I have been on a middle-grade reading kick lately, and it’s
not only due to my interest in the mythology stories in the Rick Riordan Presents imprint (though
that does amount to a fair percentage). In this compilation, one is an author
whose many novels (mostly YA) I’ve read and have met in-person twice, one
author is new to me and one is semi familiar with it being the second story in
a series. Surprisingly, none of the three are Rick Riordan Presents stories.
The Marvellers
(May 3, 2022) by Dhonielle Clayton.
*This is the first book in a series.*
Welcome, all Marvellers, to the Arcanum Training Institute for Marvelous & Uncanny Endeavors.
11-year-old Ella Durand is full of magic (though her mom doesn’t like that
word). She is a Conjuror, and this is significant in a world of Conjurors,
Marvellers and Fewels (non-gifted folk), for Marvellers don’t trust Conjuror
magic. Ella is the first Conjuror to attend the Arcanum Training Institute up
in the sky. She’s thrilled and has support there in her Aunt Sera Baptiste – who’s teaching Conjure Arts for the first
time – and Masterji Mitha Thakur, her elixirs teacher and mentor. She also
finds friends in Jason Eugene, who’s great at communicating with other
creatures, and Brigit Ebsen, her roommate who hates the school. Ella plans to
be the best student and wants everyone to like her and conjure, but harassing starposts (like air mail, but cooler,
and one needs a special starpost box) indicate that not all are open-minded.
When the Ace of Anarchy, Gia Trivelino, escapes the Cards of Deadly Fate (a
maximum high-security prison located in the Underworld)(Ella’s dad, His
Excellency Sebastien Durand, is the Grand High Walker of the Underworld),
Conjurors are blamed. Tensions are growing, Ella’s enrollment at the Arcanum is
at risk, and Masterji Thakur mysteriously disappears. With the help of her
friends, can Ella clear her name and track down her mentor before even more
chaos ensues?
Before
this, I’d never read a story by Clayton, and I am in awe of this magical,
marvelous, fantastical fantasy adventure. The creativity and imagination are
astounding. This middle-grade novel is an exemplary example of diversity of
cultures, skin colors, gender identities, etc. The tale is busy in the best way
with its grand world-building, stellar cast, clever plot and vivid
creatures/companions (starfolk have
“kitten-like ears, tiny pairs of
spectacles, and furry skin the color of night” and Ella’s mom’s conjure
companion, an alligator called Gumbo, means no harm; he’s “a big kitten”).
There’s so much inclusivity, though the story isn’t without its micro-aggressions,
discrimination, stereotyping and privilege. It isn’t all stellacity spheres and malyysvit
(pronounced molly-sveet; they are
world-eggs and each hatches a mini universe) and food carts with menu items
like dancing dumplings and jumping rice, but it is full of charm and love and,
well, marvels. This is a school I’d happily be a student at or, considering my
age, a teacher. For anyone looking for their next magic school book, look no
further than “The Marvellers!” All the
light to you and yours! Good marvelling!
Favorite
line: “We’re all one awful day away from becoming the world’s worst nightmare.”
--Gia to a character, moments before stealing the character’s marvel (p. 252)
The five
Paragons of Marvelling: Sound, Spirit, Taste, Touch and Vision
The three Marvellian
cities: Astradam, Betelmore, and Celestian City
Wretched Waterpark
(June 7, 2022) by Kiersten White.
*This is the first book in a series.*
There’s something sinister going on, and it isn’t only
because they’re Sinister on their mom’s side of the family. Together with their
16-year-old sister, Wilhelmina (Wil), 12-year-old twins Theodora (Theo) and
Alexander (never Alex) Sinister-Winterbottom have been unexpectedly
sent to live with their Aunt Saffronia Sinister “who, by all appearances, had
never encountered an actual human child before” for the summer. Aunt Saffronia
drops them off at Fathoms of Fun Waterpark, an unusually and remarkably grim
place that has no churros on the menu of the water park’s one restaurant and
features such delightful attraction names like the Cold, Unknowable Sea (a wave
pool) and The River Styx (a lazy river). It’s owned by the dour Mrs. Widow in a
“bruise-colored dress” and Mr. Widow, though the latter is missing and is in
the process of being declared dead. Aunt Saffronia tells the youth to “find
what was lost,” so the siblings take it upon themselves to find Mr. Widow. They
meet an ally in Edgar - the Widows are his aunt and uncle - and Charlotte, who
has, like, six identical sisters. There’s also Edgaren’t (clearly not his real
name) and Jeremiah (the “turkey-vulture man”) who tells the twins no running,
because “that’s how people disappear.” With parasols instead of sunscreen and
mausoleums instead of cabanas (a.k.a. a cabasoleum), this strange,
Victorian water park is fathoms of fun for all. Well, perhaps all is a bit of
an exaggeration ...
