THE WONDER OF WILDFLOWERS

A young girl who wants nothing more than to fit in with her classmates learns to stand out instead.

Włodzimira—Mira for short—is the “least-athletic girl” and shortest person in her fifth grade class. She’s also the only one who breaks a sweat when doing physical activity, and it’s because everyone else in her class takes Amber: a magical substance that essentially makes people stronger, healthier, and smarter. Only citizens of Amberland have access to Amber rations, and the government is strict regarding whom they let cross their borders. Just when narrator Mira and her family finally become citizens, news of Amber’s dwindling supply weaves panic into the community, causing protests and hate crimes. Staniszewski writes a fluid first-person narrative, providing valuable insight on Mira’s thoughts and feelings regarding how she’s seen as an outsider by her classmates and hopes for a better life in Amberland. While the worldbuilding feels thin at times, the magical aspects of the story are well balanced with the realistic issues tackled such as bullying and immigration laws. Naming conventions cue ethnicity in this analog America, which seems to be as diverse as the real one; Mira and her family are presumed Polish.

A light fantasy with a powerful message of hope.