01/31/2022
A young boy grows wings and embarks on a magical adventure in Ristau’s (The End of Time) newest middle grade fantasy. Before she died, Gwyn’s mother used to tell him fantastical stories, including promising him that on his 12th birthday he’d grow a pair of wings. When Gwyn at last wakes up that fated morning and discovers he’s still wingless, he feels as if he’s lost one more connection to his mother. But when a mysterious ball of light appears during his class field trip, Gwyn suddenly finds himself flying, launching him on an otherworldly adventure he isn’t sure he’s ready for.
Despite his wish to be able to fly, Gwyn is confused and frightened—and quickly becomes exhausted—when an owl mysteriously appears and guides him to a boat piloted by his Nana, who reveals that all the fanciful stories his mother ever told him are true. What follows is a frenetic adventure. Danger lurks around every corner—the father of a friend tracks him with seemingly nefarious intent, and Gwyn encounters a cursed summer camp counselor, a demon dog, and a mass of blue zombies in the woods by his Nana’s house. But during the journey, he learns secrets about himself, and his Nana too, that give him a chance to feel hope again.
Though the writing is engaging, Ristau’s plot races from point to point so quickly that the tale is slightly disjointed, with major developments not always having time to breathe. As a result, there’s very little character building, especially with the large cast of friends that accompany Gwyn on his adventures. Brian W. Parker’s illustrations—which include scenes from Gwyn’s past—help with the pacing, particularly those depicting time spent with Gwyn’s mother, producing a grounding effect and cementing his character during breaks in the action. Despite his supernatural gift, tweens will find Gwyn relatable, and the story is packed with action as mystery and magic converge.
Takeaway: Tweens with a sense of adventure will be swept away by this magical tale of a boy who discovers he has supernatural abilities.
Great for fans of: Madeleine L’Engle, Gail Carson Levine’s Ella Enchanted series.
Production grades Cover: B+ Design and typography: A Illustrations: A Editing: A Marketing copy: A
2022-01-13
A young boy sprouts wings and flies into battle with supernatural forces in Ristau’s fantasy adventure.
Gwyn Wylde is bummed out that his uncommunicative dad is a seventh grade science teacher at his school, and he misses his recently deceased mom and the fantastic stories of sorcery she used to tell him. One day, while he’s on a field trip to the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in his native Portland, a floating spark of light chases him up a dinosaur skeleton and knocks him out a high window; he’s astonished when, rather than plummeting to the sidewalk, he suddenly grows wings and soars aloft. His haphazard flight eventually takes him to a boat, where his Nana isn’t at all surprised to see him; she has tricks of her own up her sleeve, including the ability to summon a swarm of owls. They’re soon joined by Gwyn’s best friends: Jules, a know-it-all girl with a prosthetic arm; Kai, a boy with autism whose father works with Gwyn’s dad on a mysterious research project; and wise-guy basketball phenom Jaiden. Pursued by heavies and a horde of glowing blue zombies and aided by a giant demon dog and a choleric camp counselor, the group sets out to liberate a collection of sentient light sparks being held captive. Ristau, a folklorist and author of the Shadow Girl YA book series, draws on Welsh mythology as a colorful backdrop for this kids’ romp. The brisk narrative, decorated with artist Parker’s witty, black-and-white illustrations of Gwyn’s shambolic journal, features plenty of action, gruesome monsters, and fun flying lessons and pratfalls. Ristau’s limpid prose perfectly captures Gwyn’s dejected, 12-year-old dudgeon while also conveying nuanced characterizations and moods through evocative imagery: “When we’re at home and that blankness wraps around him,” Gwyn ruminates about his bereft dad, “his glasses are the only part of him that’s real.” Readers will be captivated as Gwyn flutters into a number of spooky entanglements.
A lighthearted, rambunctious fantasy adventure with heartfelt musings on family and loss.
