Young readers will be mesmerized by the magical elements that Sukey encounters in this supernatural adventure.
A young girl’s otherworldly quest to find her grandmother continues in this middle-grade novel by Agauas, one in a series.
This novel begins with a quick recap of Grandma’s Sock Drawer(2020), the previous volume in this series: Sukey Durand’s grandmother disappears, having left a note asking Sukey to come and find her. Sukey’s grandmother also left her a key to a bureau drawer, which held three pairs of socks, each of which took her on different adventures (transporting her to different worlds) when she put them on. The action picks up with Sukey returning to find her father prepping her grandmother’s belongings for an estate sale. Sukey has a conversation with two talking leaves from a tree who vow to help her rescue her grandmother and complete her unfinished mission. Moments later, the trio is swept up in a windstorm that sets the new story into motion. Sukey and her traveling companions encounter talking animals, a mysterious water wall, and many other mystical entities. Her quest unearths a family secret: a rift between mother and son that must be repaired for her grandmother to return. Though the text contains no illustrations, the author does a wonderful job of creating vivid imagery with her words (“Her eyes darted to the crystal waterfall crashing onto the rocks, pouring its clear water into the pool of ink that formed the dark lake”), particularly in the moments when Sukey is being transported to other worlds. The story can get convoluted, particularly near the end, but the action moves quickly enough to keep things from ever getting dull. (This book has obvious references to the first one, but a knowledge of it is not required to enjoy Sukey’s new adventures.) Agauas knows her young audience, so nothing gets too scary. The narrative reaches a satisfying conclusion, but it’s pretty clear this isn’t the last readers will see of Sukey.
Young readers will be mesmerized by the magical elements that Sukey encounters in this supernatural adventure.Pub Date: June 22, 2023
ISBN: 9781732271128
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Why Not Now? Children's Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
BOOK REVIEW
An absorbing fantasy centered on a resilient female protagonist facing growth, change, and self-empowerment.
In Florence’s middle-grade fantasy novel, a young girl’s heart is tested in the face of an evil, spreading Darkness.
Eleven-year-old Lydia, “freckle-cheeked and round-eyed, with hair the color of pine bark and fair skin,” is struggling with the knowledge that she has reached the age to apprentice as an herbalist. Lydia is reluctant to leave her beloved, magical Mulberry Glen and her cozy Housetree in the woods—she’ll miss Garder, the Glen’s respected philosopher; her fairy guardian Pit; her human friend Livy; and even the mischievous part-elf, part-imp, part-human twins Zale and Zamilla. But the twins go missing after hearing of a soul-sapping Darkness that has swallowed a forest and is creeping into minds and engulfing entire towns. They have secretly left to find a rare fruit that, it is said, will stop the Darkness if thrown into the heart of the mountain that rises out of the lethal forest. Lydia follows, determined to find the twins before they, too, fall victim to the Darkness. During her journey, accompanied by new friends, she gradually realizes that she herself has a dangerous role to play in the quest to stop the Darkness. In this well-crafted fantasy, Florence skillfully equates the physical manifestation of Darkness with the feelings of insecurity and powerlessness that Lydia first struggles with when thinking of leaving the Glen. Such negative thoughts grow more intrusive the closer she and her friends come to the Darkness—and to Lydia’s ultimate, powerfully rendered test of character, which leads to a satisfyingly realistic, not quite happily-ever-after ending. Highlights include a delightfully haunting, reality-shifting library and a deft sprinkling of Latin throughout the text; Pit’s pet name for Lydia is mea flosculus (“my little flower”). Fine-lined ink drawings introducing each chapter add a pleasing visual element to this well-grounded fairy tale.
An absorbing fantasy centered on a resilient female protagonist facing growth, change, and self-empowerment.Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9781956393095
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Waxwing Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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