A smart, funny, exciting fantasy novel for younger readers who love all things magical.
A 12-year-old boy finds himself at the center of a foreboding prophecy in Thompson’s middle-grade fantasy novel.
Ty Baxter’s biggest problems in life are tedious classes, a strict dad, and a gang of roughhousing bullies. With his good friend Jackson by his side—and occasional visits from Streak, a clever crow with a white feather—Ty tries to take his seemingly ordinary life in stride even though each day seems more boring than the last. When Ty sees bullies throwing rocks at Streak, he teams up with Ayslenne—a quiet, strange student dubbed “Magic Girl” by teasing classmates—to save him. This brave act culminates in a flurry of magic in which the unlikely duo is catapulted into Arcania, a fantastical world of people with supernatural abilities, mystifying prophecies, armies of humans-turned-crows, and an evil emperor: Blackthorn. Ty’s familiar world is gone (“He took a deep breath, then stepped forward, reaching out his hand the way Ayslenne had. The moment he touched the shimmering surface, the world around him dissolved into a blinding flare of light”); as if that isn’t stressful enough for a 12-year-old boy, Ty finds himself at the very center of an effort to save the doomed Arcania. There is much for middle-grade readers to love about this fantasy novel; the relatability of the cast, both young and old, is just the beginning. Each character is developed and complex, whether intended to be lovable or detestable, and the relationship between Ty and Ayslenne, which blooms throughout the novel, is funny and sweet. The narrative is fantastically paced, managing to build a world, establish its lore, introduce and develop characters, and kick off an epic series, all while delivering invigorating doses of action and excitement. Ty and Ayslenne’s adventure will effortlessly hook readers and keep them eagerly turning the pages until the very end.
A smart, funny, exciting fantasy novel for younger readers who love all things magical.Pub Date: May 29, 2022
ISBN: 9780995994249
Page Count: 332
Publisher: Inky Cove
Review Posted Online: May 12, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A deceptively simple, tender tale in which respect, resilience, and hope triumph.
Generations of human and animal families grow and change, seen from the point of view of the red oak Wishing Tree that shelters them all.
Most trees are introverts at heart. So says Red, who is over 200 years old and should know. Not to mention that they have complicated relationships with humans. But this tree also has perspective on its animal friends and people who live within its purview—not just witnessing, but ultimately telling the tales of young people coming to this country alone or with family. An Irish woman named Maeve is the first, and a young 10-year-old Muslim girl named Samar is the most recent. Red becomes the repository for generations of wishes; this includes both observing Samar’s longing wish and sporting the hurtful word that another young person carves into their bark as a protest to Samar’s family’s presence. (Red is monoecious, they explain, with both male and female flowers.) Newbery medalist Applegate succeeds at interweaving an immigrant story with an animated natural world and having it all make sense. As Red observes, animals compete for resources just as humans do, and nature is not always pretty or fair or kind. This swiftly moving yet contemplative read is great for early middle grade, reluctant or tentative readers, or precocious younger students.
A deceptively simple, tender tale in which respect, resilience, and hope triumph. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-250-04322-1
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: Aug. 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2017
An absorbing fantasy centered on a resilient female protagonist facing growth, change, and self-empowerment.
In Florence’s middle-grade fantasy novel, a young girl’s heart is tested in the face of an evil, spreading Darkness.
Eleven-year-old Lydia, “freckle-cheeked and round-eyed, with hair the color of pine bark and fair skin,” is struggling with the knowledge that she has reached the age to apprentice as an herbalist. Lydia is reluctant to leave her beloved, magical Mulberry Glen and her cozy Housetree in the woods—she’ll miss Garder, the Glen’s respected philosopher; her fairy guardian Pit; her human friend Livy; and even the mischievous part-elf, part-imp, part-human twins Zale and Zamilla. But the twins go missing after hearing of a soul-sapping Darkness that has swallowed a forest and is creeping into minds and engulfing entire towns. They have secretly left to find a rare fruit that, it is said, will stop the Darkness if thrown into the heart of the mountain that rises out of the lethal forest. Lydia follows, determined to find the twins before they, too, fall victim to the Darkness. During her journey, accompanied by new friends, she gradually realizes that she herself has a dangerous role to play in the quest to stop the Darkness. In this well-crafted fantasy, Florence skillfully equates the physical manifestation of Darkness with the feelings of insecurity and powerlessness that Lydia first struggles with when thinking of leaving the Glen. Such negative thoughts grow more intrusive the closer she and her friends come to the Darkness—and to Lydia’s ultimate, powerfully rendered test of character, which leads to a satisfyingly realistic, not quite happily-ever-after ending. Highlights include a delightfully haunting, reality-shifting library and a deft sprinkling of Latin throughout the text; Pit’s pet name for Lydia is mea flosculus (“my little flower”). Fine-lined ink drawings introducing each chapter add a pleasing visual element to this well-grounded fairy tale.
An absorbing fantasy centered on a resilient female protagonist facing growth, change, and self-empowerment.Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9781956393095
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Waxwing Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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