Author: Diana Abu-Jabar
Genre: fantasy
Similar books: Changeling by William Ritter
Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi Rating:
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| not entirely typical |
Summary (provided by publisher): Sitti, Sami's Lebanese grandmother, has been ill for a while, slipping from reality and speaking in a language only Sami can understand. Her family thinks Sitti belongs in a nursing home, but Sami doesn't believe she's sick at all. Desperate to help, Sami casts a spell from her grandmother's mysertious charm book and falls through an ancient mirror into a world unlike any other.
Welcome to Silverworld, an enchanted city where light and dark creatures called Flickers and Shadows strive to live in harmony. But lately Flickers have started going missing, and powerful Shadow soldiers are taking over the land.
Everyone in Silverworld suspects that Shadow Queen Nixie is responsible for the chaos, which is bad enough. But could Nixie be holding Sami's grandmother in her grasp too? To save Sitti and Silverworld, Sami must brave adventure, danger, and the toughest challenge of all: change.
My opinion: The tone of this book is not standard of a middle grade novel. Its a bit more contemplative and artful, does not use the shorter, punchier, and more modern language we usually see. This can mean that the characters don't fully read a believable kids. They feel a touch old-fashioned. On the whole, though, that tone shift is a positive. At least, the plot is engaging enough that most kids won't be put off by the tone. This is a mythology and approach to magic that we don't see often enough. That alone makes this an appealing read. The characters and their relationship to magic keeps us reading. A pretty cool story worth the time.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
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