It's happy book birthday time! Actually, today's birthday celebrates the rerelease of the hardback version of the third book in the Wildsmith. But I'm always ready to shout out birthdays and celebrate!
I haven't read the other two books in the series, but I'm hoping it won't be too big a problem to settle into this tale. I'm expecting adventure, tons of imagination, and messages surrounding golden friendship and reaching beyond the comfort zone. But maybe, it holds something else.
Let's see what these pages hold!
THE HIDDEN SEA
Wildsmith #3
by Liz Flanagan
Illustrated by Joe Todd-Stanton
Middle Grade Fantasy
Union Square Kids
174 pages
ages 8 to 12
Rowan has been working as a wildsmith. But when she finds herself alone and far from home, this time Rowan is the one who needs to be rescued! She travels deep into enemy territory and makes some surprising discoveries, coming face to face with great danger.
MY TIDBITS
Adventure, suspense, and tons of fantasy mix into an exciting tale, which is very suited for the younger end of the middle grade audience.
Rowan is hiding with her father and Mouse, a Pegasus, far from home. As a wordsmith who can communicate with animals, she's being hunted to join the enemy forces. Mouse is also being hunted due to his magical abilities, so both need to hide. When witch friends arrive with the news that they've found Mouse's family, Rowan convinces her father to let her fly with him back to his herd to make sure he safely arrives. All goes well until her ship home is intercepted by an enemy vessel. Now, she needs to escape and help some new friends along the way.
This is the third in a series, and while it would be beneficial to read these in order, it's not overly difficult to sink right in, either. But the novels do build on each other. Rowan wins over right away with her kind heart and desire to do whatever she can to help. Yet, she doesn't take unnecessary risks, either. There's a few emotional moments thanks to reunions in the beginning and at the end, which add a nice touch of warmth. The rest is adventure and tension pure as she finds herself in one sticky situation after the next. She doesn't solve these alone but works together with others to make it through. It creates characters to cheer for and moments to fever right along with the characters. Plus, there's a nice dose of friendship goodness as well. It was also enjoyable to see selkies and other mystical figures woven in.
There are illustrations sprinkled in every few pages, which help to visualize certain moments and characters. The author doesn't slide into too much depth but keeps this tale mostly action driven. This works very well for the intended reading level. It snuggles up right at the lower end of the middle grade group, a little longer than most chapter books but still not overly heavy like many middle grade reads. The chapters are kept short at 5-6 or so pages, and the font and spacing are on the larger side for reading ease. The adventure moves along quickly and with quite a bit of tension to make it a grabbing read even for slightly older readers, who just enjoy 'easier' books.
This one wraps up with just enough opening to lead into another adventure, so I'm looking forward to see what Rowan will face next.
And here they are...
Liz Flanagan is an award-winning author who writes for children and young adults. Her books include Dragon Daughter, Rise of the Shadow Dragons, and Eden Summer (nominated for the Carnegie Medal).
Joe Todd-Stanton grew up in Brighton, UK, and received a first-class degree in Illustration from UWE Bristol. He is the author and illustrator of The Secret of Black Rock, which won the Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2018 (illustrated category) and was longlisted for the 2018 CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal.
Joe Todd-Stanton grew up in Brighton, UK, and received a first-class degree in Illustration from UWE Bristol. He is the author and illustrator of The Secret of Black Rock, which won the Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2018 (illustrated category) and was longlisted for the 2018 CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal.
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