A deliciously atmospheric, full-bodied magical brew.
A tween accidentally unleashes a monster made of tea.
After constantly relocating, Finley Barnes and her mother stay awhile with Fin’s aunt and cousin, Eddie, in Aldermere. Tourists may clamor for hikes or seek cryptids around the Northern California town, but only the locals know about the real magic—including the vanishing tea shop. For the price of a whispered memory immediately forgotten, the shop’s tea temporarily changes people. Fin exchanges her memories to ease her debilitating anxiety, but when misfortune befalls its owner, the tea shop abruptly closes. The tea’s addictive reprieve from mental anguish motivates Fin to mess with magic and brew it herself. Unfortunately, a misstep in the process brings the tea leaves to life, and they morph into Fin’s likeness. Can Fin and Eddie stop Teafin before it’s too late? Lloyd-Jones’ middle-grade debut blends memorable characters, rich descriptions, and a dash of magical mischief to create an original tale. Firmly grounded by Fin’s third-person point of view and a strong sense of place, the tight narrative luxuriates in its slow revelation of the central mysteries. Layered, sophisticated storytelling plants clues for careful readers and gives heart-wrenching depth to characters’ trauma and resilience. Most characters default to White; names and passing references cue some diversity in ethnicity and family structure. The ending hints at a possible sequel.
A deliciously atmospheric, full-bodied magical brew. (map) (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Feb. 22, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-06-305798-2
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 29, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2021
The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often...
A successful juvenile by the beloved New Yorker writer portrays a farm episode with an imaginative twist that makes a poignant, humorous story of a pig, a spider and a little girl.
Young Fern Arable pleads for the life of runt piglet Wilbur and gets her father to sell him to a neighbor, Mr. Zuckerman. Daily, Fern visits the Zuckermans to sit and muse with Wilbur and with the clever pen spider Charlotte, who befriends him when he is lonely and downcast. At the news of Wilbur's forthcoming slaughter, campaigning Charlotte, to the astonishment of people for miles around, spins words in her web. "Some Pig" comes first. Then "Terrific"—then "Radiant". The last word, when Wilbur is about to win a show prize and Charlotte is about to die from building her egg sac, is "Humble". And as the wonderful Charlotte does die, the sadness is tempered by the promise of more spiders next spring.
The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often informative as amusing, and the whole tenor of appealing wit and pathos will make fine entertainment for reading aloud, too.Pub Date: Oct. 15, 1952
ISBN: 978-0-06-026385-0
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1952
PERSPECTIVES
SEEN & HEARD
Telgemeier’s bold colors, superior visual storytelling, and unusual subject matter will keep readers emotionally engaged and...
Catrina narrates the story of her mixed-race (Latino/white) family’s move from Southern California to Bahía de la Luna on the Northern California coast.
Dad has a new job, but it’s little sister Maya’s lungs that motivate the move: she has had cystic fibrosis since birth—a degenerative breathing condition. Despite her health, Maya loves adventure, even if her lungs suffer for it and even when Cat must follow to keep her safe. When Carlos, a tall, brown, and handsome teen Ghost Tour guide introduces the sisters to the Bahía ghosts—most of whom were Spanish-speaking Mexicans when alive—they fascinate Maya and she them, but the terrified Cat wants only to get herself and Maya back to safety. When the ghost adventure leads to Maya’s hospitalization, Cat blames both herself and Carlos, which makes seeing him at school difficult. As Cat awakens to the meaning of Halloween and Day of the Dead in this strange new home, she comes to understand the importance of the ghosts both to herself and to Maya. Telgemeier neatly balances enough issues that a lesser artist would split them into separate stories and delivers as much delight textually as visually. The backmatter includes snippets from Telgemeier’s sketchbook and a photo of her in Día makeup.
Telgemeier’s bold colors, superior visual storytelling, and unusual subject matter will keep readers emotionally engaged and unable to put down this compelling tale. (Graphic fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-545-54061-2
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2016
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