The Book of Fatal Errors (The Feylawn Chronicles #1)

by Dashka Slater (Author)

The Book of Fatal Errors (The Feylawn Chronicles #1)
Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade

Award-winning author Dashka Slater spins a tale of friendship, magic, and eternal life in The Book of Fatal Errors, an evocative and witty middle-grade fantasy.

Rufus doesn't just make mistakes - he makes fatal errors. Clumsy and awkward, he feels entrapped by his teasing classmates and their constant laughter. But now it is summer. Rufus is free. He roams the wildlands of his grandfather's mysterious homestead, blissfully unaware of the danger up ahead. And there is much danger. Rufus and his snooty cousin Abigail soon become entangled in the tantalizing world of the feylings, mischievous fairly-like creatures desperate to find their way home. In helping the feylings, Rufus tumbles down a dark path rich with age-old secrets and difficult truths. Any move he makes might be his final fatal error. Or perhaps, his most spectacular beginning.

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Kirkus

Both cousins are biracial; Rufus’ mother is of Japanese heritage, and his father is white, and Abigail’s father is Mexican, and her mother is white. A delightful read for anyone who loves magic. (map) (Fantasy. 8-12).

School Library Journal

Gr 3-6--Slater has created a fun, emotionally driven fairy story. All 12-year-old Rufus wants to do for the summer is run wild around his grandfather's property which is equipped with forest, orchards, and a creek. He does not want to go to an educational camp, work on dad-approved projects, or spend time with his overachiever cousin, Abigail. But when Rufus and Abigail discover a secret world of magical creatures that need their help, they have to set aside their differences to solve a mystery and fight a lurking evil. This story is familiar--two kids discover a secret world hiding right under their noses and have to battle something evil to protect it--but Slater breathes new life into the trope. The fraught relationship between Rufus and his father rings true and lends a realistic anchor to this fantasy story. Rufus and Abigail are under immense pressure from their parents, and the world, to excel and be unique, but only in a socially acceptable way. This mirrors the pressures young people are under today, where kids are already preparing for college applications at the age of 11. In a world with so much responsibility, it is lovely to escape into fairyland. VERDICT An excellent readalike for "The Spiderwick Chronicles" by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black; recommended for any young fantasy fans.--Jeri Murphy, C.F. Simmons M.S., Aurora, IL

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Publishers Weekly

With a dash of imagination and a heap of adventure, Slater's middle grade fantasy debut, starring 12-year-old biracial cousins Rufus and Abigail, is certain to appeal to readers of varying ages. At school, half-Japanese, half-white Rufus Takada Collins is somewhat of an outcast--especially after making several socially "fatal errors" guaranteed to set him apart from his peers. Now, however, it's summer vacation, and despite his father's summer camp expectations, Rufus is looking forward to diving into the birds, seeds, and mysteries of Feylawn, his grandpa Jack's home in Galosh, Calif., especially after strange things begin happening at the estate. The discovery of a beautiful old steam engine in the barn sets Rufus and his high-achieving, half-Mexican, half-white cousin Abigail on a path toward not only self-discovery, but also the knowledge that Rufus can see things others can't. What follows is a twisting slide into human-versus-other politics, rebellion against authority, and wrestling with consequences. The growth and maturation Abigail and Rufus undergo together is elegantly addressed in an occasionally dark plot. Lingering questions may leave some readers unsatisfied, but readers may find answers in the next installment. Ages 8-12. Agent: Erin Murphy, Erin Murphy Literary. (July)

Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"A seamless combination of fantasy and mystery wrapped around a classical coming-of-age narrative, Dashka Slater's The Book of Fatal Errors grabs the readers hand from the first page and tugs them along at a breakneck pace through twist after twist." -Bookpage

"A brilliant story teller, Slater has filled The Book of Fatal Errors with unexpected twists, an engaging mystery and endearing characters, both human and magical. Oh, I do hope for a sequel!" -Kiss the Book Blogspot

Dashka Slater

Dashka Slater has written many picture books, including Escargot, which won the Wanda Gag Book Award; A Book for Escargot; Love, Escargot; Escargot and the Search for Spring; Baby Shoes; and The Antlered Ship, which was a Junior Library Guild Selection and received four starred reviews. Her New York Times-bestselling nonfiction young adult novel The 57 Bus won several accolades including the Stonewall Book Award and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Nonfiction Book Award. She lives in Berkeley, California.

Sydney Hanson is a children's book illustrator living in Sierra Madre, California. She works in a combination of traditional and digital media to create her illustrations--her favorites are watercolor and colored pencil. She loves the outdoors and is a certified naturalist who spends most of her spare time poking around the woods with her Labrador retriever, Cash. To see all of her latest animals and illustrations, follow her on Instagram.

Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780374301194
Lexile Measure
660
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Byr)
Publication date
July 20, 2020
Series
The Feylawn Chronicles
BISAC categories
JUV013030 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Multigenerational
JUV037000 - Juvenile Fiction | Fantasy & Magic
JUV001000 - Juvenile Fiction | Action & Adventure
Library of Congress categories
Lost and found possessions
Lost articles
Adventure and adventurers
Magic
Adventure stories
Fairies
Cousins
Animals, Mythical
Imaginary creatures

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