It seems quite natural for Audrey to follow the duck up the hill to the cave with the old woman in it. When she tells the old woman that her most deeply held dream is to become an author, the woman gives her a bronze pen and the injunction to “use it wisely and to good purpose.” Being an author is about the only thing that brings Audrey any joy: Her father is an invalid, wheelchair-bound because of a heart condition, and her mother toils in a miserable job to pay the family’s bills. When Audrey realizes that what she writes with her bronze pen comes true, she begins to experiment with ways to change her world . . . but the results are not always what she expects. Veteran Snyder does what she does best, blending grim reality with fantasy so skillfully both Audrey and readers have trouble discerning the boundaries. Secondary characters, from Audrey’s peppery new friend to her pets, emerge fully realized. It’s a solid, slightly old-fashioned inquiry into the power of the pen, the limits of hope and the necessity of dreams. (Fiction. 8-12)
Pub Date: March 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-1-4169-4201-6
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2008
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This delightful series opener is an exciting blend of Russian and Jewish traditions
A Jewish girl meets dragons in a fantastical version of Kievan Rus’, where magic has been illegal for 10 years.
Anya’s the only Jewish child in Zmeyreka. In the mostly Christian 10th-century village, Anya’s family stands out: Her father’s father remains pagan, while her mother’s people are refugee Khazars and Mountain Jews. But unbeknownst to Anya, her village is not like the rest of Kievan Rus’. Magical creatures are nearly extinct everywhere else but common in Zmeyreka. The tsar’s sent a “fool family”—users of fool magic, authorized to use magic despite the ban—to capture the last dragon in the land. The youngest fool is Anya’s age (he’s named Ivan, just like his seven older brothers), and the two become fast friends. But can Anya really bring herself to help Ivan kill a dragon that hasn’t harmed anyone? Zmeyreka’s magical creatures are both helpful and frightening; there are dragons, leshiye, vodyaniye, and even a Jewish domovoi with a little kippah. Ivan, unlike his pale father and brothers, is dark-skinned like his mother, a princess from “far to the east.” Though historical accuracy isn’t perfect (Anya anticipates her bat mitzvah, for instance, and reads Hebrew), it is a fantasy, and anachronisms don’t detract from the adventures of truly likable characters in this original setting.
This delightful series opener is an exciting blend of Russian and Jewish traditions . (Fantasy. 10-12)Pub Date: Sept. 24, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-358-00607-7
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Versify/HMH
Review Posted Online: May 25, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Funny, relatable, and full of adventure.
Momo must travel through the mortal and spiritual worlds and fight Japanese demons to save her mother—and the rest of humanity.
Twelve-year-old Momo Arashima is trying to be a normal kid, but that isn’t easy since she sees things others can’t, gets bullied at school, and takes care of her inattentive widowed mother. After Momo is attacked at the mall by a shikome, or death hag, then rescued by talking fox Niko, who at first appears as a redheaded boy wearing old-fashioned clothing, a tremendous secret is revealed: Mom is a kami, or Shinto goddess. As the guardian of the Island of Mysteries, Mom is tasked with protecting the gate between Earth and Yomi, where the dead dwell. But wicked demon oni are emerging from the portal and harming the island, which in turn is killing Momo’s mother. Being half-kami and half-human, Momo is the only one able to visit the island and then leave it; it’s up to her to save the day. She travels across the Sea of Heaven in the company of Niko and, unexpectedly, a former friend who gets swept up in their emergency departure. Japanese American transracial adoptee Danny used to be close to Momo until he fell in with the popular crowd. This hilarious, high-spirited tale blends Japanese legends, mythical creatures, and deities. Alongside the fantastical romps, themes of fear, anger, loneliness, belonging, friendship, and inner strength are thoughtfully explored.
Funny, relatable, and full of adventure. (author’s note, glossary) (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Feb. 28, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56406-6
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Labyrinth Road
Review Posted Online: Nov. 28, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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