FLYN STARMAN AND THE REALM OF THE SEVENTH SENSE

In Polman’s YA debut, a group of teens explore identity while on a magical adventure.

Australian high school student Flyn Starman lives with his Gran, the town’s healer. She has a wild garden from which she creates healing herbal mixtures. When Flyn; his best friend, Maisy Monnard; and several other students miss the bus for a school camping trip, two teachers opt to drive them. The students and teachers are in a minibus on a secluded road when, mysteriously, the bus and all gadgets stop working. The group disembarks, and the bus and road vanish. Tree branches begin moving and guiding the frightened troop deeper into the strange wilderness, where they encounter trolls and numerous other fantastic creatures. One important ally is the diminutive Green Man; he explains that they’ve entered the “Forest of All Creatures.” The teens and their teachers soon battle for their souls in a realm of wondrous opportunity and grave danger. Polman’s YA novel, using colorful elements that will entice middle-grade readers, warns young people about the perils of digital addiction via an extended metaphor representing the web. The baby trolls that attack anything in sight parallel trolls online who stir trouble. The Green Man, representing the healing outdoors, gives the teens warmth and light that are drained by screen time along with the lesson, “You cannot blame others or say mean things...without it having an effect on you. You will destroy your own light.” The fantasy ambiance is well established with lines like, “Pale moonlight lit up a narrow path stretching in front of them...dappled with the ghostly shadows of overhanging trees.” In the real world, Flyn’s Gran is calmly sure of his return. An Aboriginal elder named Junnumurra helps in the search. Polman’s message of embracing nature and minimizing technological dependence is laudable for adults, not just teens. The finale hints at a sequel.

This brightly conceived fantasy debut offers mindful solutions for digital addiction.