A vibrant and message-driven literary reimagining.
Perez offers an alternate take on The Wizard of Oz in this fantasy novel.
The story opens as the Munchkins celebrate the death of Nessarose, the Wicked Witch of the East, after she’s been crushed by a falling house. To their great dismay, Nessa emerges unhurt, aside from some bruises and scratches, but missing her ruby slippers—and her memory. The Munchkins send Nessa down the treacherous Red Brick Road in search of her slippers. On that road, Nessa comes across a disturbing scene: “In the yard, a group of children played, or so it seemed at first glance. Their frozen forms stood motionless, hands raised mid-game, faces caught in an expression of joy.” Nessa learns that before her accident, she caused the magical devastation along the Red Brick Road in a fit of energy and excitement, and she sets off on a quest to repair the damage. After she meets a bilingual goat named Dr. Guillermo Cabro, the two decide to visit the Archives of Magic in the Emerald City to find a way to reverse what she’s done. They’ll need someone to translate the ancient texts, so Nessa’s sister, Elphaba (aka the Wicked Witch of the West), joins the journey. The three must sneak into the Wizard’s study to find the Book of Enchantment, which they hope will hold the key to both undoing Nessa’s crimes and exposing the Wizard for his misdeeds. Perez’s prose is wonderfully descriptive (“Abandoned houses…dotted the roadside, their windows dark and empty, like hollow eyes watching her journey”), though the dialogue can sometimes feel overly moralistic. The author manages to capture the essences of some well-known characters; Glinda is perfectly herself: “Oh, my dear, Nessa! I didn’t even see you there. Isn’t it just wonderful to see me?” While readers unfamiliar with this universe may find themselves out of their depth, fans of Wicked and The Wizard of Oz will appreciate this twist on Nessa’s story.
A vibrant and message-driven literary reimagining.Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2025
ISBN: 9798900305615
Page Count: 218
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: July 2, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Immersive and engaging, despite some flaws, and destined to capture imaginations.
Magic, mystery, and love intertwine and invite in this newest take on the “enchanted circus” trope.
Sisters raised by their abusive father, a governor of a colonial backwater in a world vaguely reminiscent of the late 18th century, Scarlett and Donatella each long for something more. Scarlett, olive-skinned, dark of hair and attitude, longs for Caraval, the fabled, magical circus helmed by the possibly evil Master Legend Santos, while blonde, sunny Tella finds comfort in drink and the embraces of various men. A slightly awkward start, with inconsistencies of attitude and setting, rapidly smooths out when they, along with handsome “golden-brown” sailor Julian, flee to Caraval on the eve of Scarlett’s arranged marriage. Tella disappears, and Scarlett must navigate a nighttime world of magic to find her. Caraval delights the senses: beautiful and scary, described in luscious prose, this is a show readers will wish they could enter. Dresses can be purchased for secrets or days of life; clocks can become doors; bridges move: this is an inventive and original circus, laced with an edge of horror. A double love story, one sensual romance and the other sisterly loyalty, anchors the plot, but the real star here is Caraval and its secrets.
Immersive and engaging, despite some flaws, and destined to capture imaginations. (Fantasy. 14 & up)Pub Date: Jan. 31, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-250-09525-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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