SUZY AND THE MAGIC TURNIP (THE PERILOUS TIMES SAGA)

In Dunning’s YA novel, an eclectic resistance group turns to a teen girl and a magical root vegetable to save a world ravaged by famine.

Teenager Suzy lives in a barren world where food scarcity is the norm; in many places, not even grass grows. Her parents are missing, so she stays with her Aunt Ethel and Uncle Sid. The soup grows thinner each day, and they and their neighbors follow suit—except for Mrs. Limpke, a woman so robust she barely fits in the purple, supercharged electric wheelchair she zooms about in. Suzy can’t resist spying on someone so curious, and one night she spies the woman singing and dancing bizarrely in her yard next door. When Mrs. Limpke runs afoul of a menacing figure (a “surprisingly big man in [a] black coat and hat”), the corpulent woman reveals that Suzy has been chosen by a magical turnip with a provenance that harkens back to what is now modern-day Ukraine. Now the turnip’s keeper, Suzy finds her new cruciferous charge draws not only the attention of murderous figures who may have connections to the virus that caused the famine, but also that of allies in the form of the Resistance, the Eyrie—founded, in part, by her own parents. This first entry in Dunning’s The Perilous Times Saga leans on familiar hallmarks of the YA genre, from a curious, intelligent teen protagonist burdened with unexpected responsibility to the inconveniences of dealing with coming-of-age awkwardness while battling a shadowy conspiracy. The supporting cast feel well rounded, with layered, hinted-at backstories and fun idiosyncrasies, often including the use of odd or antiquated wordplay. The narrative struggles to build conflict, however; the author seems more interested in lengthy exposition than exciting action sequences, which often feel rushed. The presence of turnips in Slavic and European fairy tales and folklore place the novel in a unique, perhaps forgotten tradition of stories about famine and struggle and set the stage for a potentially whimsical and compelling series.

This novel sets the table for magic, action, and intrigue, but doesn’t quite serve a full meal.