A Sliver of Stardust

July 1, 2015
Smart, 11-year-old Wren has just tied academic rival Simon at the Science Olympiad Trivia Challenge when a huge, white bird begins the magical apprenticeship of both children to the Ancient and Honorable Guild of the Fiddlers. The Fiddlers are not violinists; they are, apparently, the sole, remaining workers of magic on Earth, revered in days of yore but now living anonymously. They use stardust to disguise their nearby workplace at a college campus from all but insiders, and snippets of old nursery rhymes are a part of their secret codes. There are creative descriptions of magical places and adventures-some strongly reminiscent of classics of children's fantasy-but the storytelling has an awkward, sometimes-patronizing quality. Often, change comes too easily for credibility: the children's parents allow Simon and Wren to spend a month away with strangers; the supposed rivals form a friendship all too quickly; Simon, Wren, and adult Fiddlers are strangely willing to accept odd apprentice Jack into their confidence; Wren's thespian mother uses Wren's idea of reworked Mother Goose rhymes for an annual play. Readers must make their ways through almost 100 pages of bits of hocus-pocus, hints of intrigue, and weak characterization to start to feel empathy with Wren and to spy the beginning of a tale that eventually includes the Voldemort-esque villain Boggen. The appealing premise is hamstrung by lengthy exposition and sluggish characterization. (Fantasy. 8-12)

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July 1, 2015

Gr 4-7-Wren and Simon, two homeschooled 11-year-olds vying for the top prize at the Science Olympiad, are brought together by magic (invisible giant birds, shimmering dust, and cryptic nursery rhymes) and invited to join The Fiddlers, a centuries-old organization of stardust-wielding magicians still trying to recover from the actions of a traitorous apprentice named Boggen, who is responsible for much death and destruction in his search for a magical key. They are made apprentices themselves, and taken to the Crooked House to be trained. There they discover that Mother Goose rhymes are more than just childish entertainment, experience friendship and betrayal, and, of course, save the universe. This is mostly Wren's story-she's a pretty normal girl with plenty of smarts and unusual magic, but things do not come easily for her. The rest of the gang, including Jack and Jill (who are not related in this version) are less well defined, and the adults, with rare exceptions, are mere background. There is some violence, including the destruction of an entire flock of birds. An open-ended finale leaves the stage set for further adventures. VERDICT Fine for libraries with a limitless hunger for fantasy.-Mara Alpert, Los Angeles Public Library

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2015
Grades 5-8 Wren always wins the science fair competition. But this year might see the end of her streak when fellow homeschooler Simon matches all her scores. In the final round, Wren is distracted by a swooping bird and the apparition of a strange woman who seems to be speaking to her. Ultimately, Simon and Wren tie, but there is a larger, stronger tie happening to them as both are called to join the Fiddlers Guild as apprentices. Along with Jack, the three are called upon to learn ancient magic and alchemy tied to Mother Goose nursery rhymes. Of course, no such journey would be complete without a villain, one that comes in the dreams of Wren and Jack, one that would defeat all Fiddlers and destroy the human race. Archetypes abound as Simon, Wren, and Jack battle the forces of evil. Along the way, nursery rhymes, some familiar and some not, provide riddles to solve. Tie this fun one to Karen Foxlee's Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy (2014).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)