Miss Ellicott's School for the Magically Minded

December 15, 2016
Owl's bowels! Someone's kidnapped the sorceresses of Lightning Pass!Atop a steep, twisting street above the walled Kingdom sits Miss Ellicott's School for Magical Maidens--Spells, Potions, Wards, Summonings and Deportment Taught to Deserving Surplus Females. Here, spells are second to deportment as the young students train to be proper sorceresses--"shamefast and biddable." Tall and black, 13-year-old Chantel is the school's most magical maiden, and she doesn't give a hoot about deportment; she just wants to practice magic. After Miss Ellicott and the other sorceresses who keep the city safe disappear, Chantel finds that the remaining adults--all men--are useless. The patriarchs want to continue their iron rule over the city, and the king wants to take control away from the patriarchs. With barbaric Marauders from outside the wall banging at the gates, it's up to Chantel to save the city and its people from destruction from without--and within. Aided by a fire-breathing dragon, a crossbow-wielding boy, and a long-dead queen, Chantel is a force to be reckoned with. The narrative makes fun of the follies of bureaucratic patriarchy, subverting gender roles by reinforcing them, trusting readers to spot the irony. In a hilarious turn, the novel plays with the skin-as-food-color trope: Anna, Chantel's white best friend, is described as having "skin the color of raw chicken." Chantel is a magical heroine to be celebrated, deportment notwithstanding. (Fantasy. 8-14)

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January 1, 2017

Gr 4-8-Chantel is a powerful young sorceress, but she's had less luck with the deportment lessons that all magical maidens learn at Miss Ellicott's school. When Miss Ellicott mysteriously disappears, a lack of deportment may be the least of Chantel's problems. Marauders are besieging the city, and suddenly none of the adult sorceresses are around to perform the spells that strengthen the walls. Also, Chantel's snake familiar has crawled into her head, which doesn't help matters. As she takes responsibility for the school's younger students, questions the city's patriarchy and the old ways of thinking, and begins to find her way into her full powers, Chantel starts to learn when to be biddable and when to be bold. This imaginative story has it all: magic and adventure but also humor and relevant political undertones for savvy readers. Chantel is described as brown-skinned; the racial identity of other characters is not specified. This book features a strong plot and well-developed characters. Readers who enjoyed Blackwood's earlier works will not be disappointed. Hand this to fans of Diana Wynne Jones and Shannon Hale. VERDICT This clever fantasy is a strong purchase for most middle grade collections.-Misti Tidman, Mansfield/Richland County Public Library, OH

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from February 1, 2017
Grades 5-8 *Starred Review* Chantel Goldenrod is the most talented student at Miss Ellicott's School for Magical Maidens. While others struggle for years to summon a familiar, Chantel summoned hers (a snake named Japheth) at age six. Unfortunately for the more magically minded, Miss Ellicott emphasizes deportment and obedience over the study of spells, potions, and wards. But when Miss Ellicott and the rest of the sorceresses disappear, Chantel must ignore all rules in order to find them. Meanwhile, it's hard to identify the true enemy. Is it the evil Marauders surrounding Lightning Pass who threaten to attack the city wall? Or the patriarchs and king who hoard the scarce food supply while citizens go hungry? Good thing Chantel has capable companions in her sensible friend Anna, a Marauder boy on the run named Franklin, and a dragon called Lightning. This fantastical adventure is a sheer delight, featuring a smart, kind, and brave heroine. Though the story involves the darkness of people's hearts when they lust for power, it maintains a playfully humorous and good-natured tone. The king and patriarchs are narratively limited by their selfish behavior, but most of the other significant characters exhibit a realistic mix of strengths and flaws. Recommended for fantasy readers who want a plot on the cozier side, but still with serious consequences.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)