A sweet choice for readers who prefer their fantasy thoughtful instead of action-packed.
For years, Cat Campbell has dreamed of having magical powers like her great-great-grandmother Mabel and attending Ruthersfield Academy, “the only accredited school for magic in the country.”
Yet her mother, beloved town baker Poppy Pendle, the now-grown heroine of The Power of Poppy Pendle (2012), is adamant that magic is a terrible gift, refusing to even speak about her magical girlhood. When Cat comes across her mother’s old wand, however, she is able to use it to change a hairy spider into a colorful ball—she is magical after all! Now she just has to convince her mother to allow her to attend Ruthersfield. While learning to control her new abilities, Cat must live out the motto of her favorite book, The Late Bloomer’s Guide to Magic: “Nem zentar topello” means “Don’t let fear stand in your way.” Cat easily conquers her fear of spiders and finds the courage to face the wickedest witch ever to escape from Scrubs Prison. But her biggest challenge? How to follow her passion for magic against her mother’s wishes. Lowe’s simple plot of parent-child conflict unfolds in a now-familiar wizarding world, tension arising more from emotions than external thrills, despite that wicked witch. The appended recipes include incantations and substitutions if readers are unable to find pixie laughs or unicorn milk at the local grocery.
A sweet choice for readers who prefer their fantasy thoughtful instead of action-packed. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Jan. 6, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4814-1870-6
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 21, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2014
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Ratcheted-up stakes keep readers invested in this rollicking-good sequel.
In this sequel to Maya and the Rising Dark (2020), Maya and her Papa, the orisha Elegguá, are repairing a gigantic tear in the veil, the astral divider between humanity and the Dark.
This exercise is part of Chicago resident Maya’s continuing lessons as a guardian-in-training. Of course, the Lord of Shadows chooses this moment for a vengeful strike in retaliation for the orishas’ killing of his creations, the darkbringers. Maya notices Papa is taking longer to recover than usual; he confesses that ever since the Lord of Shadows held him captive, his strength and powers haven’t quite returned—but he doesn’t know why. During Elegguá’s visit with wise orisha Obatala in the city of Azur, Obatala tells him that the Lord of Shadows took his soul during the battle in which Maya set Elegguá free. Without his soul, Elegguá will slowly die. In the meantime, some of Maya’s schoolmates come into their own godling powers, which causes them internal confusion and their middle school to erupt into chaos—and could lead to celestial chaos as well. Like its predecessor, this volume presents a multicultural universe that centers West African influences; the worldbuilding is developed here in greater detail, with the action picking up later in the novel. Readers are plunged into a continuation of the story with little recap, making knowledge of the first book a necessity.
Ratcheted-up stakes keep readers invested in this rollicking-good sequel. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: Sept. 21, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-358-10632-6
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: July 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
A delightful read for anyone who loves magic.
When 12-year-old Rufus Takada Collins finds an old train, it puts him in the midst of a magical, life-or-death scavenger hunt.
After a school year characterized by what he thinks of as a series of Fatal Errors, Rufus is looking forward to spending the summer with Grandpa Jack at Feylawn, the family property that encompasses forest, meadow, creek, and orchard. At Feylawn, Rufus finds an old-fashioned locomotive. Unfortunately, Grandpa Jack is hurt falling through rotting floorboards before he can learn about the train, and Rufus’ father bans Rufus from Feylawn. Rufus sneaks back and finds he can now see fairylike creatures called feylings. He discovers the train is the feylings’ only way home, and it’s been missing for years. With the help of his pretentious cousin, Rufus must decipher old clues to find the missing train parts. But this journey leads him to possibly the ultimate Fatal Error. With mischievous feylings, goblins, and magic, this is an exciting, fast-paced middle-grade fantasy. The characters’ experiences are also grounded in the real world: parental unemployment, divorce, friendship, familial bonds, growing up, family secrets, grief, and loss. Big lessons for readers and Rufus both are the importance of looking at the bigger picture and understanding how choices affect more than just ourselves. Both cousins are biracial; Rufus’ mother is of Japanese heritage, and his father is white, and Abigail’s father is Mexican, and her mother is white.
A delightful read for anyone who loves magic. (map) (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: July 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-374-30119-4
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: May 2, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2020
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