bookshelf

THE SILVER BOWL

Name: THE SILVER BOWL
Author: Diane Stanley
ISBN: 978-0-06-157543-3

by Diane Stanley ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2011

A most worthy and enjoyable entry in the “feisty female” fantasy genre.

bookshelf

Veteran Stanley concocts a delicious blend of familiar fairy-tale motifs and intriguing, well-rounded characters to create an engaging fantasy.

Young Molly’s mother is ill and her father uncaring, so she learns early how to take care of herself. Her resourcefulness pays off when she goes into service at the palace. Resilience and intelligence allow her to thrive, and they stand her in good stead when she gets swept up into a series of dangerous adventures. Molly encounters an enchanted artifact that reveals (only to her) the threat that hangs over the royal family. Aided by Tobias, a fellow servant who befriended her from the first, Molly rescues young Prince Alaric from certain death. The three then flee the castle and face a series of challenges both mundane and magical before Alaric can claim the throne. Stanley’s writing is smooth and compelling, making her characters come to life and ensuring that readers can easily follow the twists and turns of the inventive plot. While there is indeed a villain as well as some not-so-nice characters, Stanley’s nuanced portraits encourage readers to consider motivation as well as actions. Touches of humor lighten the tone at times, while suspenseful sequences heighten the tension.

A most worthy and enjoyable entry in the “feisty female” fantasy genre. (Fantasy. 10-14)

Pub Date: June 21, 2011

ISBN: 978-0-06-157543-3

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 3, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2011

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY | CHILDREN'S HISTORICAL FICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
ALICE WATERS COOKS UP A FOOD REVOLUTION
by Diane Stanley ; illustrated by Jessie Hartland

- BOOK REVIEW
SECOND SLEEP
by Diane Stanley

- BOOK REVIEW
RESIST!
by Diane Stanley ; illustrated by Diane Stanley

bookshelf

THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL

From the School for Good and Evil series , Vol. 1

by Soman Chainani ; illustrated by Iacopo Bruno ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 14, 2013

Rich and strange (and kitted out with an eye-catching cover), but stronger in the set pieces than the internal logic.

bookshelf

Chainani works an elaborate sea change akin to Gregory Maguire’s Wicked (1995), though he leaves the waters muddied.

Every four years, two children, one regarded as particularly nice and the other particularly nasty, are snatched from the village of Gavaldon by the shadowy School Master to attend the divided titular school. Those who survive to graduate become major or minor characters in fairy tales. When it happens to sweet, Disney princess–like Sophie and her friend Agatha, plain of features, sour of disposition and low of self-esteem, they are both horrified to discover that they’ve been dropped not where they expect but at Evil and at Good respectively. Gradually—too gradually, as the author strings out hundreds of pages of Hogwarts-style pranks, classroom mishaps and competitions both academic and romantic—it becomes clear that the placement wasn’t a mistake at all. Growing into their true natures amid revelations and marked physical changes, the two spark escalating rivalry between the wings of the school. This leads up to a vicious climactic fight that sees Good and Evil repeatedly switching sides. At this point, readers are likely to feel suddenly left behind, as, thanks to summary deus ex machina resolutions, everything turns out swell(ish).

Rich and strange (and kitted out with an eye-catching cover), but stronger in the set pieces than the internal logic. (Fantasy. 11-13)