A
middle-grade gothic caper, it is not as creepy as the book cover or title
imply. It is actually a joy to read for anyone who appreciates droll humor,
quirky characters, whip-smart dialogue, a fantastic plot and suspicious summer
vacation plans. Far from wretched, this delightfully-detailed tale is oddly
charming and wonderfully weird. It showcases the varied relationships amongst
siblings. In the case of the Sinister-Winterbottoms, the twins share a
close-knit understanding of each other, while Wil is obsessed with Rodrigo
- that’s her phone - to the point that Theo or Alexander can say ridiculous
things and Wil will be all, “Yeah, whatever” or not acknowledge that either
twin spoke at all. I was hooked from the first line, and there isn’t long to
wait for the next story in the Sinister
Summer series, as it is set to publish the end of September!
Favorite lines,
only because I agree: “In an ideal world, nothing would have raisins, except
maybe toddlers who didn’t know that raisins were grapes without souls. Anyone
who put raisins into cookies or baked goods was just someone who hated joy.”
--Theo Sinister-Winterbottom (pp. 63-64)
Wundersmith: The
Calling of Morrigan Crow (Nov. 13, 2018) by Jessica Townsend.
*This is the second novel in a series.*
Although Morrigan Crow knows she isn’t actually a cursed
child, her troubles are far from over. Morrigan is a Wundersmith, and the last known Wundersmith (Ezra Squall) is evil
as all get out, so many of those who know of Morrigan’s knack (like a supernatural talent or skill) automatically mark her
as evil, deadly and dangerous. Someone not to be trusted. But Morrigan is one
of the nine newest members of Wunsoc
(Wundrous Society) with her best friend Hawthorne Swift. They help make up Unit
919. Each of the members brings a different knack to the group, like Hawthorne
and his dragon-riding, Cadence and her mesmerism and Lambeth and her oracular
powers. They’re a motley group, and most seem to fear/abhor her, which is not
what she was expecting of her “family.”
During her
year in Nevermoor, Morrigan is already a pro at telling the difference between
a Wunimal Major and Wunimal Minor. Wunimals themselves are
“sentient, self-aware, intelligent creatures capable of complexities such as
language, invention, and artistic expression, just like humans.” Unnimals are
not. (Fenestra, if you’re wondering, is neither Wunimal nor unnimal. And don’t
ask her about it or she will replace all the feathers in your pillow with hair
pulled from every shower drain of the Hotel Deucalion or something equally
appalling.) But at Wunsoc’s Proudfoot House, where the others all have amazing
schedules, she has one terrible class and, eventually, one class she’s good at.
“History of Heinous Wundrous Acts” with Professor Hemingway Q. Onstald, a tortoise-wun, is awful. Onstald detests
her from the first day. When she finally receives another class on her
schedule, “Decoding Nevermoor: How to Successfully Navigate the Free State’s
Most Dangerous and Ridiculous City,” with Henry Mildmay, she is thrilled.
Mildmay is young and fun and doesn’t treat her like she’s the very worst. She
also learns about Swindleroads, Tricksy Lanes, Shadowstreets and Ghostly Hours.
Tricksy Lanes are purely Nevermoorian and they transform in some way, once
you’re inside them. For example, the mild ones may give you nothing but an
antigravity trick, but there was once one that flipped people inside out … so
all of their muscles and organs were on the outside of their bodies.
(Fortunately, that Tricksy Lane is gone. Bricked up. For good.) Unfortunately,
denizens of both Wunsoc and Nevermoor are going missing, and fingers are
pointing to the newest Wundersmith. Somehow, Morrigan’s friends – old and new –
are going to need to work together to prove her innocence and save those that
are missing.
Clearly,
I’ve found so much to enjoy in this story that my previous two paragraphs are
verbose. This is Townsend’s sophomore story in the Nevermoor series, and it is zany and magical. Townsend’s Nevermoor
is brilliantly immersive, the fantasy is fantastical, and the adventures never
cease. I love that the cast of characters are eccentric, but also loyal and
brave, smart and, at times, conflicted. It’s wonderful and grandiose, sometimes
dark, but also charming and witty. I would happily visit Nevermoor and stay for
an extended time. I’m not certain how I’d get to this place that I’m not
supposed to know exists, but I’m using the Brolly Rail as soon as I do.
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