The Lost Girl is the kind of book you’d want to write but thought you wouldn’t do well enough. Luckily, we have Anne Ursu who skilfully spins us a thoughtful, emotion-provoking yet engaging tale. The Lost Girl by Anne Ursu is a weirdly beautiful Magical Realism novel about Iris and Lark Maguire, twins who are identical but not alike, with completely different personalities, sort of like relatable alter egos. Lark is the dreamy, imaginable, shy character and Iris, the solid, sensible one. Both of them have been inseparable and thought they would always be, until the day they walk home to find themselves in different classrooms. At first, it doesn’t seem like a big deal, but as you delve deeper into the book, you seem to understand their past, (which was excellently blended into the plotline), and how difficult it was for them to cope with their change. The twins seemed to be separated more that year, with Lark taking art classes and Iris joining Camp Awesome, an all-girl after school activity group which Iris has some trouble fitting into, which I can totally sympathise with. Then there is the “magical” part of the story which is Treasure Hunters, an all-around mysterious antique shop, with its mysterious signs, and its owner Mr. George Green, who holds much more than what meets the eye. Although I personally love the build-up of the story, I feel some backstory chapters may require some careful reading, as this book is like a puzzle, where you have to place everything correctly to get the picture, which, here is the marvellous, insightful world of Iris and Lark Maguire. That being said, I constantly admire the author’s ability to maintain just the right balance between the past and the present, and the smooth changing of scenes, which kept myself itching to just skip to the end of the book. However, the thing which I find most interesting and something which isn’t found in most books is the fact that flipping to the end, just to find out what happens next doesn’t work out. Every single word on every single page seemed to have a role, either towards the character growth, or towards the future, even to the next page. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone, simply because it has something appealing to all kinds of people. Its connection with traditional fairy tales, relatable scenes, and some incredibly thoughtful statements like “Don’t let your sister get so stuck inside her head that she can’t get out” which Iris’s mother tells her make this book something you can’t take your hands off of the second you start reading it! The Lost Girl by Anne Ursu. Walden Pond Press, 2020. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process!
Book Reviews
Enna Burning, Reviewed by Julia, 13
Enna Burning is the second book in the enchanting series The Books of Bayern by Shannon Hale. In the first book, The Goose Girl, the main character is Ani, and Enna is one of Ani’s friends. I was excited to see Enna in the spotlight this time and wondered where her story would take her. I was not disappointed! I thought it was utterly fantastic and highly recommended. I was captivated with Enna’s story, and ended up loving it. In the very beginning, Enna’s older brother discovers how to make fire through drawing on heat in the air and making it into flame. He is determined to aid their home kingdom, Bayern, in the upcoming war against a neighboring kingdom, Tira. Enna is intrigued to learn this power too, but is hesitant because of the danger it will cause. She realizes that if she is not careful fire will consume her, slowly burning her from the inside out. I loved reading Enna’s internal battle as she tries to figure out the right choice. It was one of the many things about this book that was spectacularly done. Anyone who has ever struggled with a difficult decision will be able to relate to her. I certainly did. Enna ultimately decides that learning fire power is best for her kingdom despite the risks. She can burn a path to victory… as long as she keeps the overwhelming flames inside her at bay. I was gripped by this time, both worried and excited for Enna. I expected her to choose this path, but all the same I was worried where it would lead her. Would she manage to win the war and control her power at the same time? Or will the fire kill her? After this, the real adventure begins. The book kept me entertained with many twists. I felt a range of emotions reading— I was scared, thrilled, relieved, intrigued, and sometimes downright disturbed by what Enna’s power could do. Enna was an interesting and complicated character. Sometimes she was very likable, and sometimes she did things she knew were horrible and wrong. I often wanted to warn her she was making the wrong choice, or yell at her for what she’d done. Still I couldn’t help rooting for her throughout the whole book, and longed for a happy ending. I was very intrigued by Enna’s fire power, and I thought the author, Shannon Hale, did an amazing job writing it. She really captured the complexity of fire, a thing brings life but it also brings death. It is beautiful yet terrible, all consuming and dangerous. In this world, fire power is similarly complicated. I could understand all of Enna’s decisions, even if I didn’t like them, because I understood the influence the fire had over her. Enna’s longing to set things aflame steadily increases over the course of the story, and it’s written wonderfully. In fact, I thought the writing in general was amazing. It was lyrical and almost poetic, and it flowed very nicely. It provided beautiful descriptions not only of Enna’s fire making ability, but of everything. The series is set in an enchanting world filled with magic and excitement, with a medieval feel. It’s brought to life vividly through lush descriptions. This world is divided into many kingdoms including Yasid, Kildenree, Tira and Kel, but it centers around Bayern. Overall, I highly recommended Enna Burning as a thrilling fantasy book, and the entire series too. Of course, you should read the first book before this one. It’s called The Goose Girl and is also a great story. Enna Burning by Shannon Hale. Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books, 2017. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process!
