An exemplary multispecies cast steers this diverting, magical, genre-bending adventure.
Aliens help talking animals defend their earthly forest home from merciless villains in Benjamin’s middle-grade fantasy.
The purple, elf-like Keidon and his robot companion, Sirius (who resembles but is absolutely not a dog), are on a mission. Hailing from planet Veetox, the two have searched five other worlds for intelligent life and so far have had no luck. Then, they land in forested Shamwood on Earth and find themselves in the company of woodland animals who, unexpectedly, can talk. At first, the animals and their de facto leader, the human wizard Gladwin, believe Keidon and Sirius are spies for the evil King Zomak. As it happens, the alien visitors can provide aid in the ongoing war against Zomak, who has soldiers and the wicked sorceress Morguel on his side. The king is not above using blatant threats, kidnappings, or Morguel’s mind-control powers to get what he wants, but the greatest concern is the Horn, which must be periodically sounded to preserve Shamwood’s enchantment. If Zomak and Morguel get their hands on that magical item, “Shamwood will never be the same again.” Benjamin’s lighthearted tale is a genuine delight. The animals showcase a variety of personalities, including a resilient stag and a brave field mouse. Dogs Lily and Flip are standouts—Lily is seemingly fascinated by the metal, doglike Sirius, making Flip more than a little envious. The narrative feels like a series of subplots—the Horn thread, while absorbing, isn’t quite as exciting as some others, including one in which Sirius turns up missing. Still, the fusion of SF and fantasy elements works wonderfully; Morguel may terrorize her foes with her powerful magic, but Keidon’s laser gun is just as formidable, especially in its ability to turn anyone or anything into harmless balls (and back again).
An exemplary multispecies cast steers this diverting, magical, genre-bending adventure.Pub Date: Oct. 22, 2024
ISBN: 9798989590407
Page Count: 180
Publisher: Notable Kids Publishing
Review Posted Online: July 8, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An absorbing fantasy centered on a resilient female protagonist facing growth, change, and self-empowerment.
In Florence’s middle-grade fantasy novel, a young girl’s heart is tested in the face of an evil, spreading Darkness.
Eleven-year-old Lydia, “freckle-cheeked and round-eyed, with hair the color of pine bark and fair skin,” is struggling with the knowledge that she has reached the age to apprentice as an herbalist. Lydia is reluctant to leave her beloved, magical Mulberry Glen and her cozy Housetree in the woods—she’ll miss Garder, the Glen’s respected philosopher; her fairy guardian Pit; her human friend Livy; and even the mischievous part-elf, part-imp, part-human twins Zale and Zamilla. But the twins go missing after hearing of a soul-sapping Darkness that has swallowed a forest and is creeping into minds and engulfing entire towns. They have secretly left to find a rare fruit that, it is said, will stop the Darkness if thrown into the heart of the mountain that rises out of the lethal forest. Lydia follows, determined to find the twins before they, too, fall victim to the Darkness. During her journey, accompanied by new friends, she gradually realizes that she herself has a dangerous role to play in the quest to stop the Darkness. In this well-crafted fantasy, Florence skillfully equates the physical manifestation of Darkness with the feelings of insecurity and powerlessness that Lydia first struggles with when thinking of leaving the Glen. Such negative thoughts grow more intrusive the closer she and her friends come to the Darkness—and to Lydia’s ultimate, powerfully rendered test of character, which leads to a satisfyingly realistic, not quite happily-ever-after ending. Highlights include a delightfully haunting, reality-shifting library and a deft sprinkling of Latin throughout the text; Pit’s pet name for Lydia is mea flosculus (“my little flower”). Fine-lined ink drawings introducing each chapter add a pleasing visual element to this well-grounded fairy tale.
An absorbing fantasy centered on a resilient female protagonist facing growth, change, and self-empowerment.Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9781956393095
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Waxwing Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A real gem.
A 10-year old girl learns to adjust to a strange town, makes some fascinating friends, and fills the empty space in her heart thanks to a big old stray dog in this lyrical, moving, and enchanting book by a fresh new voice.
India Opal’s mama left when she was only three, and her father, “the preacher,” is absorbed in his own loss and in the work of his new ministry at the Open-Arms Baptist Church of Naomi [Florida]. Enter Winn-Dixie, a dog who “looked like a big piece of old brown carpet that had been left out in the rain.” But, this dog had a grin “so big that it made him sneeze.” And, as Opal says, “It’s hard not to immediately fall in love with a dog who has a good sense of humor.” Because of Winn-Dixie, Opal meets Miss Franny Block, an elderly lady whose papa built her a library of her own when she was just a little girl and she’s been the librarian ever since. Then, there’s nearly blind Gloria Dump, who hangs the empty bottle wreckage of her past from the mistake tree in her back yard. And, Otis, oh yes, Otis, whose music charms the gerbils, rabbits, snakes and lizards he’s let out of their cages in the pet store. Brush strokes of magical realism elevate this beyond a simple story of friendship to a well-crafted tale of community and fellowship, of sweetness, sorrow and hope. And, it’s funny, too.
A real gem. (Fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: March 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-7636-0776-2
Page Count: 182
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2000
SEEN & HEARD
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