VICTORIA MCKAY AND THE KINGDOM OF CREATURES

Richardson tells a tale of a youngster in a realm of magical creatures in this debut children’s fantasy novel.

Victoria McKay is a happy 4-year-old only child until her sister, Ashley, is born, which changes her world. On the way to the hospital to meet her new sibling, Victoria hears wind chimes and sees an unusual creature. She tries to follow it, but her father quickly puts her in a taxi. At the hospital, she hears the chimes again. The creature reappears and slips Victoria an odorous piece of paper that reads, in part: “We are unknown to mankind, except for a lucky few who have been granted a wish. You are now one of those lucky people.” It’s from something called the High Magical Council. Years later, Victoria, now 11, is angry at her sister for breaking a beloved picture frame, thus ruining an image of her adored grandfather. She shouts, “I wish you’d never been born!”—and the wish is mysteriously granted: Ashley ceases to exist, and only Victoria knows that Ashley ever existed. Feeling guilty, she searches for information on the High Magical Council until she finds The Tome of Hidden Creatures, which describes all the creatures of the magical world, including a “lawfur,” the wish giver. Determined to undo her wish, Victoria figures out how to get to Scotland and the Black Wood of Rannoch, where her adventures begin with the help of Emma, a strange furry creature called a cardenere. Richardson crafts a vivid, detailed and creative imaginary world in these pages: “Buildings large and small either jutted into the air or clung to the ground…Some were built from mildly odd metals painted in eye-dazzling colours, while others looked to be made of mushroom or tree bark.” Richardson uses a “Dear Reader” framing device as an effective tool to have Victoria share her personal revelations, which further draws the reader into the story. One lesson they learn is that sibling rivals still have great love for each other. The uncredited illustrations are creative black-and-white sketches of imaginary creatures that support the text nicely. A cliffhanger ending will have readers looking for Richardson’s next book.

A worthy and engaging fantasy tale.