An engaging young hero leads this inventive, intelligently mounted fantasy.
A 10-year-old girl’s belief that magic is real receives a ghostly confirmation in Black’s middle-grade fantasy novel.
After a move to a small California coastal town of Edna for her mother’s new job, fourth-grader Sara says her life is “crummy…with a capital C.” She has no friends at school, and worse, two girl bullies target her for ridicule and torment after they learn of her belief in magic. It doesn’t help that Sara’s mom, stepdad, and older brother have all happily adjusted to their new surroundings. At least Sara has a road trip with Mom to visit to her Gramsy’s farm to look forward to. On the lookout for magic along the way, Sara almost gives up, until they stop for an overnight stay at the old, rustic (and real-life) Deetjen’s Inn in the Big Sur redwood forest. Sara hears sounds in her room’s dark closet and discovers the magic she sought: a collection of ghostly clothing talking about their histories, led by Silas, a Civil War Union Army jacket. In this promising middle-grade novel debut, the author gives a fascinating, original supernatural twist to historical facts, adding real-world substance with coastal travel highlights, a grade-schooler’s relatable issues, and a touch of romance and mystery from the distant past. Framing educational content as conversational stories told by shoes, shirts, jackets, jeans, hats, and dresses—each with a colorful, individual personality—the author brings history to life. The book disappoints only in its treatment of bullying: When Sara finally reveals what her bullies have done (including a inflicting a slight physical injury, the destruction of property, and taunting), her mom unhelpfully asks what she plans to do about it and suggests she try to understand her bullies: “Sometimes it helps everybody involved if you can put yourself in the other person’s shoes.” Following the story’s suspenseful conclusion, Black gives readers some bonus material: a teaser for the next book in the series, more facts about the real places and people in the story, and some hands-on activities, including a recipe for fortune cookies.
An engaging young hero leads this inventive, intelligently mounted fantasy.Pub Date: Jan. 30, 2023
ISBN: 9780989523424
Page Count: 237
Publisher: Coalesce Press
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An adventurous, otherworldly story that explores emotional themes.
A 12-year-old witch is responsible for saving her family and town from evil.
Esmerelda Santos is a bruja—a descendant of one of the four original witches, who vanished along with their special daggers. Usually, brujxes can command one element. Esme’s sister, Lenny, is of Water, and her best friend, Tiago, is of Air, but Esme is a Chaos witch. All she wants to do with her power is ease her father’s grief over her mother’s death. When she finds a heart spell, Esme believes she can use it to heal him. While she and Tiago are off gathering the ingredients, however, a storm hits, and all the witches vanish, along with the town’s magic. Esme returns to find Lenny, who’s been stabbed with a dagger. Lenny delivers a cryptic message before going up in smoke: They must find an original witch from the Legend of Ire. Esme and Tiago travel to a “banished realm where forbidden magic runs wild,” befriend a cursed fox, and find their way through portals to confront an unknown evil. If they fail, their families will be lost to Oblivion and their town of San Bosco will cease to exist. While readers must initially follow many different threads, the storyline smooths out as it develops. Once the worldbuilding is established, readers will be rewarded by being transported into the magical, mysterious world Esme inhabits as they follow her journey of self-discovery through grief and love. Final art not seen.
An adventurous, otherworldly story that explores emotional themes. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2024
ISBN: 9780063312074
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2024
A delightful read.
In this fast-paced sequel to Saving Fable (2019), protagonist Indira Story and her friends must save their world from a powerful force before it destroys them.
Following the completion of her first story, Indira is looking forward to a vacation. At Protagonist Prep, however, Brainstorm Underglass has other plans: She sends Indira on a quest tutorial titled “Hero’s Journey” to teach her the art of complementary teamwork. Her assigned teammates include: Allen Squalls, a boy who was so traumatized by the ousted Brainstorm Ketty that he needs to recover his confidence; Indira’s best friend, Phoenix, who might be a potential romantic interest in her next story; and Gadget, a talented girl who needs to learn to focus on the story rather than on the technology in front of her. Although Indira and her companions begin their quest in the town of Ordinary, they are interrupted by an unexpected, all-powerful entity who threatens to destroy their world, and it is up to the team to save their world…again. In many ways, this outing is far more compelling than its predecessor: While both novels revel in witty literary humor, Indira’s second adventure has an evenly paced plot and characters that are better developed and more accessible. Brown-skinned Indira’s name suggests that she is Indian, but her cultural identity is not plumbed; her teammates seem to default to White.
A delightful read. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Feb. 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-525-64672-3
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: June 29, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2020
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