The Secret of Lillian Velvet

by Jaclyn Moriarty

Overview

A Good Housekeeping Best Kids’ Book of 2023

Here are only a few of the wonderful, strange, and mysterious elements in this breathtaking visit to the Kingdoms and Empires: A very proper girl named Lillian Velvet, living a very lonely life with a nasty Grandmother. A jar of coins, each with the power to take Lillian on a journey to a different time and place…and also to grant a single wish. A small boy in a barn about to be crushed to death by a load of hay. A family, each member in mortal danger, who are strangers to Lillian (but whom clever readers will recognize). And a web of dangerous magic closing tight around all. Who IS this Lillian Velvet? And what is her secret?

Only Jaclyn Moriarty has the ability to make readers laugh even while they grip the sides of their chairs in suspense. In The Secret of Lillian Velvet she is at the height of her storytelling powers, spinning, spinning, spinning seemingly disparate elements until all is revealed as one delicious, tantalizing whole.

P R A I S E

★ “Readers will have a hard time closing this book… A must-have for any middle grade collection with fantasy lovers, and those who enjoy the likes of Roald Dahl, Neil Gaiman, and Lemony Snicket.”
—School Library Journal (starred)

★ “Enticing… In the nostalgic fantasy novel The Secret of Lillian Velvet, a child gains friendships and fresh insights about herself through extraordinary interdimensional travels.”
—Foreword Reviews (starred)

“Absorbingly rich and strange.”
—Kirkus

“Sparkles with energy, warm humor, and outrageous metaphors.”
—Horn Book

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781646143344
Publisher:	Levine Querido
Publication date:	10/10/2023
Series:	Kingdoms and Empires
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	316,020
File size:	20 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Jaclyn Moriarty is the award-winning author of uniquely creative and readable books for adults and young readers including The Year of Secret Assignments, the Colors of Madeleine trilogy, The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone, and The Stolen Prince of Cloudburst. One of the talented and popular Moriarty sisters (including Liane and Nicola), Jaclyn lives in Sydney, Australia. She is very fond of chocolate, blueberries, and sleep.

Editorial Reviews

[STAR] “An expertly written exploration of an Afro-Latine family’s history and the pantheon of West African gods. Marrero’s debut beautifully weaves together themes of family trauma, first crushes, spirituality, and history as Maya embarks on her journey of self-discovery. An uplifting, beautifully rendered story of family bonds and embracing the unknown.” – Kirkus (starred)

“A spirited debut about finding oneself, familial love, and forgiveness.” – Booklist

[STAR] “Beguiling… Maya’s lively voice dazzles amid a standout cast that includes her lovably unruly cousins as well as memorable neighbors and classmates of varied Black and Latine heritages. In this evocative multigenerational tale, Marrero cultivates a rich N.Y.C. setting that feels like a character in itself, bursting with even richer depictions of cultural traditions.” – Publishers Weekly (starred)

[STAR] “Enticing… In the nostalgic fantasy novel The Secret of Lillian Velvet, a child gains friendships and fresh insights about herself through extraordinary interdimensional travels.” — Foreword Reviews

“Absorbingly rich and strange.” – Kirkus

“Sparkles with energy, warm humor, and outrageous metaphors.” — Horn Book

[STAR] “Readers will have a hard time closing this book… A must-have for any middle grade collection with fantasy lovers, and those who enjoy the likes of Roald Dahl, Neil Gaiman, and Lemony Snicket.” — School Library Journal (starred)

From the Publisher

★ 12/01/2023

Gr 4–7—Orphan Lillian Velvet spends her dreary days stuck at home, rarely able to venture out from the watchful eye of her despicable grandmother. Her life is a checklist of homeschooling tasks and household chores until the morning of her 10th birthday. Mysteriously, Grandmother gives Lillian a pickle jar of strange coins, which she discovers will pay her toll to visit the world of Kingdoms and Empires. Lillian is whisked off on short trips to this enchanting land where she makes new friends and thrilling discoveries. Lillian's adventures develop an increasing sense of danger and urgency as she bounces through time, seeking answers to questions about herself, parents, and new friends. Lillian starts to notice common threads among her visits to Kingdoms and Empires. Will these threads help her solve the mystery of her own identity? Will she find what she needs before the entire world of Kingdoms and Empires becomes unraveled? Readers will have a hard time closing this book as they race to discover whether Lillian is the one pulling the threads apart or the only one who can knit them back together. Short chapters with alternating viewpoints, paired with a thrilling opening hook, will draw readers in from the first page. Lillian's adventures take an extended time to coalesce into the climax, but the story does not lose momentum. Middle grade fantasy and adventure enthusiasts will revel in the frequent visits to Kingdoms and Empires. Moriarty broadens appeal here with quirky, charming characters, and richly developed themes of friendship and family. This tale of Kingdoms and Empires works just fine as a standalone, but Moriarty fans will be thrilled to see this new installment in the series. VERDICT A must-have for any middle grade collection with fantasy lovers, and those who enjoy the likes of Roald Dahl, Neil Gaiman, and Lemony Snicket.—Jill Shepard

School Library Journal

Ten-year-old Lillian Velvet is an unusual Australian girl. She's lonely, homeschooled by her rigid grandmother, and has a very proper manner of speaking. Vivian Carter perfectly portrays Lillian; her every word and tone are filled with goodness and a desperation for emotional connection. On her tenth birthday, Lillian receives her first present, a jar of gold coins that shove her unexpectedly and seemingly randomly into magical adventures. Established fans of Jaclyn Moriarty will be happy to encounter characters from her other books as Lilian's adventures unfold. Carter's performance of Lillian's awakening joy and awe makes for heartwarming listening. Philip Bretherton performs alternating chapters in a mellifluous and authoritative tone. His character's role is not revealed until the end. A.B. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine

JANUARY 2024 - AudioFile

2023-07-26
A birthday gift, her very first, gives a 10-year-old Australian girl a chance to prove her mettle.

Astounded though she is when the harshly repressive grandmother who has raised her in isolation presents her with a pickle jar full of gold coins, that’s only the first of a string of wonders as Lillian is unexpectedly shoved over and over into the magical land of Kingdoms and Empires. There, she’s informed by a mysterious collector that the coins pay for wishes. Each visit leads to encounters in which a person or creature (including, once, a huge dragon) is in a pickle and needs help. Actually, Lillian turns out to be a pawn in an evil and potentially deadly scheme, and around its twists and turns, Moriarty weaves a complex tale involving sprites and genies, time travel, fearsome dangers, hard decisions…and also the Mettlestones, a clan whose 11 sisters and their offspring have gone on to all sorts of splendid feats. The clan’s close-knit, noisy dynamics give Lillian an eye-opening view of what family life could be like. Presented through multiple points of view, the tale has an overstretched feel; the author sends Lillian back and forth more than 15 times, strings out the suspenseful climax, and repeats herself occasionally. Still, watching kind, smart, and brave Lillian overcome an upbringing designed to leave her mousy and fearful makes for compelling reading, as does watching the intricacies of the plot unfold. Most characters read white.

Absorbingly rich and strange. (Fantasy. 9-13)

Kirkus Reviews