MIRROR TREE

In Gouveia’s middle-grade fantasy novel, youngsters use their astonishing abilities to prevent a powerful evildoer from igniting a war in their realm.

Twelve-year-old Roe, her brothers, and their friends wield magical powers to protect their farmlands in the fantastical Drifters Realm. The biggest threat they face is the sinister city leader, Zane, whose plan (already underway) will ultimately spark a war. After a battle with Zane (and an army of formidable beings he essentially controls) separates members of Roe’s group, the teens and tweens eventually reunite. Each has a special ability and corresponding backpack that can hold myriad items of any size; Roe, for example, is a “Life Giver” who can heal people, and she wears a flower-patterned backpack. She figures out that Zane has a more specific goal in mind—he aims to steal Roe’s twin brother Ori’s “Sorcerer” power via a forcible transfer that will kill Ori. Because Zane needs the magical Shadow Stone to accomplish this, Roe strives to track down the stone first. In the meantime, she fights off Zane’s army and hones her unexpectedly surging powers. Gouveia dives into this second installment of the Drifters Realm series with a hefty established cast. There’s “Storm Catcher” Tora, the triplet sibling Roe and Ori only recently learned existed; their older brother, Theo, a “Tamer” who can communicate with animals and begins this book in the form of a lion; and “Navigator” Seth, an apparently unpleasant teen whom only Roe seems to like. The author’s impeccable pacing shifts between different sets of characters teaming up (such as Ori and Tora’s adventure in enemy territory) while delivering explosive battles and action scenes. (“Try as they might with lightning bolts, the Guardians’ powers were useless against these enormous trees whose bark was a foot thick. Nothing could penetrate the Sleeping Giants’ circle.”) The delightfully unpredictable Tora and the ever-compassionate Roe shine. Ori is this book’s unfortunate sore spot; he’s envious of Roe having mastered her abilities while he struggles. Throughout the novel, Branillus’ vibrant, watercolor-style art showcases both action and quieter moments, like a serene pond teeming with forest life.

A robust, magical cast propels this diverting fantasy.