River Magic

Donna Landon grew up riverside near "a teeny little Maine town" with her white carpenter mother, older sister Janice, and beloved aunt Annabelle. But nine months after Annabelle drowns in a kayaking accident, Donna begins hearing Annabelle's voice in her head--or someone who sounds a lot like her ("The thing to do with anger is blow it out your nose and hope it hits somebody"). It's a comfort to the girl, whose mother is working three jobs to offset debt, and whose sister, now 16, has "nothing good to say" about Donna. Worse, Donna's best friend, Rachel, also white, has abandoned her for basketball teammates. Afraid she'll be sent to live with wealthier "Cousin Betty, plus her Evil Boy Twins," Donna jumps at the chance to clean peculiar new neighbor Vilma Bliksem's house, especially when Vilma pays in gold. But when Vilma reveals she's a thunder mage who's holding a grudge, Donna must step up to set things right. A dense emotional core, resonant voice, and themes of grief, shifting friendships, and family enliven Booraem's (Texting the Underworld) contemporary fantasy, reminding readers that "hope is everywhere." Ages 10-up. Agent: Kate Schafer Testerman, KT Literary. (Apr.)

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Gr 5 Up--Another engaging fantasy set in the real world from Booraem. Donna's life is a wreck. Aunt Annabelle recently drowned and Donna's best friend Rachel has drifted away. To make matters worse, her single mom and high school--age sister can barely pay the bills, so it's up to Donna to do all the chores. When a voice in her head sounds like Aunt Annabelle giving her chore advice, the new neighbor pays her in gold for cleaning her house, and the weird kid at school turns out to have some common interests, things seem to be okay for a minute. Then Donna discovers the voice is a river dragon's, the gold is addictive, and the neighbor is a thunder mage who is turning everyone in the town into chickens. It takes the help of her new friend and the basketball team, along with the River Dragon to save her town, her house, and her family. Readers will root for quirky, charming Donna throughout, though they may wonder what she looks like (not described) and how old she is (her school has lockers and class periods, but also recess.) While there is a lot going on plot-wise, the story is woven together believably, though the chickens challenge suspension of disbelief more than the dragon, pixies, and thunder mage. VERDICT Recommended for fans of Katherine Applegate's Crenshaw who don't mind a bit of off-the-wall chicken magic.--Hillary Perelyubskiy, Los Angeles P.L.

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*"There is greed, danger, breathtaking adventure, and even humor and joy. . . . Readers will recognize [Donna] as a kindred spirit and root for her all the way to a satisfying conclusion. . . . A carefully constructed interweaving of reality and magic that will transport and delight.—Kirkus Reviews, starred review 

"The mix of the fantastical and the practical gives this light, quickly paced fantasy its vitality . . . On the serious side is a family on the verge of collapse and a girl who feels she's lost her best friend; on the playful, the colorful magic of pixies and the suspenseful action of a hand-to-hand fight with a baleful thunder mage."—Horn Book