Another magic school story, albeit expertly wrought and worth planting on shelves for its cogent themes.
A hidden door in Kew Gardens leads a child to life-changing truths about herself and her family.
Having spent most of her life traveling around the world with Leila, her intrepid eco-journalist mother, 11-year-old Daisy Thistledown has acquired useful skills, from shoplifting to slingshot expertise, but not magic—or so she thinks. In the wake of her mother’s sudden disappearance in the Amazon, Daisy enters Mallowmarsh, one of a set of pocket universes called the Greenwild where magical flora and the Botanists who preserve and study them shelter from the hostile Grayside, as they call our world. Met with both welcome and suspicion, Daisy quickly fits in without losing her determination to return to the Grayside to search for Leila and goes on to play a pivotal role in saving Mallowmarsh from mysterious eco-cidal villains dubbed Grim Reapers. The author tucks in a standard-issue magical school for Daisy to attend, though largely just as a setting for occasional class encounters with viciously feral plants, and kits her out with a lively supporting cast complete with a ghost, several previously unknown relatives, and (in the role of Draco Malfoy) bully “Poison” Ivy Helix to sneer at her supposed lack of magic and deride her for being an “unlawful immigrant.” Daisy’s mother is Persian, and her deceased English father is cued White. Finely detailed illustrations by Paganelli join Baker’s equally exact botanical ones.
Another magic school story, albeit expertly wrought and worth planting on shelves for its cogent themes. (map) (Fantasy. 9-13)Pub Date: June 6, 2023
ISBN: 9780374391379
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: April 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
A strong start to a new series in the ever-popular Warriors world: Legions of fans will purr.
Increased evidence of encroachment by Twolegs and other ominous signs of change roil the five feline Clans of the lake territories in this kickoff of a new story arc.
In intertwined storylines, a distracting voice in a young apprentice’s head takes on increasingly scary strength, disturbing visions inform an experienced warrior that she’s been chosen by the spirit guides of StarClan to play an unwanted role in impending troubles, and a wise but weakening Clan leader faces being voted out of office due to her age. Meanwhile, the enigmatic Twolegs are tearing up a forested area, poisoning an important stream, and possibly threatening all the established territories of the five Clans. Avid series fans will welcome encounters with older versions of Leafstar, Tawnypelt, and other stalwarts whom they met in previous episodes. Detailed maps labeling the terrain in both cat and Twoleg terms appear at the beginning of the book, along with a cast list of truly imposing length, helping any readers who need reminders to keep track of the dozens of relationships and Clan affiliations. Better yet, expertly mixed in among dreams and discussions that crank up the general level of anxiety, the book has enough incidental action and individual wrestling with personal issues to help the main characters stand out from the furry crowd.
A strong start to a new series in the ever-popular Warriors world: Legions of fans will purr. (Animal fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9780063357068
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A thrilling, action-packed journey filled with heart, bravery, and ghostly exploits.
An ocean-dwelling ghost girl confronts powerful forces.
Graciela is dead. She fell from a cliff into the ocean in a terrible accident, only to awaken as a ghost in an underwater community of spirits—souls of those who have died at sea. Her Guide and friend, Amina, teaches her how to navigate this new existence, from performing duties that make “the living world more bearable by keeping the sea in a delicate balance,” to the rules that protect them from the living. Amina dreams of joining the Almas, powerful spirits who guard the ocean’s secrets from the castle Salemúria, but Graciela is desperate for Amina to stay with her. Meanwhile, Jorge Leon, a boy from a long line of blacksmiths, is trapped by his brutish parents in a life of cruelty. His only joy is crafting whimsical toys from metal scraps. When Jorge discovers a sinister harpoon forged by his treasure-hunting ancestor—one capable of killing sea ghosts—he attempts to render it harmless but accidentally sets off a dangerous chain of events. When Graciela’s and Jorge’s paths cross, they must work together to confront and defeat evil forces. With breathtaking underwater worldbuilding and eerie details, Medina’s latest immerses readers in Graciela’s ghostly realm, and they’ll root for the unlikely duo on their perilous quest. The Balbussos’ hauntingly beautiful illustrations enhance the story. The characters and setting evoke Spanish and Portuguese cultural influences.
A thrilling, action-packed journey filled with heart, bravery, and ghostly exploits. (map, color guide, glossary) (Fantasy. 9-13)Pub Date: July 1, 2025
ISBN: 9781536219456
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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