Bursting with empathy and magical delights.
In this duology opener, 12-year-old Faye Gardner works behind the scenes to preserve the magical castle Celurdur until a new Wizard of the West can be appointed.
The current Wizard West died in his bed, and his ghost is so cross about it that he curses Faye, partially turning her into a cat. To salvage his reputation following such a mundane demise—and safeguard the Balance of the kingdom of Solum—Wizard West holds a tournament to determine his successor, while keeping his death a secret. Ever since the Shadow Queen wrought destruction centuries ago, girls haven’t been allowed to become apprentices to Solum’s four wizards (North, South, East, and West). But Faye and other servants have secretly been performing small, forbidden acts of magic, covering narcissistic Wizard West’s duties for him. Faye loves Celurdur, so when the tournament endangers the only home she’s ever known, she must use her wits to keep it safe—more malignant forces may be at work than the rude contestants and selfish wizards. Descriptions of magic, sometimes deliciously food related, imbue the story with life, evincing Faye’s enchantment with her own world as she utilizes her knowledge of Celurdur to naturally assume a position of leadership. The book replicates the whimsy and subtle feminism of Hayao Miyazaki’s work (a tribute that’s given a nod through the eastern estate, which is named Ghibli). Major characters are coded white.
Bursting with empathy and magical delights. (map) (Fantasy. 9-13)Pub Date: June 18, 2024
ISBN: 9780063229419
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 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
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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