A diverting, heartfelt story of overcoming the odds.
An unfortunate girl discovers an astonishing ability in Quinn’s middle-grade debut novella and series opener.
Nine-year-old Lily Lilac lives a happy life with her parents on a prairie located in an unspecified time and place (though the dialogue and details of the setting suggest the 19th century or earlier). One day, Mama, a talented painter, invites her daughter to paint alongside her. “For now, just repeat after me,” Mama tells her, and Lily does, recreating her mother’s newest masterpiece on her own easel. Amazingly, Lily’s version is uncannily similar to Mama’s, from the colors to the spacing. When tragedy strikes, her ensuing melancholy turns her blonde corkscrew curls gray, such a drastic change that Lily doesn’t recognize her own reflection. She runs away from her family’s cottage and grieves in the “murky woods” until she’s lost. But her fate changes when she comes across a poet who dubs himself the Scop at a nearby circus. He’s taken aback to learn that Lily doesn’t even know what a circus is; then again, Lily no longer remembers her name, her age, or where she’s from. The Scop leads her through the circus, which is filled with incredible sights, including acrobatic performers, unicyclists, and pole vaulters. Lily proves that she can master an ability by merely watching someone else: J, the resident juggler, demonstrates to Lily firsthand his particular skill, and, sure enough, she starts juggling various objects like a seasoned veteran. Of course, no one believes she wasn’t already a juggler, least of all Oscar Osment Brimfire, the ringmaster’s son, who really isn’t fond of her.
Quinn’s compact tale feels like two stories in one. An unknown narrator recounts Lily’s story of her homelife and the trauma she suffers. Then, after an “intermission,” the author turns the narrative reins over to the Scop, whose account at some point becomes a “prose-poem” and, later, simply a poem. The first, more sorrowful half of the novel teems with vivid passages: “Blue, ridged mountains bordered the horizon in every direction. Below, woodland treetops simmered in a thick stew of white fog.” The Scop’s chronicle is more playful and upbeat as Lily slowly garners her strength and confidence. He writes, “On his toes [J] spun, and in a stack fell the things: dinnerware, beanbag, and yes, all six rings.” Lily is easy to sympathize with—she’s a lovable girl burdened with hardships, but the high-spirited Scop is the only other character with layers. Much of this novella centers on introducing young Lily, whom Scop calls “Little Girl Gray,” a worthwhile hero for an adventure that’s only getting started. The full-color illustrations, courtesy of Marchione, Hardy, and Duhon, provide memorable imagery, from Lily’s ever-expressive face and the Scop’s goofy grin to Mama and Lily’s serene painting (a flowery landscape with a many-hued butterfly). As a sequel already awaits readers, this first installment leaves the characters’ fates up in the air and a whole bunch of unanswered questions.
A diverting, heartfelt story of overcoming the odds.Pub Date: Oct. 18, 2021
ISBN: 9781737940807
Page Count: 149
Publisher: Simpatico Studios, LLC
Review Posted Online: Aug. 31, 2023
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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