WILLOW MOSS & THE LOST DAY

A girl with the ability to find lost things is tasked with finding a lost day.

Not everyone in Starfell “is lucky enough to have a bit of magic up their sleeves,” but Willow Moss deems her power to find lost things lackluster compared with the flashier powers her mother and sisters brandish. Willow’s therefore stunned when Moreg Vaine, the “most feared witch” in Starfell, seeks her help to find the missing last Tuesday and prevent the world from unraveling. The least likely candidate for saving the day, Willow’s afraid to refuse Moreg and secretly longs for adventure. Stuffing her only friend, Oswin (a savvy monster living under her bed), into her carpetbag, Willow departs with Moreg to search for the lost Tuesday. Arriving in witch-phobic Beady Hill, Moreg’s arrested and imprisoned, dispatching clueless Willow with cryptic instructions. Willow’s subsequent convoluted quest leads her to a floating village, suspended Cloud Mountains, a magical blue tree, and into Troll Country. Aided by eccentric helpers (a dragon, a seer of the past, and a female troll), as well as by Cockney-accented Oswin’s comic relief, Willow discovers she may just have the right moxie to save the day without flashy magic. Valente’s cozy worldbuilding and familiar characterizations make for a sweet, comfortable read. The human cast is a mostly white one.

What a difference a day makes in this intriguing fantasy.