THE UNREADY QUEEN

The twins already saved the Wild Wood from a breakdown in magic in Changeling (2019); can they also save the humans and magical creatures from one another?

Tinn and Cole, inseparable white twins, are adjusting to this new world in which Tinn’s learned he’s a goblin changeling. Though Cole’s not happy about Tinn’s goblin lessons and the new divide between the brothers, he’s supportive—all he wants is Tinn’s happiness. The boys still have a great time playing in the woods with their friend Fable, the daughter of the Queen of the Deep Dark. The “unready queen” of the title, Fable’s a magically gifted adolescent who’d rather shape-shift into a bear than train her magic, and she is a delightful friend to the boys as they confront the drama of everyday life: shortage of money, interest in girls, accidentally turning partway into a goblin in school. Meanwhile, though the townsfolk have lived alongside the Wild Wood for generations, a few people incite bigoted violence, and an outside industrialist drilling for oil and felling magical trees whips up the locals to battle with the magical creatures for his own profit. Ritter deftly executes the all-too-timely theme of racist demagoguery—and profiting from it—in a way that is realistic yet hopeful. He also leavens it with humor: Fable, particularly, is a reliable source of silliness and fart jokes.

Captivating adventure, magical friendship, and just the right amount of goofiness.