FAYLINN

Siblings brave a world of mythical beings to rescue their baby sister in Salten’s middle-grade fantasy.

Late one night, 13-year-old Thomas Pinbrook spots creatures resembling goblins inside the family home. He watches them replace his infant sister, Isabelle, with a “revolting,” baby-size one of their own—it’s clearly a dream. The following morning, however, his mother is convinced Isabelle isn’t really Isabelle, despite her unchanged appearance. After doing some research with his younger know-it-all sister Libby, Thomas concludes that faeries have kidnapped Isabelle and left behind a changeling. Luckily, the kids’ grandmother Millie once encountered a fae and knows all about Faylinn, where the creatures hail from. As Millie must use her “basic” magic skills to protect Thomas and Libby’s parents from the changeling, it’s up to the siblings to cross a portal into Faylinn. This world has magic, assorted fantastical creatures, and even a winged carriage. Some of the otherworldly beings, like sidhe (lanky faerie metal workers), gnomes, and elves, prove affable and accommodating. Salten unspools a delightful, breezy adventure. While Thomas and Libby certainly run into their share of troubles, their bond is strong (the kids occasionally argue but it’s never serious; there’s no doubt they care for one another as well as for the baby sister they’ve vowed to save) and their irresistible allies are abundant. The narrative practically overflows with familiar mythical characters, including pixies and mermaids alongside less-friendly goblins and trolls. Others may be new to some readers, from a rideable, furry pooka (a creature that takes on many hybrid forms) to a terrifying amarok (a huge, wolf-like, yellow-eyed beast with razor-sharp teeth). Salten’s prose shines throughout, especially when describing Faylinn and its seemingly endless forests, vast rolling hills, and a palace room “made of clear glass, with the sparkling water from the palace’s moat flowing underneath, giving the illusion that they were walking on water.”

A sublime, magical tale with likable young heroes leading an effervescent supernatural cast.