The Silver Arrow

July 15, 2020
The best birthday present is a magical train full of talking animals--and a new job. On Kate's 11th birthday, she's surprised by the arrival of rich Uncle Herbert. Uncle Herbert bears a gift: a train. Not a toy train, a 102.36-ton steam engine, with cars that come later. When Kate and her brother, Tom, both white, play in the cab of the Silver Arrow, the train starts up, zooming to a platform packed with animals holding tickets. Thus begins Kate and Tom's hard work: They learn to conduct the train and feed the fire box, instructed by the Silver Arrow, which speaks via printed paper tape. The Silver Arrow is a glorious playground: The library car is chockablock with books while the candy car is brimful of gobstoppers and gummy bears. But amid the excitement of whistle-blowing and train conducting, Kate and Tom learn quiet messages from their animal friends. Some species, like gray squirrels and starlings, are "invaders." The too-thin polar bear's train platform has melted, leaving it almost drowned. Their new calling is more than just feeding the coal box--they need to find a new balance in a damaged world. "Feeling guilty doesn't help anything," the mamba tells them. Humans have survived so effectively they've taken over the world; now, he says, "you just have to take care of it." (Illustrations not seen.) Both cozy and inspiring, this eco-fable conveys both grim truths and a defiant call to action. (Fantasy. 8-10)

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July 20, 2020
Blending elements of conservation and magic, Grossman (The Magicians, for adults) crafts a timeless-feeling, Travers-tinged adventure in his middle grade debut. On her 11th birthday, Kate’s uncle Herbert, “very rich and totally irresponsible,” gives her an unexpected present: a life-size steam locomotive named the Silver Arrow. Kate and her younger brother Tom, finding the train fueled, are soon swept away by the sentient locomotive—which communicates with them via printed messages—first to acquire a selection of train cars (including delightfully stuffed candy and library compartments), and then to serve as conductors on an international rail system that transports talking animals, large and small, to new habitats. While learning to run the train and solve problems on their own, the siblings bond with myriad passengers and begin to understand global issues surrounding endangered and invasive species, habitat loss, and environmental stewardship. Though it’s unclear why the magic train burns coal—a nonrenewable resource—in service of otherwise strong ecological messaging, whimsical details and well-wrought moments of adventure are neverthless certain to draw young readers. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8–up.

Starred review from August 1, 2020
Grades 4-7 *Starred Review* Eleven-year-old Kate longs for something more than her humdrum, normal-kid existence, and it arrives in the form of her eccentric Uncle Herbert, who has a birthday present in tow: a life-sized steam engine, the splendid Silver Arrow. When Kate and her brother notice a glow coming from the engine, they climb aboard, and the train lurches to life. Thus the bewildered siblings are sent on the mission of a lifetime, collecting ticketed animals at each stop and transporting them safely to their destinations. It's an initially cheerful premise?the children learn how to operate the magical locomotive, which communicates via cheeky printouts, and the various animals are chatty and charming. As the train puffs on, however, it becomes clear these are desperate trips for the passengers, who are relocating from endangered habitats to keep their species alive. Grossman's gorgeous middle-grade debut is vivid and amusing, and despite delightful shades of Dahl's whimsy and Pinkwater's wry directness, it's a world all its own. This gentle introduction to the complexities of life on this planet is a critical reminder not to despair over the enormity of human responsibility but to face it with joy and marvel at the magic that the world holds. It's a kind and clear message that all children?and their grownups?should take to heart.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

September 25, 2020

Gr 3-7-Kate's 11th birthday is approaching, and she's bored. She longs to live the kind of adventures she reads about. Figuring she has nothing to lose, she emails a wealthy, mysterious uncle she's never met, Herbert, and asks him for a birthday present. He delivers in grand style, showing up in person and presenting Kate with a train, an actual full-size steam locomotive-the titular Silver Arrow-that takes her and her brother, Tom, on a magical journey. Traveling on enchanted rail lines, Kate and Tom transport a bevy of talking animals around the globe and must use their imaginations and problem-solving skills to get themselves home again eventually. Environmental messages are woven throughout in entertaining and age-appropriate ways (invasive species attempt a minor coup, a baby pangolin requires such stringent protection from traffickers that it has to be removed from the space-time continuum altogether). VERDICT Readers of all ages who share the protagonist's fondness for "books about ordinary people who find out that magic is real" will devour this charming adventure story.-Stephanie Klose, Library Journal

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