Jaclyn Moriarty

Bronte Mettlestone is a self-possessed ten-year-old with perfect manners who has been raised by her Aunt Isabelle and the Butler; her parents left her on Aunt Isabelle's doorstep as a baby and haven't returned. But when the household receives word that Patrick and Lida have been killed by pirates, it puts a whole new chain of events in motion: Bronte's parents' will outlines a specific trip she must take to visit each of her aunts, delivering gifts and making certain stops along the way. The will is Faery cross-stitched; if Bronte does not complete the journey, her hometown of Gainsleigh will crumble.

Bronte sets off with a treasure box of gifts for her aunts, some of whom she hasn't met before or has only met a few times. She plays with cousins, rescues a baby from a river and receives a medal from the elves, befriends water sprites and gets her Aunt Emma out of jail, learns to speak (a little) Dragon and flies on one's back, befriends an aspiring acrobat on a cruise ship captained by two of her aunts, and much more. Along the way, she learns more about the history of the Spellbinders and the Whisperers, the threats against her cousin Billy - also ten years old - and her own identity.

A wonderful fantasy adventure, with occasional stops for hot cocoa and cheesecake and oranges, and a thrilling conclusion and surprise reveal.

See also: The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente; Greenwild by Pari Thomson; Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell; The Swifts by Beth Lincoln; Greenglass House by Kate Milford

Quotes

"All books have magical properties." (83)

"[Your parents] probably wanted you to have adventures too? I expect that's why they used the Faery cross-stitch. So that Isabelle would have to let you come on this journey." (Aunt Emma, 116)

My parents had sent me on this journey to have adventures - small adventures, such as dining alone and trying out new foods, and digger adventures with elves, a boy with no shoes, water sprites, Spellbinders, and dragons. They had sent me on this journey to hear my aunts tell stories about my parents themselves...a basketful of memories to comfort me. (136)

I had spent so much time with grown-ups lately. They had all been very pleasant, of course, but it doesn't matter how pleasant grown-ups are, they're not children. I don't blame them for this - there's not a thing they can do about it. (139)

"Faery cross-stitch only breaks if you decide to break it. There are exceptions for accident and misadventure...Faeries are very reasonable people." (Matron, 175)

Sometimes life turns out to be exactly as you hope, only better. (with Aunt Alys, 245)

...I thought about the different ways there are of being sad. Just as there are different ways of laughing. (287)… (más)

Rating: 3* of five

The Publisher Says: Lillian Velvet lives a very lonely life with her cold and remote Grandmother. That is, until her tenth birthday, when she is given a pickle jar of gold coins, along with a note with clear instructions: don't go out, don't open the door for anyone, and don't spend all your coins in one day.

What happens next seems impossible. The coins whisk Lillian away to a different time and place. There she meets a small boy in a circus about to be crushed to death; a lively family, each member in a distinctive form of mortal danger; a boy with a skateboard; and a girl who can Whisper. And a web of dangerous magic closing tight around it all.

Why is Lillian here? How is she supposed to help these new friends? And—most importantly—what happens if she fails?

An exciting tale in the magical Kingdoms and Empires world, where seemingly disparate elements are spun until all is revealed as one delicious, tantalising whole.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: What on Earth is this?! How HORRIBLE the treatment of this child was. How awful for people to *pretend*to*die* and leave a child to be "raised" by a stranger whose identity is also a lie.

I gave up because I was really pissed, but really felt silly for reacting this way to book five in a series aimed at middle school kids. I know kids all think they're changelings/adopted/not really related to these muggles in their house. Permaybehaps the series reader, inside the target audience, will purr like a lynx at this story.

Levine Querido offers Kindle editions for $8.99...but start your kid/grand/nibbling with #1.… (más)