Satisfying and meaningful.
Fledgling witch Maud answers a call to help her unlikely friends save their people from a dangerous sleeping curse.
Likable witch-in-training Maud returns in this follow-up to Overy’s The Gingerbread Witch (2022). After receiving a mysterious fire post from witch hunter Gretel (of “Hansel and Gretel” fame), Maud sets off to ensure that she and her other flash old friends are safe. What she discovers is a mysterious, unleashed curse. Working with Gretel and Ludo, Maud encounters powerful, unforgiving witches, visits a dragon library, and surprises even herself with her resourcefulness and loyalty to her friends. Readers will enjoy the return of Maud’s companions: scene-stealing squirrel Nuss, who is made of gingerbread and hazelnut mousse, and sweet wolf pup Grim. What makes the story so compelling isn’t just the high-stakes magic or the thoughtful reimagining of “Sleeping Beauty” but rather the close relationships between young people who under normal circumstances wouldn’t and shouldn’t be friends. One particularly moving scene finds witch hunter Gretel declaring her friendship and loyalty to Maud. Queer representation is effortlessly included; most human characters are described as having light skin. Readers will come for the magic and adventure but will stay for the deep connections between characters and true-of-heart tests.
Satisfying and meaningful. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2023
ISBN: 9781335457974
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2023
A worthy combination of athletic action, the virtues of inner strength, and the importance of friendship.
A young tennis champion becomes the target of revenge.
In this sequel to Legacy and the Queen (2019), Legacy Petrin and her friends Javi and Pippa have returned to Legacy’s home province and the orphanage run by her father. With her friends’ help, she is in training to defend her championship when they discover that another player, operating under the protection of High Consul Silla, is presenting herself as Legacy. She is so convincing that the real Legacy is accused of being an imitation. False Legacy has become a hero to the masses, further strengthening Silla’s hold, and it becomes imperative to uncover and defeat her. If Legacy is to win again, she must play her imposter while disguised as someone else. Winning at tennis is not just about money and fame, but resisting Silla’s plans to send more young people into brutal mines with little hope of better lives. Legacy will have to overcome her fears and find the magic that allowed her to claim victory in the past. This story, with its elements of sports, fantasy, and social consciousness that highlight tensions between the powerful and those they prey upon, successfully continues the series conceived by late basketball superstar Bryant. As before, the tennis matches are depicted with pace and spirit. Legacy and Javi have brown skin; most other characters default to White.
A worthy combination of athletic action, the virtues of inner strength, and the importance of friendship. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: Aug. 24, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-949520-19-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Granity Studios
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
A moving tale of baseball, magic, and former rivals who come together to solve a problem.
A middle schooler struggles to adjust after moving to an idyllic Massachusetts town.
Trish Das is at a crossroads. Not only is the 12-year-old unhappy that her family has moved yet again due to her mother’s cardiology career, she also has to try out for a new baseball team. The fact that one of her new teammates is a former archrival further complicates matters. Math prodigy Ben Messina went head-to-head against fellow math whiz Trish at last spring’s Math Puzzlers Championship. When Trish emerged victorious, Ben was stunned. The two get closer when the team’s mysterious pregame snacks start making everyone play better while also causing magical side effects during games. Equally surprising are the cryptic puzzle booklets Trish and Ben receive in the mail that lead them to even more wins. But as the puzzles get harder to solve, the risk of failing to do so increases. Alternating between Trish’s and Ben’s perspectives, LaRocca’s novel—a companion to 2019’s Midsummer’s Mayhem—is a Much Ado About Nothing homage that explores parental expectations, complicated friendships, and teamwork. The protagonists’ love of problem-solving shines through, and the puzzles themselves are clearly explained. As a third-generation Indian American, Trish also has moving conversations about the circumstances that led her grandparents to emigrate and how those decisions still impact their lives. Ben is implied White. Final illustrations not seen.
A moving tale of baseball, magic, and former rivals who come together to solve a problem. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: June 15, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-4998-1101-8
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Yellow Jacket
Review Posted Online: March 30, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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