An impressive narrative pace propels this grim but entertaining supernatural tale.
This installment of Bastian’s middle-grade fantasy series features teens with special abilities determined to stop sinister forces from building an army of darkness.
Wendy Perrault, after traveling through an interdimensional portal, is back in her own time. She’s a “Folkteller,” a magical teller of stories tasked with helping others via narrative inspiration, complete with her own Guidebook, just like the ones that all Folktellers carry. Someone, unfortunately, has murdered the librarian who would have mentored Wendy in her new storytelling ability. While trying to decipher a puzzling message from the late librarian, Wendy teams up with schoolmate Eddie Little Bear. The two stumble across the nefarious Shadow People’s scheme to use portals to unite all their kind into an unstoppable army. Meanwhile, Folkteller Aaron Anderson, Wendy’s friend from another time, wields a remarkable new power that allows him to create stories for the Guidebooks. But this ability puts him in grave danger, since using the power incapacitates him and leaves him vulnerable to the Shadow People’s attack. It’s up to his non-Folkteller best friend, Jake Perez, to hop through a portal to recover a particular Guidebook and safeguard Aaron before it’s too late. In contrast to the Aaron-centric series opener Phases of the Moon (2021), Bastian’s follow-up shifts much of its focus to Wendy. The story smoothly alternates between dimensions as Wendy tries to solve riddlelike messages that pop up in the Guidebook and Jake unhesitatingly helps Aaron, despite the apparent risks of dimension-traveling. Vibrant metaphors and similes enliven the pages; complications involving interdimensional portals make Jake feel as if his “brain was in the final spin cycle of a washing machine,” while a disoriented Wendy has “limp, overcooked noodles” for arms. Although readers know only what the teens know about Folktelling, this sequel reveals a bit more about the youngsters’ capabilities and the astonishing Guidebooks. McEvoy’s stellar artwork once again shines, replete with instantly recognizable character traits (such as Wendy’s glasses and Eddie’s braids) and superb facial expressions, especially one villain’s gleefully malevolent grins.
An impressive narrative pace propels this grim but entertaining supernatural tale.Pub Date: March 22, 2022
ISBN: 9781735305127
Page Count: 248
Publisher: Scribe Publishing Company
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
A worthy combination of athletic action, the virtues of inner strength, and the importance of friendship.
A young tennis champion becomes the target of revenge.
In this sequel to Legacy and the Queen (2019), Legacy Petrin and her friends Javi and Pippa have returned to Legacy’s home province and the orphanage run by her father. With her friends’ help, she is in training to defend her championship when they discover that another player, operating under the protection of High Consul Silla, is presenting herself as Legacy. She is so convincing that the real Legacy is accused of being an imitation. False Legacy has become a hero to the masses, further strengthening Silla’s hold, and it becomes imperative to uncover and defeat her. If Legacy is to win again, she must play her imposter while disguised as someone else. Winning at tennis is not just about money and fame, but resisting Silla’s plans to send more young people into brutal mines with little hope of better lives. Legacy will have to overcome her fears and find the magic that allowed her to claim victory in the past. This story, with its elements of sports, fantasy, and social consciousness that highlight tensions between the powerful and those they prey upon, successfully continues the series conceived by late basketball superstar Bryant. As before, the tennis matches are depicted with pace and spirit. Legacy and Javi have brown skin; most other characters default to White.
A worthy combination of athletic action, the virtues of inner strength, and the importance of friendship. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: Aug. 24, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-949520-19-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Granity Studios
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
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