A high-stakes and exciting tale of good versus evil that thoughtfully reflects on modern maladies.
A boy from a long line of paranormal healers fights the embodiment of illness itself in McCormick’s debut middle-grade fantasy novel.
Twelve-year-old Alexander Asclepius Revelstoke, a Seattle middle schooler, has the ability to sense things about people’s physical conditions. It’s true that his parents are doctors and that he’s grown up surrounded by the tools, books, and journals of their trade, but that doesn’t explain his unusual talent. When his parents become aware of his gift, they take Alex to visit his Grandpa Asclepius, who explains that although the power sometimes skips generations, “Revelstokes can see disease, can diagnose illness, without labs or x-rays. And not just disease. Injury, illness, anything wrong with the body.” It turns out that the Revelstokes also have an enemy, called ILL (“all in capital letters to emphasize his power,” Alex’s dad says), an evil entity who creates or worsens diseases and addictions. Asclepius’ father managed to shackle and weaken ILL, but he still has great power to harm others. It’s up to Alex to destroy ILL before he can carry out his plan to unleash a deadly worldwide plague. Alex has a few allies, but his strength, courage, and healing abilities will be tested to their limits. The story’s pandemic theme is impressively timely and resonant considering that McCormick’s book was written before the rise of the Covid-19 crisis. McCormick intriguingly links age-old diseases like leprosy with modern-day health dangers, such as hugely increased serving sizes of junk food—both of which were conjured by ILL. The suspenseful plot is well grounded in Alex’s growth as a healer and his growing maturity, as shown in his developing friendship with blue-haired Penelope, a new girl in town who was recently orphaned.
A high-stakes and exciting tale of good versus evil that thoughtfully reflects on modern maladies.Pub Date: May 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5092-3566-7
Page Count: 300
Publisher: Wild Rose Press
Review Posted Online: March 25, 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
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
