Young fantasy fans will likely enjoy this richly imagined tale and will eagerly await its next installment.
Barton’s explosive middle-grade fantasy debut tells about an orphan’s quest to save her magical best friend.
This epic fantasy, the first in a planned series, opens with the young Fiona asking a magical pond called Moonshadow how she can save her imprisoned best friend, a fairy named Jaydin. The pond responds that Fiona must offer her own life for Jaydin’s: “Pay in kind or the winds will still.” Jaydin has been accused of casting a Carpacem spell upon the king’s son, rendering the young boy nearly catatonic, yet totally awake. It’s the worst spell a magic user can inflict on someone, and the king doesn’t take it lightly—he imprisons Jaydin and threatens to execute him. With time running out, Fiona travels to the castle on her trusty talking horse, Manzy, and on the way picks up three princesses: Rhiannon, the bossy oldest; Isabel, the whiny middle child; and adorable Cricket, the youngest, who has a way of growling at her enemies and finding trouble. Manzy convinces the princesses to help save Jaydin by talking to their father, the king. As the adventure progresses, the group travels through dank tunnels beneath the castle, is locked in a dungeon and escapes into dangerous woods. Fiona’s penchant for explosives and magical spells adds to the fun. Teenage readers will no doubt relate to fiery Fiona and her need to stand up for what’s right, assert her independence and be true to her friends. Barton’s prose is clear and easy to read; it paints a fantastical, well-drawn picture of her fictional world, yet offers realistic, relatable characters throughout.
Young fantasy fans will likely enjoy this richly imagined tale and will eagerly await its next installment.Pub Date: Sept. 4, 2012
ISBN: 978-0615696959
Page Count: 206
Publisher: Flickerfawn
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
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