Wild fantasy, sly satire, and sharply observed family dynamics are the hallmarks of this tasty, effervescent series (along...
Nora was thrilled to find Mabel in a flowerpot on her doorstep, even if the baby’s unconventional arrival displeased their neighbors in 1881 Yorkshire.
When Mabel’s proven to have strong magical abilities, Nora sends her to Ruthersfield, a highly regarded academy for witches in Potts Bottom. Moving the whole household to Potts Bottom allows Nora to keep Mabel’s adoption secret—even from Mabel: only kind Daisy and sour Nanny Grimshaw know. At Ruthersfield, Mabel makes friends and enjoys learning magic but chafes at the strict limits and senseless rules the academy places on its use by young ladies. Why must witches ride broomsticks sidesaddle when riding astride would be easier and safer? Learning to dance the “waft and glide,” mastering sparkling conversation spells for dinner parties, and enhancing her complexion with unicorn-milk soap don’t interest Mabel. Curious and daring, she experiments, creating new spells (with surprising results). Witchcraft runs in families, so Mabel’s family tree must include witches, but Nora won’t discuss them. Then a jealous classmate learns the truth about her flowerpot origins and reveals it to the entire school, devastating Mabel. She’ll need courage and love to get through this—magic can’t solve everything. Adoption is treated with sensitivity and in an age-appropriate way.
Wild fantasy, sly satire, and sharply observed family dynamics are the hallmarks of this tasty, effervescent series (along with mouthwatering recipes); this volume’s the most delectable yet. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-6533-5
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Paula Wiseman/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A disjointed yet sincere story about family, Judaism, and finding oneself.
Hannah is desperate to be Jewish.
Grandma Mimi, her mother’s mother, is Jewish, so according to Jewish law she must be too, right? Even if her White father, who was raised Catholic, and her nonreligious mother don’t seem to think so. When Hannah attends her best friend Shira’s bat mitzvah, she finally finds the place where she feels she belongs, and she decides to have her very own bat mitzvah. Unfortunately, her parents—especially her mother—vehemently disagree. So, Hannah schemes with Grandma Mimi and Aunt Yael, a rabbi and her mother’s estranged sister, to prepare for her own bat mitzvah. Hannah secretly learns Hebrew and studies her Torah portion in six months, and her rapid mastery of the language feels unrealistic. Her experience is an authentic portrayal of struggling to find oneself through religion even when parents may not be supportive. However, Hannah’s parents’ constant negativity about Judaism—her father frequently “jokes” in ways that read like microaggressions, and the context for her mother’s hostile comments is not revealed until the end—will be deeply uncomfortable for some readers, though the novel does end with a positive message of love and acceptance. The mix of prose, poetry, and recipes is original, but the execution leads to a disjointed and choppy read. Readers questioning their sense of belonging could find this to be exactly what they need.
A disjointed yet sincere story about family, Judaism, and finding oneself. (author's note) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 14, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-358-38691-9
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Versify/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 7, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
A sweet adventure and a paean to imagination and childhood innocence.
A fantasy world comes to life and lures its young creators back into it in this imaginative middle-grade debut and U.K. import.
Narrator Arthur always loved playing make-believe in Grandad’s attic with his twin sister, Rose. Years ago they dreamed up Roar, a magical land that they entered via an old fold-up cot that acted as a portal. Now that they are 11 and starting school at Langdon Academy, Rose has new friends and wants nothing to do with her brother or their imaginary world. Rose may be done with Roar, but it’s not finished with her. When their grandfather is kidnapped and taken into Roar, Arthur and Rose must team up to mount a rescue mission. McLachlan does an excellent job of establishing the sibling tension before introducing the fantasy elements, and Rose’s desire to grow up and fit in feels as familiar and accessible as Arthur’s yearning to remain a child. While obviously reminiscent of classic fantasy, this narrative’s sheer inventiveness marks it as distinct. The twins’ widowed grandfather, a larger-than-life jokester from Mauritius, is a Peter Pan–like figure whose abduction brings the narrative into Roar, allowing the text and Mantle’s illustrations to go wild with creativity. The use of a wordless double-page spread to depict Arthur’s arrival into the fantasy realm is particularly inventive. Arthur and Rose are depicted as kids of color.
A sweet adventure and a paean to imagination and childhood innocence. (map) (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: June 30, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-06-298271-1
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 14, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2020
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