A brave, pacy book with some spellbinding history.
A sweeping historical fantasy for middle-grade readers.
Step back in time to a period when magic was part of the fabric of an undivided India that was still under British rule. Twelve-year-old Chompa is a witch, just like Ammi, her mother, though each of them wields magic very differently. Chompa’s powers are put to the test when her mother is kidnapped by the Company. She comes under the tutelage of Mohsin, her mother’s friend who arrives in response to Ammi’s letter about the impending threat. Unfortunately, he gets there too late; Ammi has just been taken away by boat. Chompa travels from her village to the big city of Dacca and then across the sea to London, dodging danger and making new friends along the way. Fortunately, she’s in the company of a motley crew of fellow magical children; magic itself is being threatened, and so are its wielders. Mischievous and memorable side characters, various djinn, and suitably evil villains all make for a fun read. The plot sags in the middle but picks up quickly. The author deftly weaves in themes of colonialism and racism to create an absorbing narrative about slavery, exploitation, and poverty, as she further explains in an author’s note that contains fascinating cultural context. Prabhat’s illustrations in the section openers and chapter headers are visual treats, inviting readers to linger and pore over the little nuggets tucked inside.
A brave, pacy book with some spellbinding history. (glossary) (Fantasy. 9-13)Pub Date: May 28, 2024
ISBN: 9780241567487
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Puffin/Penguin Random House UK
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 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
BOOK REVIEW
Rich and strange (and kitted out with an eye-catching cover), but stronger in the set pieces than the internal logic.
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)Pub Date: May 14, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-06-210489-2
Page Count: 496
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2013
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