A new set of witchy exploits, replete with magic, game-changing revelations, and monstruos both cute and scary.
In her efforts to cure her hexed friend, Valley Pepperhorn, who has been turned to stone, witchling Seven Salazar uncovers both a frightening conspiracy and a despicable secret.
Seven may still be struggling with miscast spells, but her illicit abilities to conjure and to talk with raccoons and other beastly monstruos come in handy not only in rescuing Valley and others who were stonified, but also in fending off the savage attacks of the full-fledged witches who have long forced her and her fellow Spares into the most menial and laborious jobs. Even as conflicts mount, Spares begin disappearing amid ominous, coded talk of maintaining a mysterious “order and balance.” But the true iniquity of what’s going on becomes clear only when Seven finds clues pointing to a terrible secret that affects all levels of society. She also finds out (the hard way) that some supposed allies are actually terrifying foes who must be stopped (Ortega leaves this last storyline unresolved, ready to seed future crises). Seven’s journey includes plenty of magical and personal challenges, from attempting to master the art of making pink-frosted bizcochos to hunting for the forbidden cuentista spell. This third series entry leaves her marked by deep swells of joy, grief, anxiety, and, at last, a sense of belonging.
A new set of witchy exploits, replete with magic, game-changing revelations, and monstruos both cute and scary. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781338853841
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 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
BOOK REVIEW
The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often...
A successful juvenile by the beloved New Yorker writer portrays a farm episode with an imaginative twist that makes a poignant, humorous story of a pig, a spider and a little girl.
Young Fern Arable pleads for the life of runt piglet Wilbur and gets her father to sell him to a neighbor, Mr. Zuckerman. Daily, Fern visits the Zuckermans to sit and muse with Wilbur and with the clever pen spider Charlotte, who befriends him when he is lonely and downcast. At the news of Wilbur's forthcoming slaughter, campaigning Charlotte, to the astonishment of people for miles around, spins words in her web. "Some Pig" comes first. Then "Terrific"—then "Radiant". The last word, when Wilbur is about to win a show prize and Charlotte is about to die from building her egg sac, is "Humble". And as the wonderful Charlotte does die, the sadness is tempered by the promise of more spiders next spring.
The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often informative as amusing, and the whole tenor of appealing wit and pathos will make fine entertainment for reading aloud, too.Pub Date: Oct. 15, 1952
ISBN: 978-0-06-026385-0
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1952
PERSPECTIVES
SEEN & HEARD
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