Author: Cindy Baldwin
Genre: magical realism
Similar books: The Seventh Wish by Kate Messner
Quintessence by Jess Redman
Rating:
Summary (provided by publisher): Ivy Mae Bloom is almost thirteen years old, her name is almost a complete sentence, and her family’s RV is almost a home. That’s one too many “almosts” for Ivy. She desperately wants a place to put down roots, but it’s her mama’s job as a fallen star to tend the magic underpinning the world—a job that’s kept Ivy’s family living on the road since before Ivy was born.
After Ivy steals Mama's entire supply of wish jars in the hopes of finding a place to call home, disaster strands her family in Whistling Ridge, North Carolina, with Mama's star sisters. Ivy falls for Whistling Ridge immediately—she just needs to convince her parents to stay.
But something is draining the magic from the town, and the star sisters can't pinpoint it. Ivy and her new friends find a clue in Whistling Ridge's history that might explain the mysterious threat...but if Whistling Ridge’s magic is fixed, Mama will need to move on. Ivy is faced with an impossible decision: How can she help the star sisters lift the curse if it means losing her best chance at a forever home?
My opinion: Middle grade fiction is carving out a solid space for magical realism and this is a decent example of the type. While it is set in the real world and largely follows the rules of our world, there is also magic. Magic which follows rules but is also a bit inexplicable. We're dealing here largely with wishes. But making a wish isn't as simple as wanting something. Wishes have consequences. It is in these consequences that we find the major conflict of the plot. We are looking at wishing gone awry, the poisonous nature of selfishness and resentment. Baldwin is also taking a look at how stories change over time, influenced by perspective and natural prejudice. Over all, a pretty cool read.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
No comments:
Post a Comment