A quest to save the world from unbridled greed comes to a close.
The elusive magical stone at last comes into the hands of those who have most desired it.
Taking on a vaguely metaphorical cast, the four-volume quest, translated from the Swedish-language original from Finland, at last brings tough, grieving Miranda and beloved young charge Syrsa to the pearl-paved Queen’s City. There Miranda and Syrsa—both pale-skinned former pearl divers who have lost an arm each to sharks—witness how intense longing for the fabled stone has warped their Queen, their raving nemesis Iberis, and all those who have abandoned homes and families over the years to join obsessively in the great hunt. When they finally see the pearlescent prize (which supposedly grants all desires), the interested parties must confront their consuming desire to possess it, an obsession cast in a new light by the pearl whisperer Syrsa’s cleareyed perception and conviction about the harm it does. Her steadfastness causes most adults to rally around her in support of the eye stone’s disposal, although some are too far gone to shake off its grip. Readers who seek robust, detailed worldbuilding may be disappointed by some loose ends and the ultimate lack of explanation of just what the eye stone and smaller pearls are made of. Those of a more philosophical bent will appreciate the exploration of Miranda’s observation that “desire can be a good thing, but not when it becomes so great that you lose sight of everything else.”
A quest to save the world from unbridled greed comes to a close. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: June 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781915568359
Page Count: 204
Publisher: Young Dedalus
Review Posted Online: March 23, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2024
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
However the compelling fitness of theme and event and the apt but unexpected imagery (the opening sentences compare the...
At a time when death has become an acceptable, even voguish subject in children's fiction, Natalie Babbitt comes through with a stylistic gem about living forever.
Protected Winnie, the ten-year-old heroine, is not immortal, but when she comes upon young Jesse Tuck drinking from a secret spring in her parents' woods, she finds herself involved with a family who, having innocently drunk the same water some 87 years earlier, haven't aged a moment since. Though the mood is delicate, there is no lack of action, with the Tucks (previously suspected of witchcraft) now pursued for kidnapping Winnie; Mae Tuck, the middle aged mother, striking and killing a stranger who is onto their secret and would sell the water; and Winnie taking Mae's place in prison so that the Tucks can get away before she is hanged from the neck until....? Though Babbitt makes the family a sad one, most of their reasons for discontent are circumstantial and there isn't a great deal of wisdom to be gleaned from their fate or Winnie's decision not to share it.
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1975
ISBN: 0312369816
Page Count: 164
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1975
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