The All-Powerful Ring

January 15, 2016
Primo is sure that the gold ring he finds in a fish's stomach must have magical powers. But what are they? This is the second in a series featuring five young cousins living in an Italian town renowned for its witches. It opens with a letter from a local demon about the town's (purported) supernatural residents, closes with a more expansive "Witchonary," and in between chronicles Primo's efforts to prove his courage and his newly found ring's magic. But nothing goes right: his prank-loving cousin Rosa refuses to take his claims seriously; an all-night vigil is wasted when the witchy, mischief-making Janara fail to appear; and his quest is trumped by cousin Maria Beppina, who is (supposedly) captured by the scary Clopper after she borrows the ring and reappears with a hair-raising tale. Ultimately an encounter, or a near-encounter anyway, with a child-snatching Manalonga draws praise from Primo's peers, and all race away to dance the tarantella at a village party. Blackall places her gesticulating, expressive figures, clad in antique country dress, between and beside passages of narrative; they have a timeless look in keeping with the episode's folkloric air. As in co-published opener Mischief Season, magic weaves its way through both setting and events without quite becoming explicit. A fresh and pleasing Continental sojourn for chapter-book readers. (map, historical note) (Fantasy. 8-10)

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April 1, 2016

Gr 2-5-Like other offerings in the series, this book revolves around five young cousins living in the Italian town of Benevento, notorious for its mischievous witches. Primo decides he needs to stand up to the Manalonga, who are the most feared of witches, known for lurking under bridges or in wells and snatching up children. Primo's plan involves using augurs, which are ways to read the future, but they have to slaughter an animal and read its guts to do so. There are tales of Primo's uncle, Beppe Stfortunato, being taken by the Manalonga, and when Primo and his cousins get unsatisfactory advice from Zia Pia, the fortune-teller, Primo steps up to the quest with false bravado. When he discovers a gold ring inside a fish, Primo is sure he has found the power needed to defeat the Manalonga. Marciano has delivered a delicious blend of otherworldly adventure, sure to be a hit with young readers. Blackall's distinctive and expressive drawings complement the gentle magical tale. VERDICT A magnificent introduction to fantasy for younger chapter readers interested in magic but not yet ready for more mature fantasies.-Michele Shaw, Quail Run Elementary School, San Ramon, CA

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