Middle Grade Fantasy, Kid Lit Historical, Fantasy Webcomic, Middle Grade New Release
Quite a range of ratings
In this article:
The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill
Meet Kirsten by Janet Shaw
The Silver Eye by Laura Hollingsworth
Back to the Bright Before by Katherin Nolte
The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill
3 STARS (synopsis on Goodreads or StoryGraph) Middle Grade Gentle Fantasy, My format: hardcover, for Middle Grade March Book Club
An ogress and a group of orphans are separately determined to be kind and to convince others to do the same in their little town that used to be lovely.
Personal Review:
There was nothing really wrong with this book but there was not anything that made me want to love it, either.
There were some messages that I really appreciated. The ogress believes that kindness grows the more you use it. The townspeople learn that relying on their mayor just because he has a glittery smile may not be the best option. And asking questions and reading books is a big part of the resolution of the story.
However, reading through the book kind of felt like wading through a swamp. The scene descriptions took forever. The townspeople never thought for themselves (even when they did good things) and repeatedly acted like mindless mob-influenced followers. The soft fantasy elements are not my favorite either. It was hard to tell if people did things because of magical influence or of their own accord. It was also difficult to know why some seemed to not be affected by the magic; apparently, I like a little more structure to my fantasy worlds.
I do not plan on saving this book for my children. I wouldn’t mind them reading it, but I won’t recommend it.
Content Warnings:
near-death experience for a runaway orphan
Meet Kirsten: An American Girl (American Girl Kirsten #1) by Janet Shaw
5 STARS (synopsis on Goodreads or StoryGraph) Early Chapter Book Historical Fiction, My format: hardcover, for family book club
Kirsten travels with her family from Sweden to Minnesota.
Personal Review:
I’m not sure what it is about settler stories but I really love them and this one is so well done! We travel with Kirsten from the ship that brought them from Sweden all the way to their extended family’s farm in Minnesota.
We get to experience what it’s like not being able to speak the language. We encounter the reality of illness and other difficulties as they travel. And we get to enjoy new experiences with them, such as riding on a train.
The writing is excellent. Even though it is at a young reader’s level, it doesn’t feel watered down at all. The story is engaging plus we learn a lot through the whole book! Recommended for early readers.
Content Warnings:
child gets separated from family, death of a friend
The Silver Eye by Laura Hollingsworth
5 STARS (find the current webcomic here; or start at the beginning here) Clean Fantasy Webcomic, My format: website archives
A fantasy story about family battles, accidental curses, and uncovering secrets. Hollingsworth has 22 chapters of archives on the website and releases a new page every week. The chapter cover above is my favorite because it represents the characters so well in a single shot.
Personal Review:
I found The Silver Eye through a recent edition of the Clean Fiction Magazine and thought it sounded interesting. I’m not much of a comic reader, but the artwork of these pages is UNREAL. It is SO beautiful and I love studying the art as much as I enjoy reading the story.
There are a lot of characters with interesting names, so it took a little time to get used to what was going on. But now that I have read through the archives and am caught up to where the story currently is, I’m so excited for the next page to come out so I can see what happens next!
The fantasy elements are so fun. There are weavers that only stay away from certain bloodlines, redheaded boys who are taller than every adult around them, a ghostly ancestor that I’m still not sure what her purpose is, and the silver eye with a mysterious origin and even more mysterious powers.
And the characters. Oh, they are such fun. They are each unique, several of them are sarcastic, they get into childish fights but make up quickly, and the flashbacks that tell their stories are so interesting. I found myself very addicted to the stories of the characters and how they will play out.
So far I would consider this Young Adult or appealing to 20-somethings. There has been one kiss between a married couple and one almost-kiss of long-time friends who care for each other. There has been quite a bit of physical fighting and portrayal of scars, wounds, and blood. I have not been bothered by this, it adds interest, but it is a part of the story. With what is published so far, I’d be fine with my teens reading the comic.
Content Warnings:
flirting, one quick kiss and one almost-kiss, several injuries involving blood or being knocked unconscious, magic and curses, children born from possible adulterous relationships
Back to the Bright Before by Katherin Nolte
2 STARS (synopsis on Goodreads or StoryGraph) Middle Grade Light Fantasy, My format: ARC e-book
Pet embarks on an adventure with her brother Simon to find an ancient coin that she believes will save her family from their sorrows.
Personal Review:
The worst part about reviewing ARC books is that you have to give a review in order to continue to “stay in the good graces” of the publishers, even if that review is a bad one. And, unfortunately, this is one of those bad ones.
My first critique of this story is that the first half of the book centers around the falling apart of the siblings’ parents. The dad is in a deep depression and won’t talk to the children. The mom is working so much that she never sees Simon and only scolds or yells at Pet. The portrayal of this is very realistic and it made me uncomfortable - it is potentially triggering for children who may be in a similar situation.
The solution to all of these problems is Pet taking Simon on an adventure to find an ancient coin worth a good amount of money. It is on this adventure that the fantasy elements of the story are presented. And in this semi-fantasy setting, several very terrifying things happen to the kids (SPOILERS: they are stalked by a cruel neighbor, they encounter a monster in the rain, and Pet is run over by a stampede END SPOILERS).
MILD SPOILERS AHEAD: And then to end this story, the impression is given that the successful finding of this coin and the selling of it is what solved all of the family’s problems. Because Pet ran away, experienced these nightmarish situations, and found something that they could sell for money, now suddenly their problems are gone.
It really sends a discouraging message to children who could be in a similar atmosphere; how are they supposed to find a fantastical coin to solve their problems with the money they’d get for selling it? The situation at the children’s home was too realistic and the solution to the problem was too fantasy-driven. It lacked balance.
I felt the ending could have been handled in a much better way; one that could have given hope to children whose parents are struggling.
Unfortunately, I don’t plan on getting this book for my own children to read.
Content Warnings:
parent depression, parent neglect, verbal abuse, adults bullying and threatening children, injuries involving blood or broken bones, children running away
Do any of these books look interesting to you? Have you read any of them? What did you think?