A mostly successful blend of mysticism, legend, and ecological awareness.
A girl who can summon birds discovers her magical ancestry in this middle-grade novel, the third in a series.
As described in two previous series installments, 12-year-old Claire can commune with birds. On their invitation, she can enter a dimension called the Now. Claire is traveling with her mother from their home in Pennsylvania to County Limerick, Ireland, to visit Claire’s grandmother and great-grandmother, called Mamo, at their bed-and-breakfast. From Mamo, Claire learns she’s a direct descendant of Gealala, meaning Shining Swan, through seven generations of the female line. Gealala was a descendant of the Tuatha de Danann, who could transform themselves into birds, fish, or animals. Claire’s snow-white hair and golden eyes are a sign she, too, has this magic. As a “Champion of the Wing,” her task is to investigate family records and find a way to activate her abilities on behalf of a pair of Irish curlews—an endangered species whose nesting site is threatened. Claire has allies that include Oak, a troubled 8-year-old orphan; five elders from the ancient provinces of Ireland; and the four white raptors of the family crest. With the Irish setting for her series, Butler deepens the underlying mythic structure to reach back into the legendary past, an intriguing development for the overall story and for Claire’s coming-of-age journey. The endangered birds capture reader sympathy and help to bridge ancient and modern concerns. Less sympathetic despite her orphan status is Oak, who is by turns bossy, hysterical, or pouting. As with the earlier outings, Butler’s style sometimes suffers from awkward and inelegant phrasing, such as “surveying her limbs clothed in denim and flannel” and “the volatile orphan.”
A mostly successful blend of mysticism, legend, and ecological awareness.Pub Date: March 17, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-98-203427-9
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Pinchey House Press
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A pleasing premise for book lovers.
A fantasy-loving bookworm makes a wonderful, terrible bargain.
When sixth grader Poppy Woodlock’s historic preservationist parents move the family to the Oregon coast to work on the titular stately home, Poppy’s sure she’ll find magic. Indeed, the exiled water nymph in the manor’s ruined swimming pool grants a wish, but: “Magic isn’t free. It cosssts.” The price? Poppy’s favorite book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. In return she receives Sampson, a winged lion cub who is everything Poppy could have hoped for. But she soon learns that the nymph didn’t take just her own physical book—she erased Narnia from Poppy’s world. And it’s just the first loss: Soon, Poppy’s grandmother’s journal’s gone, then The Odyssey, and more. The loss is heartbreaking, but Sampson’s a wonderful companion, particularly as Poppy’s finding middle school a tough adjustment. Hartman’s premise is beguiling—plenty of readers will identify with Poppy, both as a fellow bibliophile and as a kid struggling to adapt. Poppy’s repeatedly expressed faith that unveiling Sampson will bring some sort of vindication wears thin, but that does not detract from the central drama. It’s a pity that the named real-world books Poppy reads are notably lacking in diversity; a story about the power of literature so limited in imagination lets both itself and readers down. Main characters are cued White; there is racial diversity in the supporting cast. Chapters open with atmospheric spot art. (This review has been updated to reflect the final illustrations.)
A pleasing premise for book lovers. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9780316448222
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
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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