SOPHIA AND THE DRAGON-EYE CHARMS

In this chapter-book fantasy, Christopherson explores themes of love, grief, friendship, and courage.

Sophia is a girl grappling with the death of her younger brother Seth and a move from California to Texas. “Stupid death. Stupid moving!! I feel like a soggy towel just hanging around and I won’t ever be dry and fluffy again,” she writes in her journal. One day, while exploring a garden in a nursery, Sophia finds a mysterious fairy village. Mateo, the nursery owner, gifts her with a powerful and rare dragon-eye charm and informs her that she is the chosen Carrier of the gem. Soon after, a pair of fairies named Neram and Maren appear in Sophia’s bedroom. They transform Sophia into a fairy and take her through a portal to the enchanted land of Lorendunine, a mystical world of magical beings known as the Vidagreen. There, Sophia encounters a powerful tree spirit named Lady Willow. Sophia learns from Lady Willow that “fragments of aggression” called Buhkranks have stolen a treasured orange dragon-eye gem, which allows a Buhkrank to invade human spaces and “parasitize its human host for days, or even months.” The antidote to this destructive power is love and joy. As Sophia immerses herself in the Vidagreen’s battle to protect their world and recover the stolen gem, she learns more about the power of heart magic and her own ability to love. After returning home and transforming back into a human, Sophia applies these lessons to accepting her emotions and coming to terms with her losses. Christopherson paints a vivid picture of this fantasy land with lines like, “Everything here was covered in soft, verdant moss, and the dew drops, which looked like strings of crystal drop ornaments, decorated the forest in luxury.” Describing Sophia’s transformation, Christopherson effectively employs sensory details, writing, “an iridescent mist that smelled like pears and sounded like the gentle lapping of ocean waves enveloped her.” However, readers looking for a more in-depth, realistic treatment of grief may find the convoluted fantasy elements distracting.

An intricate and whimsical adventure story about a bereaved girl best suited to fantasy fans.