King of Shadows, Reviewed by Olivia, 10
“Th’art a true actor, sprite.” Starring Nat Field, King of Shadows is written by Susan Cooper. Yes, maybe it is another book about acting, but look deeper. Nat’s life is a performance. Singing with joy, flipping with agility, miserable things happening in the most unexpected areas, taking off with emotion that we’ve never, ever met. Nat’s life is difficult, like many others. Not even difficult, it feels impossible. It seems as if every ten seconds something miserable occurs. Nat’s mom dies from cancer and just when we think, how can things be harder? His dad commits suicide for the great loss of Nat’s mom. Even harder. He cries every time he thinks about his dad or someone mentions something about his parents. The author had Nat go over obstacles that Nat was always clueless about, always making the obstacles at the end. Even though he has his sad life, he has one main talent, a talent that always makes him happy: acting. The Boys Company is Nat’s acting company, with many friends, kind Rachel, his voice coach, and Gil Warmun, who acts with so much emotion that even the audience feels it. Even with his friends, his life is tragic. One day, the day that changes his life forever, he has a dream of a hand pulling him away from the Earth, then pulling him close to the Earth to the next day. The next morning Nat is taken to the past, Shakespeare’s time. Nat’s adventure to 1599 Elizabethan England has begun. Nat soon meets Shakespeare, astonishingly, and joins the Chamberlain’s Men. He feels as if Shakespeare resembles a father figure. However, though he feels like he belongs, the one person he wants removed from the Chamberlain’s Men is the selfish and cruel Roper, who tries to embarrass Nat every time he has a chance. The drama magically transforms the book, while every single character has a positive impact on the story and each detail only makes it increasingly interesting. Of course, without Roper, the story wouldn’t be engaging. Without even one element, the book would fall apart. All the tiny details are the cement, and the characters, setting, and fascinating plot are the bricks, only able to fit together using the cement. The book needs every single drop of cement, to make it as exotic as it can be. Although the earlier parts of the book are pretty straight forward, some confusion appears at the end of chapter ten. Shakespeare talks about the Earl of Essex, and some parts of the book are confusing. What clues lead to the fact that Nat says, “so that Essex was about to end up, sooner or later, among those terrible pecked-up skulls stuck up over the London Bridge.” How does he know which Earl of Essex it is? How does he know so much about Elizabethan England? There exists a second Earl of Essex, and a third. Questions usually jumble through my head when I read this part of the book. Many people don’t know much about Elizabethan England, like me. From this book, I have learned quite a lot about Elizabethan England, English Plays, Shakespeare, and much more about plays in general. Despite the comments, this book is wonderful, filled with enchantment, and brimming with love. Kind-hearted Shakespeare and the curious and talented Nathan Field–it’s the combination of characters that makes the book heartwarming, action-packed, and enjoyable. Finally, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves books made with love, happiness, drama, and curiosity. This book was written very well; everyone who reads it is sure to fall in love with it. King of Shadows by Susan Cooper. Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2001. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process!
