets permission. Jackie draws the chrysalegg daily, waiting for something to happen as it gets larger. When the amazing creature inside breaks free, Jackie is more determined than ever to protect it, but this leads her further into secrets and lies. The results when her parents find out are painful, and resolving the problem will take courage, honesty, and trust. Dumas (Jaden Toussaint, the Greatest: Episode 5, 2017, etc.) presents a very likable character in Jackie. At 10, she’s young enough to enjoy playing with paper dolls but has a maturity that even older kids can lack. She’s resourceful, as when she wants to measure a red spot on the chrysalegg; lacking calipers, she fashions one from her hairpin. Jackie’s inward struggle about what to obey—her dearest wishes or the parents she loves—is one many readers will understand. The book complicates this question by making Jackie’s parents, especially her mother, strict (as one might expect to keep order in a large family) but undeniably loving and protective as well—it’s not just a question of outwitting clueless adults. Jackie’s feelings about the creature (tender and responsible but also more than a little obsessive) are similarly shaded rather than black-and-white. The ending suggests that an intriguing sequel is to come.
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943169-32-0
Page Count: 212
Publisher: Plum Street Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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BOOK REVIEW
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.
In the ninth book in the Bluford young-adult series, a young Latino man walks away from violence—but at great personal cost.
In a large Southern California city, 16-year-old Martin Luna hangs out on the fringes of gang life. He’s disaffected, fatherless and increasingly drawn into the orbit of the older, rougher Frankie. When a stray bullet kills Martin’s adored 8-year-old brother, Huero, Martin seems to be heading into a life of crime. But Martin’s mother, determined not to lose another son, moves him to another neighborhood—the fictional town of Bluford, where he attends the racially diverse Bluford High. At his new school, the still-grieving Martin quickly makes enemies and gets into trouble. But he also makes friends with a kind English teacher and catches the eye of Vicky, a smart, pretty and outgoing Bluford student. Martin’s first-person narration supplies much of the book’s power. His dialogue is plain, but realistic and believable, and the authors wisely avoid the temptation to lard his speech with dated and potentially embarrassing slang. The author draws a vivid and affecting picture of Martin’s pain and confusion, bringing a tight-lipped teenager to life. In fact, Martin’s character is so well drawn that when he realizes the truth about his friend Frankie, readers won’t feel as if they are watching an after-school special, but as though they are observing the natural progression of Martin’s personal growth. This short novel appears to be aimed at urban teens who don’t often see their neighborhoods portrayed in young-adult fiction, but its sophisticated characters and affecting story will likely have much wider appeal.
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2004
ISBN: 978-1591940173
Page Count: 152
Publisher: Townsend Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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