Further flights into danger, with more magical creatures to be met and rescued.
Rowan, fledgling protector of magical animals, struggles to protect a young pegasus from ruthless poachers in this second episode.
Forced to flee the Dark Forest with evil Estrians hot on their trail, Rowan and her winged, rapidly growing pegasus charge, Mouse, look for refuge back in Holderby—only to find that the war with Estria has turned even her hometown into a hostile armed camp. Catering to younger and more sensitive readers than in the first book, Flanagan spins out a storyline that’s high on narrow squeaks and implicit danger but low on explicit violence. She’s also quick to trot in horses, winged and otherwise, to please that set. A cast that includes a trio of helpful if otherworldly witches is headed by a protagonist with both burgeoning powers to heal and talk to animals and a heart big enough even to feel sympathy for her betrayer. With help from allies, the fugitives do go on to find at least temporary refuge. But will Rowan ever track down Mouse’s parents or be reunited with her own family? In its British edition, this series is already up to its fourth episode, so stay tuned. Todd-Stanton’s frequent illustrations reinforce the wholesome quality, with scenes of Mouse soaring in coltish delight and several sweet-featured figures, many of them dark-skinned.
Further flights into danger, with more magical creatures to be met and rescued. (Fantasy. 7-11)Pub Date: June 24, 2025
ISBN: 9781454957560
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: April 19, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2025
However the compelling fitness of theme and event and the apt but unexpected imagery (the opening sentences compare the...
At a time when death has become an acceptable, even voguish subject in children's fiction, Natalie Babbitt comes through with a stylistic gem about living forever.
Protected Winnie, the ten-year-old heroine, is not immortal, but when she comes upon young Jesse Tuck drinking from a secret spring in her parents' woods, she finds herself involved with a family who, having innocently drunk the same water some 87 years earlier, haven't aged a moment since. Though the mood is delicate, there is no lack of action, with the Tucks (previously suspected of witchcraft) now pursued for kidnapping Winnie; Mae Tuck, the middle aged mother, striking and killing a stranger who is onto their secret and would sell the water; and Winnie taking Mae's place in prison so that the Tucks can get away before she is hanged from the neck until....? Though Babbitt makes the family a sad one, most of their reasons for discontent are circumstantial and there isn't a great deal of wisdom to be gleaned from their fate or Winnie's decision not to share it.
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1975
ISBN: 0312369816
Page Count: 164
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1975
An effort as insubstantial as any spirit.
Eleven-year-old Maria Russo helps her charlatan mother hoodwink customers, but Maria has a spirited secret.
Maria’s mother, the psychic Madame Destine, cons widows out of their valuables with the assistance of their apartment building’s super, Mr. Fox. Madame Destine home-schools Maria, and because Destine is afraid of unwanted attention, she forbids Maria from talking to others. Maria is allowed to go to the library, where new librarian Ms. Madigan takes an interest in Maria that may cause her trouble. Meanwhile, Sebastian, Maria’s new upstairs neighbor, would like to be friends. All this interaction makes it hard for Maria to keep her secret: that she is visited by Edward, a spirit who tells her the actual secrets of Madame Destine’s clients via spirit writing. When Edward urges Maria to help Mrs. Fisher, Madame Destine’s most recent mark, Maria must overcome her shyness and her fear of her mother—helping Mrs. Fisher may be the key to the mysterious past Maria uncovers and a brighter future. Alas, picture-book–creator Ford’s middle-grade debut is a muddled, melodramatic mystery with something of an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink feel: In addition to the premise, there’s a tragically dead father, a mysterious family tree, and the Beat poets. Sluggish pacing; stilted, unrealistic dialogue; cartoonishly stock characters; and unattractive, flat illustrations make this one to miss. Maria and Sebastian are both depicted with brown skin, hers lighter than his; the other principals appear to be white.
An effort as insubstantial as any spirit. (author’s note) (Paranormal mystery. 7-10)Pub Date: July 21, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-20567-4
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano/Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020
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